1915 Rola
 

Alright. I think I finally my limit for old and janky, a 1915 Rola. Prior to WW2, but mostly stopped after WW2, major Italian builders typically carried 2 or more brands of bikes. Bianchi also made Touring bikes. Legnano made Wolsit. Gerbi made Gloria, which in turn made Airlog bikes (Gloria spelled backwards). Emmo Ghelfi made Frejus and Rola. I was made aware that my friend Marco had obtained it and after about a year, I convinced him to sell it.

Nearly all original. Some of the bits on the front brake were fabricated. Also, while the saddle probably is not pre WW1, Rolas were not made after WW2, so it is pretty damn old. I didn't take close ups of the rear rim, it is rusting through. Marco sent me a proper unrusted rim and hub that I will build into a rideable rear wheel. I did ride this particular setup around the neighborhood without failure, but I'll really only keep the original on for display purposes only. I didn't get a great deal of exposure to the ride, but what I did do was fun. Seems to fit pretty well and is certainly different from my other bikes, so I look forward to the rideable wheel. And these are the 700A wheels, 742mm bsd, I mentioned earlier.

All the pics - https://www.flickr.com/photos/681231...h/51427334282/

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...390b7400_h.jpgRola 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fcade07c_h.jpgRola 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38f0a1d9_h.jpgRola 04 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04120a35_h.jpgRola 09 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d2af902d_h.jpgRola 11 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...252e3fbf_h.jpgRola 15 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6eff0a2b_h.jpgRola 18 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...90612204_h.jpgRola 23 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9f4765ad_h.jpgRola 27 by iabisdb, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4ea35acd_h.jpgRola 34 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Soooo, next year's Cino bike, right?

Took the words right out of my mouth.:D

What a fun find. I look forward to a ride report. With that alleged brake, I also expect that steep downhills will not part of your test ride. :eek:

The spoon brake lever is sublime, like the rest of it.

Wonderful bike. I am drawn to the lovely chainwheel….

The bike seems surprisingly modern in geometry (slack yes but less so that my 38 CCM or any vintage Peugeot). The only thing in my mind that is sort of “old fashioned” is the stem and bar combo. Very cool find.

That’s old and cool.

Thank you.

I have this bike, a 1925 Frejus, 1933 Frejus and I am slowly restoring a 1942 Frejus. Someday I plan to accurate measure the geometries to compare racing bikes from the same manufacturer over 3 decades. I did recently get a new fish scale. The 15 is 12.68kg, the 25 is 12.43kg and the 33 is 11.22kg. I expect the 42 to be well under 10kg when complete.

Elegant! @iab I enjoy seeing all your oldies! True C&V.

Fantastico! Beach rims would look so amazing. Would they come in 700a size? Are tires exceptionally limited?

Well that is an excellent question. Did wood rims come in a 700A size? I don't know but I thank you for now I have something to do.

The problem does lie with the tires. I still only know of Vee Rubber selling 700A tires. Certainly they do not make tubulars, so it would need to be clinchers. On a side note, I wish they made a white 700A tire, but they don't.

Then, I wonder if CB Italia or Ghisallo would make custom 700A rims.

What a spectacular bike!! I am REALKY looking forward to seeing/reading more as you progress. Please - DO NOT RESTORE!!

Never crossed my mind. :)

Perfect for those hills in SW WI. Looks like a plan for next summer, :)

:thumb:

That front brake looks pretty scary. How well does it function?

Worse than you think.

Some wooden clincher rims, some Vee Rubber tires sanded down to become slicks... :innocent:

https://www.renehersecycles.com/wp-c...ng-600x412.jpg

Good brakes only slow you down...

So you won't be wearing your best shoes on fast rides?

Incredibly cool!

Any info on the component (pedals, hubs, etc.) makes?

Great find! You seem good at getting the coolest bicycles. I am envious. Have fun with it.

Very cool! Thank you for sharing it here.

I ran into a couple of guys riding 100-year old bikes at last week's Eroica Limburg and became very much aware of the challenges these machines provide.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7d424bb69.jpg

How do you operate this style of brake lever (on the 1915 Rola pictured)? Presuming your hands are on the grips in the dropped section of the bar...do you reach over with your thumb and pull the lever over towards the grip? Or do you curl your hand further under and grab the lever with your fingers and pull it over?

Yes, I have a very similar bike. It rides like a schoolbus and stops so poorly that I rarely let it get up to a fast speed. I cannot imagine taking it down a steep hill and would likely die on a mountain, if I didn't already die trying to climb it.