It’s been a while since I added a new Legnano to the collection, and what an addition this Roma makes. It was recently acquired from a shop owner in Ithaca, New York who contracted me wanting a good home for the bike on behalf of a customer. After seeing a few photos of the bike it was impossible to say no.

Going on 55 years since it rolled out of the factory, I have never come across a Legnano in such a beautiful condition after so many years. If it were not for some signs of wear on the rims, the as new condition of this bike would suggest it never was ridden. And the icing on the proverbial cake, the mudguards were still with the bike.

The bike arrived with the help of BikeFlights and UPS, well packed to avoid any damage enroute, a bit of quick assembly and it is on the stand for a closer look before I start to tear it down for a good cleaning and repacking of all the bearings.

I have commented several times on this site about the changes that were taking place at Legnano as the 1970’s began, and this Roma may be the best example of the transitions. It has also put me at odds to some extent as to the production year of this bike. Let me begin.

The production number on the underside of the bottom bracket is 1670R, the R confirming the Reynolds 531 tubing build. The 6170 number according to my records would suggest the frame was produced in 1972-73, but is that the case and perhaps my record keeping is off in some way?

What we do know generally is the capsule-shaped Legnano logo on the down tube transitioned to the trapezoid shape in late 69 or very early 1970 as the new decade came around. Most of these new Legnano down tube decals became “stickers” rather than being screen painted like the old one. On this Roma, the new branding is also screen painted suggesting it was done early on in the transition rather than in 1972-1973.

Another change come 1970 was the designation of Legnano’s top model as the Roma Olimpiade Record “Specialissima”. Prior to 1970, Legnano’s top model was designated as the Roma Olimpiade and before that the Tipo Roma. The “Specialissima” branding had been used by Legnano’s rival Bianchi since the 1950s according to records, and now it was part of Legnano’s branding for the Roma.

The other thing that caught my eye with this new acquisition, there was no red pin striping or box lining details on the frame, with the exception of the red striping on the fenders and the forks and chain stays where the paint meets the chrome plating. And yet I have seen the frame striping on other Legnano bikes well into the early 70s.

The fork crown on this Legnano is also of the type that began in the early 70s. The chrome plated head tube lugs began to disappear on the Roma models starting in 1969-1970, sometimes present and sometimes not as the early 70s got underway. Why did some of these details vary from Roma’s of the same vintage? Did it have to do with the markets that the bikes were going to?

The signature Legnano seat post clamp detail is also something that was starting to disappear in the early 70s, particularly on lesser models and then on the Roma as well, but here again it was a little hit and miss in those days. As to the replacement of the beautiful head tube escutcheon of “Alberto di Guissano” starting in late 1969, early 1970 with a decal of the same, but also hit and miss through the early 70s but definitely gone by the mid 70’s based on my records.

All of that said, I might support the 1972-1973 production year per my production number records, however here is the kicker that takes me back to 1970 (in addition to the screen painted down tube logo).

I know this Specialissima is completely original with the exception of the Cinelli saddle and the Weinman brake shoes. The Campagnolo crankset does not bear the production date stamp that began in 1973, just the earlier engraving of the word “Patent” as per the 141mm bcd Campy crankset from 1967 to 1972.

The Campy pedals with the toe strap loop and riffled axles on this bike were also production between 1968 and 1972. So thus far, the Campy crankset and pedals could be as late as 1972 but also a few years earlier.

Moving on, the Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur has not date stamp just the engraving “Patent” indicating it is pre-1970 production. No photo to demonstrate as of yet, however in removing one of the lock nuts on the front wheel, it is stamped “69” referencing a 1969 production year. Still have to verify a lock not on the rear wheel.

Now I have commented many times on this site to be careful in using the production year of components to date a bike, particularly if you are unsure if the components are original to the bike. However in this case I know the components have not been changed up.

I have also mentioned that components were not necessarily changing much if any in those years, and may well have sat in inventory for a year or two as new bikes were being built up. However, it is doubtful that Campagnolo components hung around in inventory at Legnano or any of the major Italian marques for more than a year or two.

So there we have it and with a bit of lingering uncertainty, I am date stamping the production year for this Specialissima to 1970 until some additional information comes to light. Hope you have enjoyed the “arrival” article on this Legnano that most likely saw many decades hanging on a wall or from a ceiling hook to have survived in such pristine condition.

Now it’s time to tear it down, clean up the frame, remove the nasty red reflector tape on the stays and forks , repack and reset all of the bearings, replace the Weinmann brake blocks with the correct Universal type, and also replace the Cinelli saddle with a period correct Brooks saddle per the factory specification.

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