The Volpe melds the responsive handling of a road bike with the durability of a cyclocross bike. A variety of surfaces and conditions can be conquered thanks to generous tire clearance and proven components. Steel tubing is heralded as the best value for bike construction when it comes to strength and vibration damping. Our exclusive TIG welded, Chromolite steel frame and fork provide a smooth and stable ride on or off paved surfaces. Whether you’re navigating your region’s rail trail network or working on your Super Randonneur achievement, the need for comfort is paramount.
Frame has a made in Italy decal, other than that see pics for more info. I have no idea what it is, but the size is 59cms. The serial number is stamped on the head tube and is something like this. I just found a kids' Bianchi Sprint 24c in my parents' garage. They bought it for my brother in Italy in the early-mid 80's. My plan is to fix it up and give it my kids. The serial number stamped on the frame is 499605. Is there any way to determine the year it was made based on that serial number?
The Volpe features a relaxed head tube angle that is a bit slacker than a standard performance road bike, providing greater control in crosswinds. The Volpe’s chainstays have been stretched out while its bottom bracket has been lowered over a typical cyclocross model. Longer and lower equates to faster and more stable over rough terrain. Front and rear eyelets and bosses permit the use of fenders, racks, and panniers to tailor the Volpe to your riding requirements. A reliable parts package from Shimano which includes brakes, hubs, shifters, and derailleur ensures precision and durability. A triple-ring crank with a wide-range cassette make quick work of the flattest or steepest pitched roads that come your way!
HOW OLD IS MY BICYCLE - INTRODUCTION FRAME & FORK SET VINTAGE CLUES For the most part, studying a bicycle frame set's characteristics, can help in determining a bicycle's vintage. However, using those characteristics can be horribly misleading. In other words, this article will act as a guide, rather than a map, revealing land marks, rather than sign posts.
You might not find the correct house, but you will at least end up in the right neighbourhood. Let's assume, for the moment, that cutting edge Velo technology is reserved for top of the line, or close to it, models. And, let's also assume that, sooner or later, the top end technology will trickle down to lesser steeds. Assuming that to be true, one must understand that the trickle down system, spans both years and, often times, decades.
With decades in mind, consider vintage road bicycles from the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. Though the bikes all look much the same, as they blend through the years, there are distinct frame characteristic differences that suggest age. Remember, the clues offered by the frame set, with respect to its vintage, are only clues and not perfect indicators of exactly how old any bicycle might be. What frame and fork set characteristics fall under the microscope?
Drop-out type? Serial number?
Frame material? Drop-out spacing (front and back)? Color combinations? Fork crown style? Fasten technology? There are many things to consider, when seeking to understand the detail, inherent in every vintage road bicycle frame and fork set.
SERIAL NUMBERS As the interest in vintage road bicycles grows, serial number data bases grow too. In other words, though not all bicycles are represented with an on line serial number data base, some are. Raleigh, is the first that comes to mind but others are available. Execute an online search for Raleigh serial numbers and see what happens! Or Nishiki, or Holdsworth, or what ever. What one seeks might already be offered. Do not get too excited about serial numbers.
Some serial number information can be misleading. Peugeots from France, for example, cannot demonstrate what is and what is not, this year or that. Similar situations will continue to prevail, for some time, as the open community adds information to the vintage bicycle interest, such as this article is attempting to do right now. None the less, if you do stumble across a data base of serial numbers and corresponding information, then chances are you will know when the bike was built, in what month and, perhaps even where made.
For example, some Raleighs were built in the Carlton factory in Worksop England. That would be an important clue to have on hand, assuming one knows a bit about the Carlton factory, and its interaction with Raleigh.
Virtually every vintage road bicycle frame set is made out of pipe or tubing, be the material of choice either steel or aluminum. In all fairness, some might argue that early carbon fibre frame sets might qualify as vintage. Regardless, the older a bicycle is, the more likely it will be made from some form of steel, be it straight gauge steel, high tensile steel or some alloy offering great strength and light weight. So, most bicycles, from the beginning of time, right through to the early eighties, will be made of some form of steel pipe or tubing. If there is still a decal or sticker, indicating tubing make and/or type, simply do a search, on the net, for that tubing. For example searching for some information on Reynolds tubing, one of the two grails of vintage road bicycle tube sets, produces a very useful vintage determination page -. You can do the same for Columbus, Ishiwata, or what ever.
