Yelbom15

I can’t really sort out the lettering but I’m sure I’ll slap my face when I find out.

SpedFast

Wow! That is so cool. Sorry, no idea what crank it is.

thumpism 

Does it spell MOSCA? Never heard of it.

Yelbom15

It’s attached to an Automoto frame based on the steerer tube. I can’t imagine another manufacturer was making clover designed lugs.

Chuck M 

I too have nothing to offer to solve this mystery but that is some beautiful patina.

Yelbom15

I’m trying my best to figure out the origin is. In Spanish it means the bug ‘fly/mosquito’. Italian is handsome. A couple other things such as bullseye. There’s also a saying that it means to win every bike race but I think it’s based on the Italian rider Jacopo Mosca in 2018.

Is this some form of the first pantograph?

jonny7

Let us see the whole thing !

Yelbom15

RustyJames 

I don’t know what the crank is but the bike makes my bits tingle. Probably TMI…

martl

it bugs the hell out of me because i *know* i've seen such cranks before, just can't remember where. Automotos of that vintage i've seen had either the well known clover leaf design, or something less elaborate with rings and "v"s.

btw it may well read "MOSCAV" but no google hits for that, either

Yelbom15

I’m trying to figure out the Automoto as a whole but not a lot on them. Here’s some more pictures. The bike should be here in a couple weeks. I thought it may be a ‘Course’ or a ‘Tour De France’ based on a couple Ebay archives. The backwards seat post collar and the forks leave me a bit confused.

kroozer 

Very cool bike, and it looks complete and original. Where is it coming from, France? I have never seen a Mosca chainring, but it's a great design. The crank arms could be by a different manufacturer. The photos don't really show the lugs very clearly, could be Automoto but possibly something else as well.

Yelbom15

kroozer Thank you. It was by luck looking at Netherlands eBay. It was titled just as a 1930s bike. Nothing on it said Automoto. It’s also coming from Italy. The lugs after doing some photo editing to see better looks like these.

Unfortunately, this is just a Pinterest post with nothing behind the bike itself. I keep getting models that look like this but there’s three key factors that always throw me for a loop.

1. The fork. They have that beautiful fork with their logo on both sides I think. But I’ve seen some without.
2. Seat tube clamp facing forward.
3. Tire pump pegs are inside the frame. Most of Automoto’s bike are in the rear. At least their high performance ones.

iab

Other than those clovers, looks like a typical 1920s Italian build, seat cluster, fork crown, square lugs. BB threads can tell a tale when it arrives. I would also add the stem/bars look more postwar to me.

juvela

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... have never observed a chainset of this type on anything other thank a frankish product

would expect the chainwheel to thread onto the circular boss which surrounds the head of the arm

if this is the case there will be a lockring also threaded onto the same thread to secure the chainwheel

the lockring resembles one would see on an adjustable bottom bracket cup

several gaulic firms produced chainsets of the type described

have some mid-fifties catalogue pages showing the Peyrard version

sets of the type described were produced at least from the 1930's through the 1950's; do no know start/stop dates for use of the design

none of the cycle's other details particularly speak to a cycle emanating from cockerel land

perhaps the chainset is an import to the land of origin for the cycle...

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iab

I'm going to have to disagree about the chainring being screwed in place and being French. They were press fit and when worn out, take it back to the shop to change? Buy a new crank? I don't know the practice 100 years ago, but having the brand in the chainring was common practice in the 10s & 20s, losing favor in the 30s.

Rola 28 by iabisdb, on Flickr


Frejus 26 by iabisdb, on Flickr

iab

Quite frankly, it looks like the chainring in the OP was pressed in wrong. The arm should not block a letter.

Yelbom15

iab That makes a lot of sense. It seemed odd to see a crank arm covering a letter and not over the shape where the space is. This is my first time hearing about a press-fit system this far back. I can't imagine a skilled laborer, especially a trade like bike building back in the day, would've made this mistake. By the looks of how "fresh/new" that center piece is, is it a possibility that someone attempted to service it and mistakenly did that? Is it a common piece to find on bikes of this age?

This is the closest I could find another model that is similar to what I see purchased. Exact lugs and build other than the seat cluster and fork. I love mysteries.

iab

Best case scenario, poor service, worst case scenario, chainring is loose and spinning.

And yes, collectvelo has a fine collection of Automotos.