1980's Firenze, Collectable?
07-30-18, 06:08 PM
#26
verktyg
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Death Bikes
If Corvairs were "UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED", the original Firenze bikes from the late 70's were UNSAFE STANDING STILL! 
No kidding, the stamped steel side pull brakes were soooo bad that they literally fell apart on their own!
I haven't been able to find a picture of one of the original Firenze bikes from the 70's. I guess none survived (thankfully).
Testimonial from the past:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...authentic.html
verktyg
No kidding, the stamped steel side pull brakes were soooo bad that they literally fell apart on their own!
I haven't been able to find a picture of one of the original Firenze bikes from the 70's. I guess none survived (thankfully).
Testimonial from the past:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...authentic.html
"I saw some Firenze bikes in the 1980's. I don't know if the ones I saw were representative of all of them but the ones I saw were absolute junk! Dropouts would sometimes pull out of the frame and the parts were plastic or stamped steel. No amount of adjusting could keep the stamped steel brake calipers from squealing every stop. When students brought these bikes into my shop I made them sign a waiver saying that they understand that their bikes were dangerous to ride even after we repaired them."
These 1980's GL5000 bikes are different from the old ones from the 70's.
These 1980's GL5000 bikes are different from the old ones from the 70's.
verktyg
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Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
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Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Last edited by verktyg; 07-30-18 at 06:33 PM.
08-08-18, 06:01 PM
#27
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Interesting what we can get from posts in BF.......
I had long forgotten about "Crazy TV Lenny", American of Madison and free Firenze bikes.....till this thread was posted up!
I had long forgotten about "Crazy TV Lenny", American of Madison and free Firenze bikes.....till this thread was posted up!
01-18-19, 07:58 PM
#28
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I think of a collectible bike as one that has heritage, pedigree, or is cemented in the minds of a certain group of people. The old tank Schwinn's are desired by those 40 and over. Once they die off, the desirability will die off. The top tier Italian and Japanese bikes will likely be collectable for a long time to come because of racing heritage, pedigree, simply as works of art, and actual users that desire them for certain ride characteristics.
The Firenze? Just don't see it unless there is a generation of people that have a special attachment to it.
The Firenze? Just don't see it unless there is a generation of people that have a special attachment to it.
01-18-19, 09:03 PM
#29
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01-19-19, 10:46 AM
#31
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
01-19-19, 11:14 AM
#32
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Beat me to it. Lenny was and is a Madison icon. When I was 17, and working at a gas station and the farm, Lenny's sales were legendary. I took the station truck to American TV, where I think I bought a dorm fridge, a cassette deck, a small window AC unit, and a boom box, and came home with those and 4 bikes. A Madison cop once told me that at any given time, there were probably 2,000 TV Lenny bikes sitting unlocked in Madison. I don't know if they still have the sale, but the police auction sale in the spring used to have dozens and dozens of those bike. My brother said he probably rode 10 of them during his college days, as his building had a bike rack that for the most part, was full of unlocked TV Lenny bikes. Kind of a "borrowing place."
The best part was that I got to meet Lenny, and at the time, he was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and had no problem telling you how much he made, because he was earning it. I think this was during his "100 yards" of car stereo during the football season promotion.
Anyway, he was ahead of his time, and has been way ahead of the curve on e-bikes, and likely will be.
There are BF members who worked for him.
The best part was that I got to meet Lenny, and at the time, he was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and had no problem telling you how much he made, because he was earning it. I think this was during his "100 yards" of car stereo during the football season promotion.
Anyway, he was ahead of his time, and has been way ahead of the curve on e-bikes, and likely will be.
There are BF members who worked for him.
Crazy TV Lenny was a WI icon. He even did Peugeots for a while.Still into electronics and bikes - together now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAQVHfHDww8
https://crazylennysebikes.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAQVHfHDww8
https://crazylennysebikes.com/
01-19-19, 11:48 AM
#34
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Beat me to it. Lenny was and is a Madison icon. When I was 17, and working at a gas station and the farm, Lenny's sales were legendary. I took the station truck to American TV, where I think I bought a dorm fridge, a cassette deck, a small window AC unit, and a boom box, and came home with those and 4 bikes. A Madison cop once told me that at any given time, there were probably 2,000 TV Lenny bikes sitting unlocked in Madison. I don't know if they still have the sale, but the police auction sale in the spring used to have dozens and dozens of those bike. My brother said he probably rode 10 of them during his college days, as his building had a bike rack that for the most part, was full of unlocked TV Lenny bikes. Kind of a "borrowing place."
The best part was that I got to meet Lenny, and at the time, he was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and had no problem telling you how much he made, because he was earning it. I think this was during his "100 yards" of car stereo during the football season promotion.
Anyway, he was ahead of his time, and has been way ahead of the curve on e-bikes, and likely will be.
There are BF members who worked for him.
The best part was that I got to meet Lenny, and at the time, he was working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and had no problem telling you how much he made, because he was earning it. I think this was during his "100 yards" of car stereo during the football season promotion.
Anyway, he was ahead of his time, and has been way ahead of the curve on e-bikes, and likely will be.
