Hello Mike.
Welcome to the list, it's always nice to have a new member.
I have this same bike. I bought it second hand in 1993, and it was my first custom built steel road bike. Up to this point I was riding factory bikes, and this bike opened up a hole new world of quality and finish. I still own it after all these years, and in fact took it out for a nice ride last monday.
The man that sold me the bike said the maple leafs in the lugs and fork crown was for a series of bikes he made for the Canadian Nation Armature Road Team, and this was his way of showing the local colors. I recall him saying the the frame was from the early 1980's, but allot of time has passed, and I could be mistaken.
When I bought the bike the finish was in pretty bad shape, and I wrote to Marinoni about buying replacement decals. He responded that he won't sell them, but I could send him the frame and fork and he would refinish them. I thought he wanted too much money, and so I had the bike repainted locally.
I'm curous about what ellis you learn about these bikes. Let us know.
Tom Harriman.
San Francisco, Ca.
> From: mikkrat@hotmail.com
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:19:08 -0500
> Subject: [CR] pantographing
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> Hello list
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> I've just picked up a 76 Marinoni special. Im curious to know about pantographing at the time of manufacture. This Marinoni has lugs with Maple leafs in the fork crown, head and seat tube lugs. Would these by cut in after casting? The NR outer chain ring also has maple leafs cut in. It seems like makers of quality only did this. Was it that much more expensive? A form of advertising? Certainly could not be removed like a decal. The Marinoni was made with either Maple Leafs and Canada, Fleur de lis and Quebec, or M and Marinoni in the fork crownand luugs. Most parts, stems as an example, command top dollar if pantographed. Is it because of rarity and /or expense at time of manufacture?
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> Mike Rathwell
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> Waterford, Ontario