Mystery frame - retro road bike

Michum

Retro Newbie
Hello, does anyone can identify this frame?
I got this bike for about 50$, polished it and cleaned all of the parts. It came with full Shimano 105 groupset in very good condition and some italian parts including ITM stem and handlebar and selle royal dolphin saddle.
My first guess was a small italian manufacturer but support is for BSA not ITA.
It has gipiemme hooks.
Seatpost is 26.6 mm.
Thanks in advance.
 

Attachments

  • 1000012433.jpg
    1000012433.jpg
    737.6 KB · Views: 28
  • IMG20241026142253.jpg
    IMG20241026142253.jpg
    261.4 KB · Views: 30
  • IMG20241026142248.jpg
    IMG20241026142248.jpg
    249.3 KB · Views: 24
  • IMG20241026142238.jpg
    IMG20241026142238.jpg
    174.1 KB · Views: 25
  • IMG20241026142233.jpg
    IMG20241026142233.jpg
    209.5 KB · Views: 23
  • IMG20241026142219.jpg
    IMG20241026142219.jpg
    369.2 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG20241026142200.jpg
    IMG20241026142200.jpg
    362.3 KB · Views: 20
  • IMG20241026142152.jpg
    IMG20241026142152.jpg
    243.8 KB · Views: 21
  • IMG20241026142140.jpg
    IMG20241026142140.jpg
    278.4 KB · Views: 23
  • IMG20241026142130.jpg
    IMG20241026142130.jpg
    737.6 KB · Views: 31
More pics
 

Attachments

  • IMG20241026142304.jpg
    IMG20241026142304.jpg
    355.6 KB · Views: 19
  • IMG20241026142313.jpg
    IMG20241026142313.jpg
    377.5 KB · Views: 13
  • IMG20241026142321.jpg
    IMG20241026142321.jpg
    720 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG20241026142327.jpg
    IMG20241026142327.jpg
    759.5 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG20241026142344.jpg
    IMG20241026142344.jpg
    238 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG20241026142428.jpg
    IMG20241026142428.jpg
    191.8 KB · Views: 19
The down tube decal is from a Gazelle, but this is definitely not a Champion Mondial. Or a Gazelle, for that matter.

Generic but decent mid-range frame from the eighties. Repainted, by the look of things. The forks may or may not be original. Maybe Italian, but it could also well be Belgian.
 
The down tube decal is from a Gazelle, but this is definitely not a Champion Mondial. Or a Gazelle, for that matter.

Generic but decent mid-range frame from the eighties. Repainted, by the look of things. The forks may or may not be original. Maybe Italian, but it could also well be Belgian.
I was also thinking about Belgium. I found similar looking bikes from Venturelli, Gironelli and Ampelia but it looks like it's impossible to identify.
 
The down tube decal is from a Gazelle, but this is definitely not a Champion Mondial. Or a Gazelle, for that matter.

Generic but decent mid-range frame from the eighties. Repainted, by the look of things. The forks may or may not be original. Maybe Italian, but it could also well be Belgian.
It also looks kinda similar to older Daccordis
 
I have what appears at 1st glance a near identical frame. My frameset was labelled Graham Weich, a ex racer shop in the uk. I actually E Mailed Graham who kindly confirmed that he imported 100's of these frames to put his own branding on. He confirmed it was a entry level frame made in Belgium from Falck tubing.
The lug detail is identical to my frame and colour scheme the reverse of yours, but similar.
I imagine this sourcing model was used far and wide!
 
I have what appears at 1st glance a near identical frame. My frameset was labelled Graham Weich, a ex racer shop in the uk. I actually E Mailed Graham who kindly confirmed that he imported 100's of these frames to put his own branding on. He confirmed it was a entry level frame made in Belgium from Falck tubing.
The lug detail is identical to my frame and colour scheme the reverse of yours, but similar.
I imagine this sourcing model was used far and wide!

Thanks for this. Much appreciated!

There were (and are) a number of relatively large shops in Belgium that supplied unbranded frames to local bike shops in Belgium, Holland and apparently in the UK as well. Frames made by Flandria, Superia, Dija, Vaneenooghe and Martens made their way to hundreds, if not thousands of bike shops.

Quality ranged from very basic to pro racing level. Customers were mostly bike shops that wanted to supply nice racing and sports bikes to their clients.

Even some well-known frame builders offered them as a more affordable alternative to their own hand-made frames.
 
Though I would show you a few photos of mine as actually purchased from a certain "Legrandefromage" (complete bike!) well known on this forum for £39 back in 2018. Has been my go to road bike for it's early years with me and despite having other bikes and appreciably more expensive bikes is still an enjoyable ride....
Has had some love and a little refurbishment recently including some rather rare and expensive tubing decals once I knew more about it's likely history
 

Attachments

  • 10E0348E-E39A-41DC-8C01-8DC70A5848A7.jpeg
    10E0348E-E39A-41DC-8C01-8DC70A5848A7.jpeg
    651.6 KB · Views: 27
  • 66795415-CE55-4675-A78F-2748CFBCDF1A.jpeg
    66795415-CE55-4675-A78F-2748CFBCDF1A.jpeg
    391.1 KB · Views: 25
  • 071693AE-0C8C-4098-A5D4-08671D79F2BE_1_102_o.jpeg
    071693AE-0C8C-4098-A5D4-08671D79F2BE_1_102_o.jpeg
    250.8 KB · Views: 17
  • 4EC4D022-ADC7-412D-B667-2DDBB528E69A.jpeg
    4EC4D022-ADC7-412D-B667-2DDBB528E69A.jpeg
    284.9 KB · Views: 25
-----



examples of earlier Falck transfers -

FALCK tubing transfer 1963  .jpg

^ 1963


Falck tubing transfer .jpg

^ 1970's era

---


Falck Italy's largest steel producer by far

Italian celebrity gossip publications were for years full of articles about the Falck family heirs & heiresses getting caught with their knickers down


-----
 
Thanks for this. Much appreciated!

There were (and are) a number of relatively large shops in Belgium that supplied unbranded frames to local bike shops in Belgium, Holland and apparently in the UK as well. Frames made by Flandria, Superia, Dija, Vaneenooghe and Martens made their way to hundreds, if not thousands of bike shops.

Quality ranged from very basic to pro racing level. Customers were mostly bike shops that wanted to supply nice racing and sports bikes to their clients.

Even some well-known frame builders offered them as a more affordable alternative to their own hand-made frames.
And what about Romani? Symbol on lugs od similar, dropouts as well.

https://steel-vintage.com/products/romani-frameset
 
Back
Top