Fred.. thanks.
It seems odd indeed that Italian makers did not indeed make more of lightweight tubing... of course in those days one actually bought a bike in person and picking it up is believing! Today countless repaintings later and on eBay with often a dearth of information, it had me scratching my head? Mabye these Italian riders were world champions because they were riding pipe iron bikes! I just find it strange that the Italians, of all people, would be the ones indulging in English understatement. These machines should be emblazoned "Superleggere" in some silver finished lightening bolt.
Of course the Italian went alloy crazy in the 1930s; some of the first alloy framed furniture was Italian not to mention the Italian aviation industry which was among the most advanced in the world. My father owned two of the fabulous alumiumium Alfa Romeos Freccia D'Oro sports sedans of the late 1940s.
Whilst on the subject, who was the first to introduce a popular and successful alloy chainset? The British seemed loathe to do so, preferring to shave off steel ones to such close tolerances as to be fracture-prone or at least the RRA ones were.
Peter Kohler Washington DC USA
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