In most instances, some information will present itself, if you search diligently. It is entirely possible that the actual decal will be hard to find, and/or identify. Often times, the tubing decal would have been installed right where the rider would carry his/her tire pump.
In so doing, of course, the decal would often be scuffed up, sometimes to the point of being gone all together. Or, how about the period tubing decal in another language? That's right, not everyone speaks Canadian - eh. The point is, observe what you can, if you can, then do a search and compare. You just might get pretty close to the target.
Of course, if you search for information on other tubing types, it is quite possible that no results will present themselves, hence a dead end. But fear not. FRAME/FORK SET DETAILS Frame set details, things that cannot be changed without great difficulty, will help to narrow down vintage, much of the time.
For simplicity's sake, understand that the rules offered are general, apply to most situations but can prove to be misleading. So, do not think the following examples are cast in stone. Braze-ons are frame features that assist in attaching various components (front derailleur, shifters, transmission cable guides, water bottle mounts) to the bicycle frame set. Older machines, generally, will have fewer braze-ons. Braze-on style, and even location, tended to change over the years. For example, derailleur cable guides, first clamp-ons and then braze-ons, were located on top of the bottom bracket. Later bikes saw, and continued to see, them attached underneath but an inherent problem prevailed with either design - wear.
The cable, rubbing on the braze-on would result in wear, and wear eventually right through the braze-on. The final cable guide location was underneath, in braze-on like form, but protected with nylon lining.
Shifters were traditionally clamp-on units. Old School technology, at its best.
However, technology changed, and so did the securing of the shift levers. Down tube braze-ons began appearing in the very late seventies and took over in the eighties. These features would work with down tube shifters, stem shifters and even the modern Brifter system. Rear brake cable guides changed in style and location in much the same fashion. Each style or location change focusing on improved performance, or durability or both. With the coming of the eighties, the most common location and style of rear brake cable guide was on the top of the top tube and full casing style.
And so it goes with many frame set features. Clues that help to ball park a frame set's age. Sometimes pretty close and sometimes not. Though not GPS perfect, they will help one get a feel for probable era of manufacture. Following is a list, if you will, of common frame set features that can all be considered when attempting to define vintage of a bicycle. COMMON FRAME SET CHARACTERISTICS OLDER(1950, 68) TRANSITION(1968 - 1975) NEWER(1976, 1980+) Key Indicator: General lack of braze-on. Head badge likely.
Solid colors. Mostly France, Italy, and England bicycles present.
Some domestic bicycles offered. Key Indicator: General lack of braze-ons but beginning to become more common.
Solid colors. More domestic offerings and some Asian bicycles present. Movement towards better quality after Bike Boom of 1971/72.
Key Indicator: Braze-ons more plentiful. Different styles and locations. Brighter Colors, fancy paint, alloy frames more common, both lugged and welded. More Asian than European present.
Increase in domestic builders. Frame Material/Structure: Usually, and being the most common. Straight gauge most common, but some butted examples surfacing. Frame Material/Structure: Primarily lugged steel, with some.
Tubing structure begins to lean towards butting and double butting. More examples of aluminum alloy surfacing. Frame Material/Structure: Steel, lugged or un-lugged.
Aluminum, but mostly, become more prevalent. Carbon fibre makes a debut, soon to become the material of choice, for the best of the best. Braze-Ons: Almost none. Some attempts, offering very different and uncommon solutions to replacing clamp-ons. Braze-Ons: Few in the early seventies but beginning to become more prevalent by the middle of the decade.
Many braze-ons by the end of the seventies and locations become more standard. More tubing types.
Braze-Ons: Just about everything was braze-on by the mid eighties. Locations were mostly defined by what worked best. Lots of fancy paint jobs. Many tubing types. Water Bottle Mounts: Rare in older bicycles. Usually, bottles holders were clamp-on or handlebar mounted. Water Bottle Mounts: Still few clamp-ons, fewer handlebar holders and some braze-ons beginning to appear.