There are BF members who worked for him.
"I must be insane, to be practically giving this good stuff away at such low low prices. Take advantage of me before I put myself out of business!"
01-19-19, 07:55 PM
#35
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A Madison cop once told me that at any given time, there were probably 2,000 TV Lenny bikes sitting unlocked in Madison. I don't know if they still have the sale, but the police auction sale in the spring used to have dozens and dozens of those bike. My brother said he probably rode 10 of them during his college days, as his building had a bike rack that for the most part, was full of unlocked TV Lenny bikes. Kind of a "borrowing place."
No more live bike auctions. And I don't see any Madison recovery bikes on the publicsurplus.com auction site either. A few of them go to Freewheel (the local co-op), but where the bulk go is shrouded in rumor.
Theory - There was flooding here this summer, and due to unprecedented high lake levels, the storm drains flooded several streets on the isthmus, some for several weeks:
I wonder how much the lake levels would drop if the authorities went out and dredged the lakeshores and dragged all the abandoned Firenzes out of them.
01-20-19, 08:27 AM
#36
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Too funny! Bike made an acceptable canoe anchor. Best use for this bike. The Yugo of bikes (you PushSki both as both fail you quick)
01-21-19, 12:04 PM
#37
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Update - he just can't stop himself. Now, when you buy an E-bike from Lenny, you get a free Hollywood brand receiver rack. I'm looking for the very fine print on the web site indicating that the rack is made from recycled Firenzes.....
01-21-19, 02:59 PM
#38
"Broke College Student"
I guess luckily for the Firenzi, there are people out there (especially in former Yugoslavia) that collect Yugos.
That is, the ones that didn't either fall apart or get turned into soda cans. Ditto with the Firenze bikes, I guess.
That is, the ones that didn't either fall apart or get turned into soda cans. Ditto with the Firenze bikes, I guess.
01-21-19, 07:04 PM
#39
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Have you ever seen a Ferengi collecting Firenzi from a Yugo?
07-01-19, 09:07 AM
#40
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Dr. Donald D. Rose? Before he headed your way, he was a DJ at WFIL in Philadelphia. The one broadcast of his that I remember is the day he rode his bike to work. Cherry Hill, N.J. to City Line Drive in Philadelphia. As I recall, one of his kids rode with him. When asked how he traversed such a vast distance, he replied “ I just kept going from one landmark to the next.” Good advice that I have used on longer rides.
07-01-19, 11:52 AM
#41
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This sounds a lot like the free 35 mm cameras that were given away during the 1980s when you bought a magazine subscription. "Some 35 mm cameras sell for $200-300, but this one is yours free with your subscription order". What you got was a cheap plastic camera with an "optical lens" and a piece of metal inside to make it feel heavier.
Time Magazine Camera - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
Time Magazine Camera - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia
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07-01-19, 11:53 AM
#42
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OMG someone actually bothered to re-tape the handlebar on that Denver bike -- and put a leather saddle on it 
07-01-19, 12:50 PM
#43
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Boy I don't remember seeing many blue ones though. Mixtes were semi-common.
07-01-19, 01:19 PM
#44
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Didn't Lenny get a shout out on a recent, very good movie ?
Partial question, partial trivia.
Partial question, partial trivia.
12-01-19, 02:42 PM
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ah, such an (unpleasant) blast from the past! I also was blasted by the constant repetition of radio and TV commercials from Matthew's Top of the Hill Daly City (his name was also the directions!), including the Spanish language versions (where I learned a new one: "velocipede"). These were awful POS counterfeits for actual bicycles, I felt sorry for the duped unfortunates that showed me these and asked advice about what to do about the mysterious defects and broken parts ("haul it up the the Top of the Hill and toss it")! I just drove past the old Matthews location the other day and the building's still there but now I think is a St. Vincent DePaul's, and probably full of broken Firenze bikes! Scratch that, no it's actually a Dollar Store...and that's a fair price for one! 
Last edited by unworthy1; 12-01-19 at 02:48 PM.
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05-21-20, 03:23 PM
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^^^^^^ Matching custom downtube.
And it's in Florence, of all places!
(Philosophical argument - is it possible that a bent frame doesn't make a Firenze any less safe?)
And it's in Florence, of all places!
(Philosophical argument - is it possible that a bent frame doesn't make a Firenze any less safe?)
09-19-20, 03:18 PM
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10-13-20, 06:16 PM
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Bicycle - $300 (Fresno)
https://fresno.craigslist.org/bik/d/fresno-bicycle/7209361649.html
Special Covid-19 pricing on this one. The top tube says "15 speed", but I can't make out whether this deathtrap has Firenze's idea of a triple crankset, or it's running a double crankset, with one of those rare 7.5 speed freewheels.
10-13-20, 06:41 PM
#49
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^^^^^ Say "Fresno Firenze" ten (or fifteen) times real fast.
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11-10-20, 04:24 PM
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Chrome socks? And someone painted the lugs too, I think. What were they thinking? I'm thinking maybe this is one of the the ultra-rare Firenze Professionals.