[CR] Whatever happened to Uragos?

(Example: Production Builders:Teledyne)

Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:02:07 -0700
From: <norris.lockley@yahoo.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR] Whatever happened to Uragos?


Well, Nels... I think you know already the answer to your quandary about the fate of all those elegant Uragos exported to the States. Some , too few I fear, will be in the possession of like-minded individuals such as List members, others will have been resprayed by hand, have been butchered into hack bikes for riding the neighbourhood and the rest, too many, will have been thrown in the waste skip.

One article I read in a French paper stated that the early rise of the Urago company was its success in exporting to the States, the most popular destination for not only the bikes but also the small mopeds and motorcycles that the company made. Some of the success was laid fairly and squarely on the success of Joe Magnani, the American pro on the URAGO squad in the late 30s. So, Nels, it seems as though there must have been a lot of Uragos in the Satates, the majority of which are unaccounted for.

Of the fourĀ  Uragos on the CR site, I would say that three of them, Howards, Roberts track, and the Webmaster's (Dale's) machines are what are held to be models from Urago's best era, the late 40s and through the 50s The frames are elegant, the Nervex Serie Legere lugs show the fine tweaking and reprofiling as do the fork crowns...and the scolloped fork blade and stay ends. All have the unique wrap-over top-eyes to the seat-stays. All have the Rue de la Republique address on the headbadge.

Nelson's frame is none the less elegant, but from a later date, possibly the 60s...and before the building was being sub-contracted out. However it lacks the reworked lugs and the signature wrap-over seat-stay eyes but..it has much more of the Itlaian look that you like

Other than the frame-building features of the early Uragos. I think that the headbadge must be among the Top Ten of all time.