Hi CR List,
Fossati Track Frame 1920's-30's for sale $350 plus shipping (actual cost for shipping, no fee for careful packing) (I could deliver in Northern CA Bay Area or L.A.)
Too many projects and not enough time prompts this sale, I have attended the last 3 years of the CIrque and been a loyal lurker for 3 years:
Bicycle is apparantly not an original Fossati as he did not start making
frames until the 40's. However, the bicycle was sold to me by a someone
who had a friend who used to live in Italy and claims it came from
Fossati's shop itself and was probably repainted as a Fossati at the
shop. The fellow who sold it to him is bicycle collector afficianado and
a true gentleman, so I take his word as truth. Either way, it is a
beautifully built handmade steel lugged frame from most likely late 20's
to early 30's. Lugs are obviously hand filed to shape (more curves).
Frame is satamped in a number of places with serial "#27209 W". Anyone
reading this who might know what this means PLEASE contact me. Frameset
includes bottom bracket (for cottered pin crank arms) and headclip style
headset (races built into the frame - the best looking headsets ever?),
along with accomodations for a screw which will lock the headset
straight. Forks feature double crown and closed dropouts (you have to
spread them to fit the hub in - no chance of front wheel dropout). Frame
features grease ports at the bottom bracket and headset as well as
seatstays that are completely detachable and bolt on with the seat clamp
tightening - no rear bridge (see photos). Paint job and decals are
immaculate (which leads me to believe it was a display piece in the
Fossati shop), however the headtube and seat tube have slight
indentations in them as shown by the photos. One of the rear dropouts
also appear to have been repaired at some point. Color is cream/metalic
blue, frame measures 62.5 cm center to center along the seatube and 67.5
cm along the top tube, which supplies a more laidback (whitehorse)
geometry as was common for track/racing cycles of the time.
Here are pictures of it built up (please note ONLY the frame, fork,
headset, bottom bracket, seat post and seat clamp are included):
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/
The tubeset is unknown. No markings anywhere. The seatpost diameter is 22mm, I will include a proper seatpin in the auction. The fork steertube is standard 1" threaded and will therefore accept all standard stems. The headset is an old style headset with the bearing cups and races built into the frame and headlip. The headclip contains the race and screws down on to the bearings, you then tighten it to the stem with the pinch bolt also built into the headclip. Yes, it works perfectly and is silky smooth.
Thanks for Considering It,
Tom ("less is more") Hillman, Modesto CA