obrentharris 

These parts recently found their way into my collection. Can you tell me anything about them; their age, their manufacturer, what model of bike they adorned?
The cranks are forged, pretty nice quality to my eyes. Maybe made by Magistroni: They came with a Magistroni bottom bracket.
The pedals appear lower end than the cranks, all steel, but still in reasonable shape.
The hubs might be somewhere in the middle in terms of quality?






Thanks,
Brent

juvela

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pedals are Sheffield model nr. 663, offered in both chrome and in zinc finish
they are the Italian counterpart to the Lyotard model Nr. 36 - found on hundreds of thousands of base model machines




chainset appears a Giostra product (Magistroni)
looks to be the same as Magistroni model "L. Senior"

https://www.blackbirdsf.org/magistroni/

would think hubs Fratelli Brivio (FB)

amirinisrael is sure to be able to shed some illumination

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...highlight=hubs

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quality -

chainset appears the highest piece

hubs in the middle

pedals the lowest

slightly difficult to imagine all three components coming from the same machine

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dating -

pedals remained in production much longer than hubs or chainset

Magistroni nominally ceased play in 1965

if all fittings from same cycle would think it a one up from the bottom sort of model, from somewhere between the mid 1950's and early 1960's

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merziac

Regardless of level, as with all things Bianchi and being this old in usable shape, this is a fantastic get.

I presume this was the key to the Olmo BB/crank dilemma, if so, you cracked a very hard to resolve task that humbles many an enthusiast and I for one am not surprised.

retroman57 

The crank set and the hubs are worth stripping and re-plating IMHO, though I know many prefer patina.
Don't let the BB get separated from the crank!!

bikemig 

Perhaps it is not that odd for a manufacturer to mix parts like this. My Olmo Gran Sport came with parts that varied this much in quality since it came with Sheffield pedals, Record high flange hubs and Magistroni crank (steel cottered crank, alloy rings).

These parts would look spiffy on the OP's Olmo but the Bianchi engraving is a bit of a negative. Still the parts would look absolutely right on that bike.

randyjawa 

For years I have been collecting Legnano specific and period correct components. Lucky me, I found some things that qualify but it takes time. With that thought in mind, the OP's find does have considerable value to the right person. Someone like me (but not me), for example and my guess is that there are a few of us out there. Anyway, years of hunting produced...

NOS picked up last year for a hundred bucks, bottom bracket and original cotters included...




Embossed Legnano head set, picked up cheap due to a mistake made by the seller. After some communication, I agreed to allow him to cancel the transaction but he, being an honest seller, said no. It was, as he said, "his mistake" and that was that...


Then, just last summer, again in an effort to help someone else, I ended up with, quite by accident, a lovely set of Legnano Campy HF hubs laced to some Weinmann concave rims...


After the wheels were rebuilt by me...


Would not mind finding a more pronounced Legnano steering stem, and will keep looking for just that. In the meantime, I ride the old Grand Premio, my favorite vintage road bike ever and I still resist the thoughts about repainting the bike...

obrentharris 

I've looked at the photos of your beautiful Olmo several times in planning my Olmo restoration. I note that your Sheffield pedals are the high-end Sprint 658 model with their aluminum cages and single piece axle tube!
Brent

oneclick 

I got a Sunrace(?) cottered cartridge BB and swapped cups to fit a Magistroni crank in an Italian frame - kept the original but it has pits, if a bike does not get ridden it's only art.

And there are options in rings for fiddling with chain-line, some rings are dished, there are set of three spider extensions to mount 6-hole rings (not TA pattern, they are unevenly spaced) - and those extensions come as flat or cranked, plus you can mount bits inside/outside...

retroman57 

Simplex Competition chain rings with offset Simplex adapters fitted to a Campagnolo GS crank.

bikemig 

This is a seriously good looking crank.

obrentharris 

Thank you juvela for the detailed information: A veritable fountain of knowledge you are.
Brent

obrentharris 

retroman57 That's a very good looking setup!
Simplex adapters and chainrings were on these Bianchi cranks and were the reason I purchased them. The Simplex items are now on my Olmo project.
Brent

oneclick 

I put paint into pretty much any groove/depression in the surface of mine:




Yes, I forgot the dustcaps.

retroman57 

I don't know how I missed your Olmo thread- lots of good arcane stuff there. Down the rabbit hole!
And a seriously beautiful old Olmo...and getting better!

retroman57 

@oneclick:
Bling!!!

obrentharris 

I would like to replate the hub barrels at least but Superior Chrome in San Jose, who knew how to plate bicycle parts and preserve the fine details, have unfortunately gone out of business. I shall have to scour the C&V archives: I recall a couple of threads about where to get parts plated.
Brent

juvela

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wrt plating hub barrels -

had some done many years back where there was corrosion

they were Gnutti and Campag quality three-piece hubs

the plater gave me a choice; if they polished out all of the corrosion pits the logo markings would be lost and if they did not polish them all the way out some of the pits would still be visible in the finished job

i chose a kind of middle way and have some pits visible but markings preserved with somewhat reduced relief

some report success with "floating" brass over the pits

expect that iab & amirinisrael will have some experience to share in this regard...

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for a plater recommendation you could contact Ed Litton to see what his thoughts are on the current plating situation in the area...

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