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 […]

Federico Brozzi’s 1946 Tipo Roma in sheep’s clothing

Another interesting Legnano courtesy of Federico Brozzi from the city of Parma in Italy. It is sometimes the case that Legnano city bikes or Sportivo models have been refinished and refitted as road bikes.  Many times this is to the preference of the owner and regrettably at other times it is for the purpose of […]

Where are all the NOS Legnano bikes coming from? Are they for real or fake?

I have had many inquiries from readers about the large number of new-old-stock (nos) Legnano bikes that have been turning up for sale in recent years.  The question is, “Are they real or are they reproductions”?  Although I have hesitated to offer a definitive answer, I have generally believed them to be the real thing […]

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 […]