Re: [Classicrendezvous] Now: Fausto & Hugo '51 TdF Was: Early 1950s Campy Gran Sport

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli)

From: "Rick Chasteen" <chasteen@kcaccess.net>
To: <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>, "Classic Bike List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <000701c02d55$a7e44940$5b09ffd2@pcgxrgseries> <39DFA537.5390@earthlink.net> <39E171C4.6F00@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Now: Fausto & Hugo '51 TdF Was: Early 1950s Campy Gran Sport
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 08:44:24 -0500


Chuck:

Marvelous photo! Is that available in a reprint or poster?

Rick Chasteen Kansas City, where the temperature is cool but the skies are sunny.


----- Original Message -----
From: Chuck Schmidt
To: Classic Bike List
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2000 2:21 AM
Subject: [Classicrendezvous] Now: Fausto & Hugo '51 TdF Was: Early 1950s


Campy Gran Sport


> Here's the photo mentioned below: Fausto Coppi and Hugo Koblet (13th
> stage Tarbes-Luchon of Tour de France 1951).
>
> Click on: http://www.velo-retro.com/51TdF.jpg
>
> Monday Morning Classic Rendezvous Quiz: ID the equipment of these two
> Giants of the Road.
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, California
> http://www.velo-retro.com (list of reprints and Campy Timeline)
>
>
> Chuck Schmidt wrote:
> >
> > Takao Noda wrote:
> > >
> > > I have noticed the GS front derailleur on Coppi's bike in TdF
> > > 1951 had different guide plates from ones I see. The outer plate
> > > was shorter than inner plate and had the wheel and wing logo ,
> > > not the earth logo. ( D. Rebour's book " World of D. Rebour" p.
> > > 117) And I know the sfift lever band then was 2 stripes type.
> > > On the Campagnolo catalog No.12 ( Reprint of Velo Retro, p. 13)
> > > I see complete GS front derailleur had the earth logo but the
> > > guide plates (cage) drawn just below it had the wheel and wing
> > > logo and the outer plate was longer. And the shift lever band was
> > > the ordinary one.
> > > I would like to know whether the GS derailleurs on the 1951 bike
> > > came into the market or not. Were they supplied only to racers ?
> > > Many thanks in advance.
> > > Takao Noda
> > > Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
> >
> > I believe the original, first generation Campagnolo Gran Sport front
> > derailleur (short nose on cage), rear derailleur (holes in pulleys and
> > long nose on pulley cage), and downtube shift lever (twin band) were
> > only used for the first year (mid 1951 to mid 1952) and were only
> > supplied to professional racers.
> >
> > In Les Woodland's excellent book _The Unknown Tour de France_ he writes
> > about the first Gran Sport derailleur in the 1951 TdF, "Coppi had it and
> > so did his two Bianchi team-mates in the national team; Bartali and two
> > other Italians on Bartali bikes had it; and Switzerland's Hugo Koblet
> > had one. The total -- seven." Nearly all the rest of the peloton rode
> > Simplex derailleurs.
> >
> > A photo I have shows Fausto Coppi (Bianchi) and Hugo Koblet (La Perle)
> > in the 1951 TdF, Stage 13 Tarbes-Luchon, climbing side by side, both
> > using bar end shift levers (no rubber covers). Hugo Koblet went on to
> > win the Tour that year.
> >
> > Interestingly, Campagnolo Gran Sport was introduced with bar-end shift
> > levers and the down tube levers only came later in the year.
> >
> > The 1952 La Perle Série Course Spéciale bike (SCCR 10 Course type Koblet
> > TdF 1951) I recently acquired has the second generation Gran Sport
> > deraileurs with bar-end shifters stamped "Gran Sport" as shown in The
> > 1983 Data Book, page 160. I've never come across these early style
> > bar-end shifters before (no lock nut and stamped "Gran Sport"), and
> > don't know how long they were made this way.
> >
> > Does anyone else have any additional information on early Gran Sport?
> >
> > Chuck Schmidt
> > South Pasadena, California
> > http://www.velo-retro.com (Campy Timeline and list of reprints)