Marcus Helman wrote:
> Chuck,
>
> I just finished your post about Galmozzi. How old is it? Do you
> have pictures? Where did you get it?
>
> In the same digest is a post I sent, but only a fragment came through.
>
> My post:
> I bought a Galmozzi in 1978 from Turin Bicycle Co-op in Chicago,
> where I worked that summer. I took it to college that Fall, and
> road it all over. I have never felt as fast as I did on that
> bike. It went exactly where I wanted it to go. But it was not
> flashy, and lacked details that became important to me in those
> years, namely a lot of braze-ons. I thought that clamping parts to
> a frame was very old fashioned. I also became enamored with
> fastback seat clusters. The Galmozzi did not even have the fluted
> seat stay caps that I think of as being Italian style. The seat
> stays ended with oval shaped caps--no engraving, nothing fancy.
> There were no holes in the lugs either. The Galmozzi was also a
> funny shade of pinkish orangey not exactly cream of tomato soup
> red. I did like the rooster decals.
>
> In 1981 I sold it and bought a Tom Ritchey frame, which had a
> really nice fastback seat cluster, and more braze-ons, but which
> never moved me in the same way. I have often wondered what became
> of the Galmozzi. I can only hope it is with someone who
> appreciates it more than I did when it was new.
>
> If only I knew then. . .
> Marcus Helman
> Huntington Woods, MI
Marcus, I got my early 70s Galmozzi on eBay in mid 2000 from a guy in Phoenix. Really thrashed and missing some of its original parts... a real "Old Soldier" if ever there was one! Back then it seemed like Takao Noda and I were the only ones looking for Galmozzi (I think Charles Andrews was also keen to have one). I think I won the bike for $600 back then for a bike that was probably worth $150 at the time, but I was ecstatic to have won it. I immediately drove to Phoenix the next morning (five hour drive each way) to pick up the bike. The condition was worse than expected because there were no close-up photos and the condition wasn't realistically described either, so the seller took off $100. The bike is red with white panels like Rik Van Looy's "Red Guard" Flandria team rode.
Here's a little history that Takao Noda posted in 2001: Francesco Galmozzi was a co-founder of Gloria but departed from it and founded Galmozzi in 1926. I don't know how its pre-war bikes were. I heard that it supplied frames to many racers, Bartali, Koblet, Kubler..., especially to Atala team for many years. The 1950s and 1960s bikes on CR site have sand cast lugs. From early 1970s to mid 1970s it exported a few hundreds frames to U.S. and Canada. The early 1970s bikes had press lugs which had similar shapes to the former sand cast lugs and the same seat stay plugs as my 1983 bike. Afterward it used simple Italian-cut press lugs. When Francesco was alive, there were several artisans at Galmozzi workshop but after the founder's death in mid 1970s, his son Angelo alone worked there. And when I was in Milan in 1983, Galmozzi was almost forgotten. He retired in 1986. The frames that Angelo made lacked distinction; with no engraving... But I like his perversity. (Birds of a feather flock together!?) Due to my nostalgia I have been looking for Galmozzi exported to U.S. If you happen to find one whose size is 53-56cm center to center, would you let me know? Takao Noda Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
And another post: I am sorry but I cannot assert Angelo Galmozzi was regarded as one of the premier builders. Angelo Galmozzi told me his father was a co-founder of Gloria and he directed frame building. Gloria got some success in races against Bianchi but the main owner of Gloria did not want to devote itself to racing bicycles. So Galmozzi departed and founded his own in 1926. Galmozzi had not been able to have own professional team nor to supply frames with own mark till it closed in 1986 (possibly except Van Looy's 1961 bike). On photos of racers' jerseys in around 1930s, I found Bianchi, Legnano, Wolsit, Maino, Stucchi, Olympia and in 1940s, Frejus, Guerra, Wilier, Ganna... But I cannot know who really made many of their frames. As small Italian builders then, I only know Galmozzi and Mondonico. I would like to know more names. Takao Noda Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
And another post: Mr. Galmozzi told me Van Looy won the world championship in 1960 or 1961 with Faema-Galmozzi bicycle. And Chuck Schmidt showed us a photo of Van Looy riding a Flandria in 1961 or 1962 which seemed to have same color scheme as that of typical Galmozzi. Then I asked Mr. Galmozzi whether Van Looy's bike had decals of Galmozzi or not but he did not reply. Galmozzi frames after 1960s had the world champion bands. When an OEM bike (a Flandria by Galmozzi) won, the true builder could put the bands on his frames? I don't know the rule. Takao Noda Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)