Gandolfi "Super" model 1985-86 racing bike

[Jesper]

                                       

Cicli Gandolfi, an independent Italian bike shop brand. Assumed to be a contract built frame by a local (as yet unknown) builder and not built by the actual shop (still exists as of a couple years ago; I conversed with the son of the founder).

An odd frame having that many panto's which generally reflect the builder's name and/or logo (and cost!); but less common for a shop to do the same, though occasionally shops have their higher end bikes well marked other than using only decals as advertising and a sign of "quality". Although panto's do not guarantee quality in materials or workmanship, they generally indicate higher expense and time for the builder (and pride when it's the builder's name) and are thus reserved for the higher tier frames.

Nearly 3 years waiting; but now it is getting done.

Columbus "SL" frame w/Super Record brand drop-outs; generic fork with unbranded drop-outs. This was probably one of the shop's top offerings; but I doubt it was the premier model given the s mix and frame details (top model frames of the time were generally full "SL" frame & fork w/Camp. d-o's).

All components original (including bar tape), except wheel assys & FW. Considering overall parts wear it had not been used much over its 40 year lifetime; at least not in an abusive manner.
-Campagnolo Nuovo Record RD (date code "PAT. 11" = 1985); Record shifters (curved & panto'd), Record FD & post (27.2mm, custom fluted, 2 bolt)
-OFMEGA Mistral crankset (52/42 170mm), Sintesi pedals (no cracks) and cages with Errebi straps
-Universal Mod. 77 calipers w/OE pads (still supple), slotted levers w/OE hoods (trashed)
-3ttt Stem (panto'd & milled), Competizione bar model w/ Ribbon bar tape (still in very good shape!)
-San Marco Concor SuperCorsa saddle
-Shimano hubs, QR's, Hyperglide 7 spd FW (13-26); not OE
-Fiamme Duran rims (I believe these are FiR made rims); not OE
-Michelin tires (20mm front; 23mm rear)

Frame being left untouched except cleaning, waxing (decals are not available, paint touch-up tough to match). Drivetrain is being removed and replaced with different OFMEGA parts; other parts needed for OE equipment on a much rarer bike, Campagnolo parts reserved for future work.

[Jesper]

Another cycling mystery solved; only took 3 yrs!

After some more indepth research regarding this bike and its history I was able to speak with a resident of Brescia Italy. He informed me that Pierfranco Vianelli who was a multiple Olympic medalist from Brescia and who was building frames for Gandolfi (and others) in the '70s and into the '80s (my frame c.'84-'85). I was familiar with Vianelli's cycling and shop history; but I have not had (until now) one of his frames to be able to inspect and compare with other frames that have passed through my hands over the decades; nor was I aware that he had built for other shops being that Vianelli had a fairly small operation (or so I thought; he built for Benedetti, Foresti, Gandolfi, Gotti, et al.).

Shortly after winning a gold medal in the '68 Olympics; Vianelli retired and opened a bicycle business in his home town of Brescia building his own top end frames to be sold under his own name, as well as building and selling frames to small shops which ordered them with or without shop logo pantographs (depends on price point) and then branded them with shop livery.

The frame in this case is one such example of a Gandolfi badged bike that was built by a former pro/Olympic rider. Both Vianelli and Gandolfi started their businesses in '74, and so I assume (knowing how close knit the Italian cycling community is) that they collaborated in business with both benefitting (Vianelli: more production volume and brand advertising; Gandolfi: able to source top quality frames locally and thus more cheaply, as well as selling a product with local historical appeal to the hometown clients who can boast about riding their local cycling legend's handmade bikes.)

This is nothing new (retired racers, pro and amateur, going into bike business and producing frames for others); but it is not always clear who is actually building the frames (e.g. Francesco Moser never built any of the frames he sold) or where they end up at.

