gr23932

I thought that Gilco tubing was only used on some Colnagos. I now have this Guerciotti which seems to have some kind of Gilco tubing. The Columbus decal states SL. I've only been able to read on one other Guerciotti with this type of tubing. I've never seen a Guerciotti with this type of tubing though I've only seen a few. Also, does someone know a source for new decals?? Paint is in good shape...just a hell-a-lot- dirty. What year you guys suppose it is? I'm guessing mid 1990s.

unworthy1

Gilco was used *mostly* by Colnago, but there are examples of some other marques that used it too: Tommassini being one. Usually the decal will make a reference to the patented Gilco shapes, so it's unusual that yours is just a common SL decal. It's also possible that this is some non-Gilco tubing: merely shaped by the builder to approximate the Gilco shape, but I'd consider that doubtful. Mid '90s should be close, could be early '90s too. PM JR (JRestore) for decals, or Greg Softley (in Australia) via eBay.

acorn_user

Simoncini still builds with Gilco tubing. Here is a recent review:
https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/c...gilco-08-31658

luker

I am pretty sure that you can get Guerciotti decals, but I am almost as certain that they won't be the same as these...these look thinner and of a smaller font than standard gurch decals. The finish is not bad, though, and the decals are in pretty good shape. I'd heartily vote for conservation instead of replacing the finish. That color is pretty cool.

Battle scars are better than shiny new paint, anyway (the voice of experience, here).

gr23932

I think I've seen some decals on ebay, but not too sure. I'm only thinking of putting new decals on, but leaving the paint alone. The decals seem to be OK in the pics I attached but most are pretty beat up.

Old Fat Guy

The brake bridge is Guerciotti, it looks like Paulo's signature on the BB and seat stays. I'd say it's a Gooch. Can't tell about the fork in those pictures.

bbattle

Send Alessandro Guerciotti an e-mail.

Alessandro Guerciotti
GUERCIOTTI EXPORT SRL
Via Petrocchi, 10 - 20127 Milano
Tel: +39.02.28.26.188
Fax: +39.02.26.82.69.54
www.guerciotti.it - aguerciotti@guerciotti.it

mrrabbit 

I don't know where people get the idea that "mostly Colnago" used Gilco / MS tubing...

I would say that about half of all well known Europen/Italian marques tried it at one time or another...I can name three right off the top of my head...

Benotto
Colnago
Rossin

Mostly this occurred in the mid to late 80s. By the late 80s slightly oversized tubing in multiple shaped variants gained the same weight reduction WITHOUT a loss in stiffness that occurred with Gilco / MS.

=8-)

cyclotoine

I'd day no later than 1993 based on components though it's difficult to tell from the photos.

mrrabbit 

I also concur with another poster that this may not be a Gilco bike - usually the Gilco MS tubesets would include an indentation of the seat tube for the wheel - also I remember fluted tubing being something entirely different...something that Palletti used at one point. I don't ever remember seeing a Gilco MS bike using fluted tubing.

Also, the Columbus decal would typically indicate the "Gilco MS" - not always - but typically.

=8-)

If the chainstays are fluted as well...get a strong flashlight and light up the interior of the bottom bracket shell. A frequent mistake by brazers of the fluted tube profile tubesets was a failure to complete an entire ring of filler around the tubes...imagine filling the exterior "V" between each point of the star - but forgetting to do one. An entire right chainstay of a Palletti came out once because 2 entire "V" channels had been missed during brazing.

Kid you not...

=8-)

unworthy1

Quote:"I don't know where people get the idea that "mostly Colnago" used Gilco / MS tubing..."
That's easy, cause about 99% of the bikes I ever saw with Gilco tubing were Colnagos. I didn't even know that other Italian brands had access to Gilco until recently...here's a page from the Colnago 1988 catalog that seems to say that the use of Gilco by Colnago is "esclusiva" (but obviously that didn't last)

Also note the image of the decal that combines the Columbus dove and Colnago club, that's more like what's typical with Gilco tubing, rather than the generic SL decal on the Guerciotti.

mrrabbit 

Exclusive to Colnago? Or exclusive from Columbus?

