Hugh-
Quite the interesting post you have made about Tecnociclo, etc. As ar as I know, Tecnociclo was making braze-ons, BB shells, drop-outs and lugs themselves from the late 60s up until the late 80s. I don't know what they did before then and I haven't followed them recently, although I thought that they are still around.
One of the lesser know facts about Tecnociclo is that they spun off GIPIEMME bike parts...contrary to that whole "Gipiemme was spun-off by a bunch of ex-Campy employees" rumor that has gone around so many times, people now take it as somehow true. But as you know, that wouldn't be the first time something like that got started. However like Campy, Gipiemme supplied a whole range of braze-ons, drop-outs, brake-bridges as well, and these frame parts were all sourced from Tecnociclo.
>From what I could tell, Tecnociclo was THE ubiquitous supplier of brand-stamped drop-outs and BB shells for everybody from Battaglin to Columbus to Colnago, etc. Tecnociclo frame parts and drop-outs via the Gipiemme brand even made their way onto Ralieghs, Gazelles, Razesa and some French bikes too. Tecnociclo no brand-stamped drop-outs and BB shells even made their way to early TREK bikes as well.
Is seemed to me that there was a time that if a BB shell didn't have a Cinelli stamp on it, you could bet that it was made by Tecnociclo. About a gazillion years ago, I was speculatively told by the guy who ran Pette Cycle in Denver that Tecnociclo even made Campy drop outs. He seemed pretty convinced of it at the time, but I have no way of verifying.
I have not followed lug manufacturing enough to know where Tecnociclo lugs went to, or the relationship between them, Wagner, SR Bertoli or Mazzuccato. Maybe somebody like R. Sachs, B. Bayliss or other frame builder connected to this list can help us out.
best regards
Nels Cone
Seattle WA
> From: henox@icycle.net
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 09:27:35 -0700
> Subject: [CR] mystery of Italian frame components
>
> I'd like to understand the relationships among a number of Italian frame component manufacturers and distributors.
>
> I started attending Milan bicycle trade shown in the early 1970's and was repeatedly amazed by the variety of braze-ons and dropouts exhibited by Tecnociclo. I never imported any of their products but I'm always drawn to displays of frame components like a cat to cream. Anyway, by around the end of the 1980's Tecnociclo made a stab at a web site but abandoned the effort along with their other manufacturing as it became easier and cheaper to source in Taiwan.
>
> Some of the lugs offered by Tecnociclo, actual manufacturer unknown, could then be obtained from Wagner, a manufacturer and distributor also located near Milan (NOT the same Wagner that manufactured crowns in France).
>
> In the very late 1970's or eary 1980's, Andy Newlands imported some lugs by SR Bertoli and bottom brackets by Mazzuccato which were investment cast. I think both these names belong to the Mazzuccato family which was involved in the Italian cycling industry for many years. I believe this family was also much involved with Oria tubing and was located in northern Italy near Padova or in the Veneto. I remember Oria being displayed at Milan shows but not Mazzuccato.
>
> Can anyone add to my very basic understanding of the linkages and history?
>
> TIA
>
> Hugh Enox
> La Honda, California USA