G.Piazza Cambio Corsa Classic Bicycle 1950s

Long tome ago, in 1951, Giovanni "Piazzino" Piazza opened his artisanal bike shop in Via Carlo Rota 8, Monza, Italy. Giovanni was a passionate rider and more importantly a mechanic and a frame builder. This passion came to light on the frames which were beautifully and skillfully made. Later on, with a help of his son Giulio, Cicli G.Piazza started to sell and repair also motorcycles - often seen scenario for small bike shops in Italy in the 50s and 60s. In 1976, Giulio handed the business to his son completely and actually, it still exists, it has just moved few houses down the same street.

Our G. Piazza is a truly lovely bicycle with proper patina and a great frame. The rear triangle is specifically shaped for the usage of Campagnolo's first shifter - the rod operated Cambio Corsa. The disadvantages of this system like reaching to the rear while pedaling backwards were countered by a chain being under strong tension and thus being less prone to jump of the chainset. The latter was a huge plus in races on rough roads with cobbles and potholes. This chain tension was partly responsible for Fausto Coppi's Parix-Roubaix victory (though with an improved version of this shifting). And with a bit of training, some riders mastered the Cambio Corsa to a degree, where changing gears looked absolutely flawless. Gino Bartali for example famously won his second Tour de France with this shifter.

Apart of the shifting, tit is equipped with original parts like Magistroni crankset and bottom bracket, Universal brakes, Way pedals or the Gara integrated cockpit with original resin grips.

But back to the frame. We have to mention the lugs. They are precisely filed to achieve a very elegant and smooth transition to the tubes. The head tube lugs are chromed and all are underlined by hand.

In the current setup with swept back handlebars and mudguards, it could be used as a nimble city bike. But remove the chain guard, switch the cockpit for period correct drop bars and thanks to the agile frame geometry you could turn it into a classic road bike as well.

The bike has been properly checked and test ridden, so you can try to master the iconic Campagnolo Cambio Corsa yourself. An authentic bicycle in original condition which will find it's way into your heart.

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A post shared by Steel Vintage Bikes (@steelvintagebikes) on Nov 6, 2020 at 1:53am PST