I sure remember Lazzaretti bicycles from Rome. I bought a bicycle from that shop in 1968 while I was on a college tour of Europe. I started the day just looking for a shop that sold Campy equipped bicycles. Armed with some bicycle addresses from the yellow pages and a map of Rome I literally walked all over that city looking for a place that sold Campagnolo. Most of the shops were basic repair places but in one location a customer understood what I was asking for by drawing a racing style handlebar and writing down the address of Lazzaretti. I ran to get there just before closing time and the manager/ower? asked which model I wanted. By asking you understand that I spoke no Italian and he didn't understand English so the common language was bicycles and hand signals. There were 2 to choose from. The top end all Campy bicycle was $168 (I don't remember if it had Campy brakes or even if they had come out at that time). I picked the next one down with the option of the all alloy Campy cranks. It was made from Columbus tubing and cost $112. It was a flam orange with chromed lugs. I am not positive what components were on it but I believe it had the steel record derailleur because later on that trip I bought an alloy one to upgrade it. I know it had Tipo high flange hubs with Nisi rims because that is all that I have left from that purchase today. My memory also fails me on what saddle it had if it was leather or not. I certainly remember that the Schwinn Super Sport dad gave me for Christmas in Dec of '64 had a B15 and the '69 Hetchins had a B17 narrow (standard width was unavailable anywhere in England that September). Does anyone remember what might have been likely? I shipped it home to Niles from Switzerland for about $60. My mom came onto that receipt while doing Christmas cards this year. How it got mixed up with last years cards is an unsolved mystery.
I never rode it too much and sold it to one of my high school students a few years later. It was a 56 cm and I learned that important lesson that frame size is really related to how much drop the handlebars are from the height of the seat. My 22 1/2" Hetchins could put the handlebars up just enough higher to be much more comfortable and the Lazzaretti became the loaner to find riding company. When I took it to England for my friend Eric to ride while I was getting something new (the Hetchins), I took the parts off and carried the frame in one hang up bag onto the plane and Eric carried the wheels in another hang up bag. The stewardesses were amused. I don't think we would get by security today. Later I realized that up north in Italy would have been a better choice of buying a bicycle but I was without a list like this for direction at that time or for that matter any information from anywhere.
Doug Fattic Niles, Michigan
From: "Angel Garcia" <veronaman@comcast.net> To:
They are still in business, having started in 1916. They are a brisk = walk from the Via Veneto, not far from the US Embassy. I stopped in. Nice = shop, small, packed to the gills, lots of high end modern bikes. Even before = the Lira to Euro conversion they were expensive. Today, in dollars it must = be outtasight. If I recall they had some nice lugged frames hanging from = the ceiling. Many shops slap their names on bikes they don't make. You can = ask them: info@ciclilazzaretti.it. Angel Garcia Long Valley, NJ
> Ever heard of these? One popped up at the Japanese auction, from the = '80s
> says the seller, and that he purchased it in Italy. I found mention = of a
> Lazzaretti bike shop in Rome.
>
> http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/
>
> Dennis Young