Water Bottle Mounts: Braze-on exclusively. Often times on down tube and seat tube. Bottom Bracket: No braze-on, cable routing usually achieved with a clamp-on. Possible unusual. Bottom Bracket: Braze-ons just beginning, usually attached to the top of the bottom bracket.
Bottom Bracket: Braze on-ons gone or underneath the bottom bracket. Braze-on might be gone, replaced by nylon guides, screw attached to the underside of the bottom bracket. Rear Brake Cable Guide: Clamp-on guides were the most common. Some cable routing. Rear Brake Cable Guide: Clamp-ons for the first half of the seventies, then braze-ons began appearing in different styles and locations (, ) Rear Brake Cable Guide: Braze-on almost exclusively and more through the tube routing. Usually located on the top of the top tube. Rear Derailleur Attachment: Direct screw mount to integral hanger or screw on bracket adaptor.
Rear Derailleur Attachment: Direct screw mount to integral hanger or screw on bracket adaptor. Rear Derailleur Attachment: Direct screw mount to integral hanger or screw on bracket adaptor.
Front Derailleur Attachment: Clamp-On exclusively. Front Derailleur Attachment: Clamp-on for better part of the seventies, with beginning to surface with the approach of the eighties. Front Derailleur Attachment: Almost all front derailleurs are attached with braze-on technology. Lesser bikes, even today, still rely on clamp-on. Rear Derailleur Cable Guide: Usually a clamp-on fitted to the drive side chain stay. Rear Derailleur Cable Guide: As the seventies progressed, the clamp-on cable guide became less used, finally giving way to a single braze-on. Rear Derailleur Cable Guide: Braze-on exclusively and usually located on the underside of the drive side chain stay.
Shifters: Almost exclusively clamp-on. Infrequent but present.
Friction only. Shifters: Movement away from the clamp on the the braze-on. Always located in the same spot. Make their debut.
Shifters: Almost exclusively braze-on, for either shifters. Always the same located in the same area. Socket Head Screws: Rarely found on pre-seventies bicycles. Hex nuts were the standard.
Socket Head Screws: Beginning to surface in the mid-seventies on some high end bikes. Best frame indicator will be recessed brake calliper mounting holes. Socket Head Screws: Huge use from the early eighties, until present day. Rear Drop-Outs: Almost exclusively long horizontal. Rear Drop-Outs: Mostly long horizontal but some near end of decade. Most European have adjusters. Often times lack adjusters.
Rear Drop-Outs: Fewer long horizontal, more short horizontal, some vertical drops. Adjusters both common and uncommon.
Drop-Out Spacing: Older bikes will measure 120mm, rear inside drop face to inside drop face., = 95mm usually. Drop-Out Spacing: Face to face measurement increases to 125mm, towards end of decade, to accommodate six cog freewheels. Front, face to face = 100mm increasingly often. Drop-Out Spacing: Face to face increase to 130mm to make room for eight cogs and up.
100mm is standard for front drops face spread. Paint/Art: It is not uncommon for a bicycle's art to include actual dates, often times indicating when the bicycle won an important race. Primarily art. Paint/Art: Other special art offerings can, infrequently, offer clues to assist in determining vintage. This One Hour commemorative, being a prime example. Mixture of decals. Paint/Art: New technology makes psychedelic and patterned paint possible and the eighties exploited the new opportunity.
Decals were fully replaced with stickers. Fork Crown: Flat lugged crown most common, often ornate and/or chrome plated. Fork Crown: Sloping crown began to appear, sharing space with the traditional lugged crown, at the beginning of the seventies, continuing till present day. Fork Crown: The Unicrown fork found acceptance in later half of the eighties. Though there are many features to consider on a vintage frame set, few will point directly to specific year of manufacture. With the exception of bicycle serial numbers, there are few opportunities to otherwise pin-point exact vintage. That said, once the general clues are learned, it does become easier to quickly recognize an old bicycle from a newer one, and with a fair degree of accuracy.
And, with practice, the skill will become refined, allowing for increasingly accurate guesses. And that is still all the end conclusions will be - the results of guesses. But there is a way to supplement, and perhaps refine, what the frame set's characteristics suggest. COPYRIGHT(2008): mytenspeeds.com.