Way-Assauto or Magistroni: Who produced the cranksets for Legnano? Part 2

Updated July 11, 2020 The first part of this article relied primarily on the 335 page parts catalog published by Emilio Bozzi SpA in 1950.  As discussed, there was a remarkable similarity in the overall design of steel cranksets for several decades and most people would require a brand engraving to tell one from the […]

A 1963 Gran Premio frame is found in the basement of a bike shop in Uruguay

A writer in Montevideo sent me these photos of a Gran Premio frame that he discovered in the basement of a local bike shop.  Still wrapped in the original protective paper, this Legnano was resting for more than 50 years before it saw the light in 2016.  Great to see the original ‘verniciatura trasparente verde’ […]

Serial Number Update: The two numbers stamped on the seat lug are not serial numbers.

  Please see the most recent update here on the two-digit production numbers: The two numbers stamped on the back or right side of the seat lug on Legnano frames produced after 1966 were not serial numbers and by no means should they be confused with ‘team bikes’ or representative of the year the frame […]

Roma Olimpiade and the Gran Premio: What were the differences between the first and second tier road bikes?

I often receive inquiries regarding factory-correct components for both the Roma and Gran Premio road bikes that sat one-two respectively in the Legnano model hierarchy. I wasn’t far into this collection before I also became interested in what differentiated the two frames given that most of the detailing between the two is pretty much the […]