[CR]So what's a Chiorda from Bergamo, Italy?

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Chater-Lea)

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 12:17:08 -0800 (PST)
From: "Don Wilson" <dcwilson3@yahoo.com>
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]So what's a Chiorda from Bergamo, Italy?

Here's an old Italian road bike with some interesting components. Fill me in on when this thing might have been made. It appears to be pre-bike boom or, at least, early bike boom. No reflectors on the pedals.

Frame and forks: probably gas pipe. A painted, welded cross member for a kickstand, but no kick stand. Drop outs not marked. No serial numbers. No tube stickers.

Lugs: Slightly ornate chrome lugs on top and bottom of steering head. Painted rear cluster and bottom bracket.

Paint/Chrome/Stickers:Orange and red combo. Steering head tube orange with black border around lugs. Forks orange, then red, then chrome. Rest of frame is red. The bike is wildly over stickered with foil type stickers that carryon on the orange, red black motif.

Head badge: Foil. Silver crest covered with orange lettering. Chiorda, Bergamo, Merca Dep.

Head set: Unmarked on outside. Haven't pried inside yet.

Stem/bars: Stem is a cast alluminum Ambrosio with a deeply recessed area on both sides of the reach with Ambrosio Spa. cast in one side, Made in Italy cast in the other, and Ambrosio engraved on top of where the handlebars slide through. Bars are unmarked aluminum drops.

Derailleurs: Campagnolo front derailleur that articulates through a large, flat, square piece of metal marked Campagnolo mounted on the seat tube. Campagnolo Valentino G.S. rear derailleur.

Brakes/levers: Very old looking, unmarked levers connect to Universal Mod. 61 center pulls.

Cranks/Pedals: Old unmarked double chain wheel with unmarked cottered cranks and pedals with a U marked in the dust cap on the ends of the pedals.

Wheels/Hubs: Common rims look comparable to what came on UO-8s with dotted sidewalls. Can't find a brand on the rims. Ofmega Sprint rear hub and QR skewer. Normandy front hub with MM Atom QR skewer.

Seat/Post: Riveted leather sport seat with Export ornately pressed into both seat sides and a tin badge with Export on the trailing edge of the seat. Metal post tapers inward near top to limit clamp slide.

That's about it. It seems either a bike boom cheapie with interesting components, or a much older bike of modest, but decent quality. Any insight would be appreciated.

Don Wilson Los Olivos, CA

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