Re: [CR] Coppi Bikes (how far back do they go?)

Some Coppi scans on Wool Jersey, mostly taken from Italian 1950s Sport Illustrato magazines:

<http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/fujifish1/OtherVintage/CatlgsMagsScans/ Coppi/>

The first image is from 1954, and he is all Bianchi. The next two images are from July, 1956, and it looks like he is already on Fiorelli built, Coppi labeled bikes ... at least for his leisure, as shown in these two pics. The last three images are from 1957, where Fausto wears a Carpano-Coppi jersey, and it appears that he continues to ride Fiorelli built bikes.

Click on any thumb to see a medium sized pic, then click on the pic to see the HUGE version, for most. Now enjoy...

Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI USA ~ ~ ~

Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:43:09 +0000 From: Hugh Thornton <hughwthornton@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: [CR] Coppi Bikes To: DolandCheung <CheungD@bv.com>, Classic Rendezvous classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

? I think Coppi bikes first appeared in about 1958 or 59 and they were built by Fiorelli well into the 1970s if not later.? Coppi rode Coppi bikes for the last year or two of his career, but he was pretty much past it by then . ? As far as I can tell, it was only the branding that made them different fro m Fiorellis - the early ones used the same fork crown with chrome and ename l "medallions" each side but inscribed Coppi instead of Fiorelli.? Decals were different of course.? I have not seen any with a head badge, only d ecals on the head tube. ? Not many people seem to have a good word to say about them and not many lis t members seem to own one judging by the response I had to my request for f rame number information.? My own assessment is that the upper range bikes are really nice, if not exceptional, and as good as any production Italian bike of the same age.? In fact I preferred to dispose of my early 60s Le gnano Roma Olimpiade rather than my Coppi Campionissimo of the same era.? I don't know what the lower range bikes were like, but my guess is that th ey were probably competent and aesthetically pleasing in the way that most
Italian bikes are.
?
Hugh Thornton
Cheshire, England