For your information, the Benotto 5000 SL Turbo used Gilco / MS - and the models I worked on/saw were from 1985, 1986 and 1987.

You are correct on one thing - typically a label was included with the frame indicating Gilco or MS under or with the Columbus name.

=8-)

One of our own members here has a Benotto 5000 SL - search the earlier Benotto threads and see for yourself.

=8-)

guygadois 

My bad Italian translates it to say: "Construted by hand with the world exclusive tubing Master Columbus Gilco Design". The phrase implies rights.

caterham

fwiw-
Gilco is owned by a relative of Antonio Colombo (Columbus)

luker

gilberto columbo, to be exact. I don't think that Colnago had an exclusive on the tubeset, regardless of the translation. But they did use the vast majority of the tubing.

mrrabbit 

Just out of curiosity...

Fluted tubing used in Palletti was star profile....used by several other brands as well during the mid to late 80s...

Ran its course in about 2 years...

What was it? Gilco? Or was there another Columbus label for that?

=8-)

edthemechanic

Here you can see the manufacturers of the GILCO-Tubes today:

https://www.trafiltubi.com/doc/chisiamo3.htm

And here ist the trafiltubi staff:

https://www.trafiltubi.com/ima/galleria/gallery.html

regards

Edgar

s70rguy

I'd say there were many bikes with those 'creased' or 'fluted' profiles. I've seen several bikes with tubes that looked like Gilco, but were different, and had no tubing decl. I think i've seen some with Oria decals. It led me to thinking that anyone with the appropriate machinery could make those creases in the tubes. Maybe I'm wrong.
I think it was just a 'fad' of the late 80s, went away with the introduction of Nivacrom tubesets i gues, so that would make this Guerciotti late 80s in my opinion. Just IMHO of course.

scooterpants

I have that same model but with a different BB shell. I have been told by Guerciotti and the shop that sold it in Belgium that is was from 1993-4 (yes, I know this was pretty late for a frame like this). It is called a Tri-Star, hence the star shaped tubing. Not a Gilco made tube as far as I know. They outsourced the process. I have only seen 5 or so of these bikes anywhere in the world in person or online.

rowebr

Wow...can you post some more pics?

scooterpants

Here is one from before with a Belgium shop paint job. And the finished project currently. These are very uncommon and mine has a number hanger which is really confusing since I have not seen one similar. It could have been added but who really would have done that? The Columbus decal is correct as I have seen a NOS one and this was the decal affixed.

unworthy1

Wow, zombie thread from 2008...since then we've seen numerous "crimped" tubing in frames that all appears to be done post-factory (and mainly done to Columbus tubing but ALSO seen a few Dedacciai tubing examples) and even some the had a "crossing diagonal" crimped pattern somebody called "sheaf of wheat" (or something like that).
The crimped tubing all seems to be "mysterious" in origin and dubious as to structural value, but much of it seems to crop up in frames that were known to have been built by the big-name contractors like Billato.
I think there's a connection but it's just a hunch.

T-Mar

FWIW, every Oria ML25 frame that I've seen has had fluted tubes, regardless of the framebuilder, leading me to believe that it left the Oria factory that way. It was used by Montagner, Moser and a handful of others.

Also, fluted tubing is nothing new and not restricted to the high end. There were some early 1970s, entry level, Japanese models from brands like Jupiter Beat, Sanki and University. Here's a sample with fluted top and down tubes, but the stays are crimped to stamped dropouts.

Bianchigirll 

My fabulous Cornelo has fluted tubes, although not as square as the Gilco, but the tubing decal is Alle

scooterpants

I've also got a Rossin Ghibli with the crimped tubing. I am drawn to weird tubing shapes. MS, Max, shaped, etc..