[CR]Cambio Rino

(Example: Framebuilders)

From: "Norris Lockley" <Norris.Lockley@btopenworld.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 01:47:27 +0100
Subject: [CR]Cambio Rino

I met up with the Cambio Rino people at the MIlan Show in November 1985, where they had quite a reasonably sized stand. Their factory was quite near to Milan, at Ossona. By that time I had already been using their group sets for about five years, buying from the UK importer of Benotto and Tommasini frames. I still have some of the parts in my collection and back in the early 80s time rated their super aerodynamic chainset as about the sleekest on the market, bar none. As I recall the rings were heavy drilled and anodised black. I think that black also featured on some of the gear mechs. In conversation with the sales people I felt certain that some of the gears at least were actually made for Rino by Suntour. Certainly the top-mounted gear lever with the compensating action for the L/H lever was a Suntour patent. Recently I won on Ebay a Cambio Rino frameset. Clearly it is of Italian manufacture and has all the hallmarks that one can expect. Finished in black enamel, it has chrome forks, with the Cambio Rino motif engraved in the fork crown.. The decals are white.All this black and white matches several sets of Rino decals that I was given at the Show. Surprisingly, Cambio Rino were still manufacturing and trading as recently as the 1993 Milan "Bike Trends" Exhibition in March of that year.

Norris Lockley... burning the midnight oil again..Settle UK