For those trying to identify Vianelli built frames here are a couple images of features that define his work and apparently were not used by other builders (per anecdotal comments). The drop-outs are an odd short horizontal design similar to a vertical drop-out, but horizontally biased. The "SUPER RECORD" stamping is something I had never seen before, but it would seem Vianelli used this design (its maker unknown; it might be an original Vianelli house design which was produced specifically for his shop by outside metalworks factory or a stock frame piece available to the masses) on many of his frames; but I have seen an 80s Vianelli frame using Campagnolo d-o's.

Examples of this drop-out on Vianelli frames badged as Gandolfi have been found with the aforementioned "SR" stamp, as well as having "VIANELLI" stamped into it. Note: Vianelli branded frames often had Olympic rings engraved on them; those frames, as far as I know, were only badged with Vianelli livery and were never sold to others for rebadging.

   
   
   
   

[enkei]

B E A U Tiful!

Lovely bike and excellent posts, thank you again!

I went a little weak at the knees seeing that panto stem.

---

I just noticed that the paint appears completely unmolested in the cable guides under the BB, so this bike has had very little use, indeed.

[Jesper]

(07-02-2025, 02:34 PM)enkei Wrote:  B E A U Tiful!

Lovely bike and excellent posts, thank you again!

I went a little weak at the knees seeing that panto stem.

---

I just noticed that the paint appears completely unmolested in the cable guides under the BB, so this bike has had very little use, indeed.

It appears that most of the wear on the frame is from storoage/transporting. No obviouscsign of high usage at normal wear areas on frame or parts. The brake hoods are just age deteriorated not worn out from riding.

My conundrum arises from learning of its heritage as there are not many frames out there built by Olympic gold medalists. It might be the only marque where that is true since the majority of acclaimed racers opening businesses are not the actual builders producing the frames (e.g. in modern times: Moser, Merckx, Battaglin, Fondriest, etc.), and often those frames were not even made inhouse, but instead were being made by larger contact builders who made frames for dozens of marques; and at best an ex-racer would give design/features recommendations to builders.

I was going to do some aesthetic modifications (e.g. change pantograph paint color), and change many parts. Now I expect to attempt to maintain it original look and parts respecting those who built it, except for replacing consumables.


Buyers Beware!!
Dirty secrets about Colnagos that most owners are unaware of. Ernesto Colnago really was not a frame builder. Yes, he started doing it, but soon became more of a designer and business manager; he probably did not make any "stock" frames, or any frames at all much after the 1950s.
onward. Volta builders made early Freccia models in the 60s, with Rossin and others making early Supers and Mexicos. In the mid 70s they started using Rauler to build contract frames for them that Colnago then sent out unmarked (no clubs cut-outs) to shops to badge as as they saw fit (so there are real "fake" Colnagos; not built by, but designed and wholesale marketed by Colnago to shops). Aside from the fact that Colnago had outside contract builders making generic frames for them; Colnago was also using various large contract builders (i.e. Velosport [built Colnago's cheapest badged bike: "Colnago Sport"- no Colnago frame markings only decals], Vetta, ALAN, etc ) to make their frames on a large scale resulting in decreased workmanship quality and inconsistency between "stock" features found between frames of the same model in the same model year. Most of that occurred in the '70s to early '80s; quality seems to have improved in the mid '80s and later due to a more modern "assembly line" type production (multiple builders per frame?). I might have 1 or 2 "real" Colnago frames actually made at the Colnago factory; but I have to assume that they could have been made outside of their factory walls. I know without a doubt that my Saronni Crit and Carbitubo frames were made by non-Colnago builders.

It is not surprising Colnago had and lost some top frame builders at that time if they were stressed from having to fill orders quickly and thus needing to take shortcuts in building the frames which thus causes reduction in quality and workmanship (not something a true artisan does, or is happy about doing!) if given no time to do the job right. Many of those builders went on to produce higher quality frames than the frames they previously built for Colnago; but under their own names, and built by the actual person whose name was attached to the product. Rossin, Perego, Zanella, et al. made frames which equalled or outclassed the Colnagos which they previously made.