The rumor, or perhaps bike legend, that I have heard repeated from credible sources on this list--was it you Aldo--that the Girardengos were made in a prison factory. (I am currently building a Girardengo into a single speed to leave at my daughter's house so I can cart my granddaughters around). Sure beats other prison work: pounding rock into gravel and making rope.
Cheers.
Tom Hayes Chagrin Falls, Ohio
On 7/27/06, Peter Jourdain <pjourdain@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi, Brian and CR--
>
> It's funny...now that I've kicked around a couple of
> years in collecting, I have noticed MANY more
> similarities between Ideor and Olmo (and to a slightly
> lesser extent b/t Ideor and Giradengo) than between
> Ideor and Cinelli.
>
> I mentioned the rumored Cinelli "link" because of what
> I had heard in the past. I should have also written in
> my post that my Ideor is much more "Olmoish" than
> "Cinelliesque," but I didn't, and I'm glad Brian
> brought the matter up. He's dead on.
>
> As to the other brands, Brian may be onto something.
> But a prison bicycle manufactury? Was there such a
> thing, or was it a corporate concern that came up with
> names and branded bikes? Or is it simply a case
> of---and I don't mean to start a rumble here---
> "Italian bikes are beautiful but they all look
> alike..." There must be folks out there who at least
> know the history of Olmo enough to offer some wisdom
> on any other brands they may have been behind.
>
> But if the prison rumor is true, it might be worth
> doing some "hard time" in Milan to learn the art of
> framebuilding!
>
>
> Peter Jourdain
> Whitewater, Wisconsin
>
>
> --- brian <bbspokes@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > My question is were these brands, Ideor, Campi,
> > Olmo, Giradengo, Capi and others all the same bikes
> > made in the rumored prison factory? Brian Blum in
> > Berkeley
> >
> >
>
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--
Tom Hayes
Chagrin Falls, Ohio