Re: [CR] Campagnolo France/FB, Was: Italian Simplex Was: Jerseys

(Example: Framebuilders:Mario Confente)

In-Reply-To: <42C1C049.F9EC4ED3@earthlink.net>
References: <20050628172151.29921.qmail@web81002.mail.yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 14:49:47 -0700
To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] Campagnolo France/FB, Was: Italian Simplex Was: Jerseys


>Yes, as I said, Italian made Simplex... no mention of their being
>designed in Italy.
>
>But I think it is highly doubtful that any Campagnolo components were
>actually made at the Cognin, France Campagnolo location. Even though
>the forged QR lever said France on it
><http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~campa/s-R01000361111.jpg>
>I doubt it was forged in France instead of along with the rest in Italy.
> I don't think it would make economic sense to actually set up a second
>production facility so close to their factory in Northern Italy when you
>were as small as Campagnolo was in the very early 1950s. Probably set
>up for import/export tariffs, but just a guess.
>
>Any other opinions out there?
>
>Chuck Schmidt
>South Pasadena, CA
>
>.

I have wondered about the Cognin thing for a while. Cognin is a small town in the mountains (5879 inhabitants in 1999). Today, main business are gas stations, contractors and other builders - it is not exactly an industrial center.

A German friend looked up the bike industry's yellow pages from the early 1950s for Cognin, and found three entries:

- Brivio Freres, factory for cycle hubs. F.B. light-weight hubs (Also an ad in the same issue an ad stating "Brivio Freres, Fabriue de Moyeux de Cycles"). Phone No. 28.

- Campagnolo, (also at Vicenza/Italy), Accessoires F.B. (not sure what this is supposed to mean). Hubs and automatic "bloquage" (quick release). No address or telephone given.

- Magnin, Pont-d'Hyeres - Accessories. Phone No. 5.92 (not sure whether this was a maker or retailer.)

It is noteworthy that F.B. tried hard to convey the image of a French company, calling themselves "Brivio Freres" and "Factory for bicycle hubs" rather than "Fratelli Brivio" and "importer of the famous Italian hubs."

There seems to have been a connection between FB France and Campagnolo France. It can't be just a coincidence that Campagnolo decided to settle in this small town... when most bicycle business was in far-away St. Etienne.

FB claims (also in early ads from the late 1930s, but not repeated in later ads) that they made hubs in France. This would involve at least a machine shop. They had a lot of very specific hubs for the French market, such as tandem hubs with different flange spacing, which would have been useless in Italy. So in the very least, the French market was very important to them - unlike most Italian makers who more or less ignored the French market until at least the 1950s.

(Maybe the claim for production was just to avoid tariffs, and they smuggled the goods across the mountains, thus the location in a far-off mountain village? I am speculating here...)

Chuck mentioned forging of Campy QR levers: As I understand it, Campagnolo never forged their own parts. VeloNews reported years ago on various Italian manufacturers in one of their ad specials, saying that Campagnolo bought the raw forgings, made to their designs. (Other makers did the same - it's a good idea to leave such specialized stuff to specialists.) So whether the forgings were made in Italy or France, they weren't made by Campagnolo.

Finally, are the QR levers forged or cast? Being made from steel, forging is very expensive and not needed for strength... A cast-steel lever will be plenty strong and easier to make...

But these asides aside, if anybody has some insight on the FB/Campagnolo connection and the early days of FB and Campagnolo in France, or wants to travel to Cognin - I am sure the old timers will remember what was going on just 50 years ago in their small town! - I'd love to hear about it. It would make a good article for VBQ, too!

To ward off the inevitable flames, I just posted what I know, and some speculation on what it might mean. I know very little on the subject and would like to know more. -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com