I was casually leafing through an old, 1938 Tabucchi catalogue today when I came across Fiamme sprint rims. This brought me up short as I hadn't realised they were made that far back. There was a patent number (GB416249 if you're interested) beside the ad for the rims which shows they were actually patented in 1934. The 1938 catalogue says that they were being made in England at that time.
Has anyone ever had a go at a Fiamme Timeline? I'd be really keen to know if the pre-war Fiammes were much different from those in the early-mid 50s. I have a few sets of the latter and thought I might be able to use them on pre-war bikes. Any thoughts?
The catalogue also had a drawing of "Campagnolo Automatic Quick Release Hubs". Mark Stevens was saying a few days ago that his 1936 Holdsworth Cyclist Aids catalogue suggested that Campagnolo was exporting back then even though the hubs were made by FB. However, the "Campagnolo" hubs in the Tabucchi catalogue-published two years later-are clearly marked FB but with Campagnolo quick release mechanisms. Could it be that it was just the quick releases that were bearing the Campagnolo name at that time and it was the fact that they were so innovative that led to the FB hubs they came with being known as Campagnolo quick release hubs?
Bruce, carrying the torch of pedantry in
Dundee
Scotland
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