Tech Specs: Cycles Rafale

Roger Du Peuty, Rider 1939 Tour de France Solo Entrant* Bicycle Highlights 1939 French three speed Cycles Rafale frameset Mix of top era components

Legnano: The Warrior’s Wheels

Cinelli has it familiar crest, Colnago its ace of clubs, Fuji its stylized mountain, Raleigh its phoenix and Schwinn its four-point star — but Legnano may be the only bicycle company whose headbadge depicts a sword-lofting warrior. The reason why is nothing short of amazing, predictable as it may be in the end.

Goëland: Soaring To Lofty Heights

A Frenchman named Louis Moire was working as a bicycle salesman not long before World War Two. An astute observer of commerce, Moire surveyed the commercial landscape of his chosen profession and decided what its customers needed were affordable cyclotouring bicycles – something capable of competing with the great constructeurs like Maury and Pitard, just less…

Raleigh for the Masses: Evolution of a Bicycle Giant

Perhaps one of the most recognized bicycle brands in the world, the Raleigh Cycle Company emerged from a modest twelve-person operation on Raleigh Street in Nottingham, England in 1886 producing 3 bicycles a week. Frank Bowden, an ill lawyer and businessman given less than 6 months to live, purchased a bike from the workshop under advice from his doctor, “If you want to save your life, take up cycling”. With that one sentence the course of the bicycle’s history changed for the better.

The Quiet Warrior: Cino Cinelli and the History of Innovation

Ask any cyclist about their preference of handlebar tape — soft or cushy, black or colored, cork ribbon or fabric — and you’ll receive an array of answers and as many suggestions for your own ride. Ask them what brand they prefer and the majority will have the same answer: Cinelli. But Cinelli’s contributions go well beyond handlebar tape.

Tech Specs: 1964 Bianchi Specialissima

– Bianchi Specialissima Frameset – Campagnolo Record Drivetrain – TTT Gran Prix Bar and Stem – Fiamme Red Label Rims – Cinelli Unicanitor Saddle