[CR]Fake Gios'

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: "Grant McLean" <grant.mclean@sympatico.ca>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:24:00 +0000
Subject: [CR]Fake Gios'

There were Gios frames built here in Toronto, Canada in the late 80's.

I'm fairly certain they were brazed at Gardin cycles in mississauga. There was a busy shop named Bikenergy in the 'Beaches' (a cool neighbourhood near the lake) that had dozens of them, hanging in the shop, without decals, you could pick from several colours. The shop's team raced them too. I'm also fairly certain that these frames came about after a distribution deal with the Gios family turned into a sale of framebuilding tubing and components to Gardin, who assembled the frames here in TO.

At the time I bought a blue one ( in about '88) , I remember paying at the cashdesk, and realizing the the right chainstay was missing the braze on for the gear cable, so we went and got another one from the wall. Being young, and somewhat foolish, no alarm bells went off.

About 2 years in, the fork broke, as the steerer came loose from the crown. Otherwise, they were great frames!! In terms of finish, they looked just like the 'real' Gios frames I had seen in the magazines, as the cast bits had come from italy.

BTW, I knew none of this at the time, as it was represented to me as the 'real' thing.

Grant McLean Toronto, Canada

The Gios brothers, Alfredo and Aldo, addressed the issue of counterfeits in one of their brochures. Although not dated, they speak about the Compact model, so that would place this brochure no earlier than...when did the Compact model come out?

From Mark Bulgier's site:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/gios-misc/4.jpg

Ray Dobbins Off to check for serial numbers on my Gios, in Miami FL USA

DoubleB <swiftybjb(AT)yahoo.com> wrote: "So, I guess my question is,did anyone actually ever see a counterfeit Gios Torino?"

I think I have one, it's a white GIOS Torino Professional with blue panels and GT pantographed on the seatpost and big chainring, but it has no serial number on the bottom bracket shell or anywhere else on the frame, so I have always believed it to be a fake, a good fake mind you, but a fake nevertheless.

Brian Booth
Toronto, Ontario, Canada