LEGNANO TIMELINE
1873
Emilio Bozzi is born in Milan.
tbd
There is reported a business relationship between Emilio Bozzi and the
entrepreneur/industrialist Franco Tosi (1858-1898), who had acquired some patents associated with
the British Wolsit brand. Interesting to note that Franco Tosi Meccanica is still located adjacent to Piazza Monumentoin Legnano where is situated the statue of Alberto da Guissano that Bozzi
adopted in 1920 to symbolize the Legnano brand (head badge, decals, brochures,
etc.).
1902
Vittorio Rossi & C. established with large workshops constructing
bicycles with the brand ‘Legnano’ in 1906.
1906 – 1966
Emilio Bozzi establishes the Legnano cycling team, one of the most successful teams in the history of competitive cycling.
1908
Emilio Bozzi establishes Emilio Bozzi S.p.A. at Corso Genova 9 in Milan and acquires the Legnano brand after World War 1 (28 July
1914 – 11 November 1918).
1920
Emilio Bozzi
adopts the statuesque figure of the Lombard warrior Alberto da Guissano to
symbolize the Legnano brand. The figure of Guissano inside a ‘marquise’ or
double-pointed oval border was first used on bicycles as a waterslide
decal.
Legnano serial numbers consist of five numbers (ie. 32037) stamped
horizontally at the top and front of the head tube.
1924
Emilio Bozzi extends a lifetime contract to the young Alfredo Binda who
would go on to five Giro d’Italia victories for Legnano (1925, 1927, 1928,
1929, 1933), a legacy to this day that has only been equalled by Fausto Coppi
and Eddy Merckx.
1925
Legnano resets the serial number format with one upper case letter followed
by four numbers (ie. M5767) stamped inside a box on the front and top of the
head tube.
1930
Legnano accepts the Giro d’Italia offer to pay Alfredo Binda an
amount equal to the total victory purse in exchange for Binda not entering
the 1930 race, an effort to revive popular interest in the Giro after 4 dominant
victories by Binda between 1925 and 1929. Alfredo won his fifth and final Giro
victory in 1933.
1935
Legnano resets the serial number format with four numbers followed by one
upper case letter (ie. 5521S) stamped inside a box on the front and top of the
head tube.
1936
Gino Bartali
joins the Legnano at the age of 22, winning the Giro d’Italia in his first
year with the team.
Emilio Bozzi dies on September 21st in Milan.
1939
Fausto Coppi
joins the Legnano team and rides alongside Gino Bartali for two years
(1939, 1940) returning after the war in 1946 to ride for Bianchi.
At the end
of the 1930’s Legnano discontinues the muted olive green
colour and adopts the metallic
‘lizard yellow’ colour that would come to define the brand.
Legnano resets the serial number format to begin with one lower case letter
followed by four numbers (ie. a2729) stamped on the seat lug.
1941
Legnano resets the serial number format to begin with two upper case
letters followed by four numbers (ie. AF2538) stamped on the seat lug.
1942
The Second World War has already started, and Fausto Coppi is enlisted
in the army when he betters the one hour record of Jacques Anquetil by 31
meters at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan. Controversy surrounds the
victory until officially verified by international authorities in 1947.
1946
The second World
War is over, and Gino Bartali wins the Giro d’Italia for Legnano tens years
after his first victory. Fausto Coppi, captured and imprisoned in North Africa
by allied forces, is returned to Italy at the end of the war and moves to
Bianchi.
Eberardo Pavesi begins his 20 reign as the Director of the Legnano team
from 1946 until it’s conclusion in 1966.
1946 – 1947
Emilio Bozzi S.p.A. acquires the Frejus brand that was founded in
Turin in 1896 by Emmo Gelfi, the same year that the Maino and Umberto Dei
brands were founded. (source) Bianchi was founded in 1885.
1948Gino Bartali takes the overall win of the Tour de
France as well as the King of the Mountains classification for Legnano,
his last year with the team.
1950
Emilio Bozzi SpA parts distribution business is extensive, publishing
a massive 325 page parts catalog that includes nearly every bicycle component
manufactured in Italy including Pirelli, Way-Assauto, Gnutti, Magistroni,
Cidneo, F.B., Ambrosio, Cinelli, Universal, Campagnolo, Fiamme, Nisi, Binda,
Martano, Marelli, Aprilia, Simplex (Italy), Rosa, Falck and many others.
1956
Ercole Baldini wins the gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and
the Tipo Roma is renamed the Roma Olimpiade.
1958 – 1959
Legnano introduces the Gran Premio road model, positioned ‘just’ below the
Roma Olimpiade but ahead of the Mod.54 Corsa and Mod.53. Mezza Corsa.
1961Universal 61 centerpull brake set is fitted to the
Roma Olimpiade and Gran Premio models.
A threaded boss is brazed on the rear of the seat lug
to fix the cable stop for the new Universal 61 centerpull brake callipers.
1966
Legnano offers
the Roma Olimpiade in Reynolds 531 and Columbus frame builds as a special order
option to the standard Falck tubing construction.
The last year of competition for the Legnano Team.
1967
Legnano starts
to suspend the two alpha, four numeric serial numbers (EX3632) stamped on
the seat lug.
The Roma
Olimpiade drops the chrome plating from the head tube lugs, fork and stay
ends.
The Legnano logo on the barrel of the Campagnolo HF Record hubs
is being suspended.
1968 – 1969
The traditional brass head badge of Alberto da Guissano is replaced with a
waterslide decal on most models, and is eliminated from
production by the early seventies.
1970
The
long-standing Legnano logo on the down tube in the shape of an elongated oval
is changed to a parallelogram shape with the exception of some Roma models
through to about 1973 – 1974.
Brazed on
threaded boss for the Universal 61 centerpull rear cable stop on the back of
the seat lug is starting to disappear.
First year for the Olimpiade Record Specialissima, the new top road
model for Legnano replacing the Roma Olimpiade.
1972
Last reported
use of the Universal 61 centerpull brakes.
Decals start to change from the waterslide type to self-adhesive labels.
1975
The unique seat
lug and binder bolt design that was specific to a Legnano frame is ‘fully’
discontinued. Lesser models (city and sportivo models) began receiving
a conventional seat lug with the binder bolt behind the seat post starting
about 1970.
Introduction of brazed on bosses for the front/rear derailleur shifters,
cable guides on the BB, a single pair of bosses for a water bottle cage on the
down tube and rear brake cable guides on the top tube.
1978
Approx. start date for the Legnano Competizione model, replacing the
long-standing Gran Premio model as Legnano’s second tier road bike, positioned
just below the top-of-the-line Roma model.
1980
The parallelogram shaped logo on the down tube is changed to a new setting
of spaced letters with no border or background shape.
1987
The declining Legnano S.p.A. is acquired by long-time rival Bianchi.
Bianchi relegates the brand to some lesser models and the Legnano brand
is all but gone.
1997
2008
After a lengthy challenge in the Italian courts, the Legnano name is
returned to the heirs of Emilio Bozzi and the brand relaunches shortly
thereafter with a new offering of city bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes.
2012
