A local friend who isn't a classic bicycle collector brought his 40 year old Legnano over this weekend for me to look at it. His father bought it used for him in Venezuela in the mid-60s. He recently brought it from there to Orlando. He has been telling me about this bike for a couple of years, wondering about whether he should restore it. When he opened the back of his car, there was a black bike with white Colnago decals. I said, "Oh, I thought you said Legnano". He laughed. It is a Legnano. He thinks it was a Roma model. None of the parts are original. He has ridden this bike hard. The seat and toptubes were cracked. He put a piece of metal over the top of the each crack like a bandaid and welded to cover. He did this when he was a teen. He then painted the bike himself and found some old Colnago decals. This was when he rode the heck out of the bike in Venezuela. After much discussion, he says he isn't emotionally attached to the bike, at least not enough to pony up the $800-1000 it would take to replace the two tubes and get a decent paint job with correct decals. He pondered trying to replace the tubes himself. After much discussion, I advised him to let it go, as is. It has a history, it has character. It rides. Replacing the tubes might make it look new, but it wouldn't be the same bike that he rode. We discussed doing the basics--clean, lube, replace cables, brake pads and tires. I think he still wants to repaint it in the future. For now, he plans to bring it to one of our rides in the coming months. So, not a collectible and wouldn't even cause most of us to stop and pick it up from the side of the road, but it is still a bike, with a life, and the heart continues to beat. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL