If the Irish writer Flann O'Brien was right, and bicycles are capable of exchanging atoms with their owners, the Olmo you see here was near death when it appeared on the bay. It had lost half of its original components and had endured a backyard paint job with a large brush overloaded with paint. The best that can be said of the previous owner's decision to "refresh" his bicycle is that he chose the color blue. The stark contrast between his touch ups and the original blue are evident in several of the photos. Still, a few of the original decals survived, including the "Olmo Special" on the downtube; the chromed Bozzi lugs are spectacular; so I decided to save the bicycle if I could. The front Olmo hub, Olmo stem, Campagnolo front derailleur, Ambrosio rims and Universal brakes are original to the bike; the replaced components are period correct.
Serial number 264 K
His nickname was "Gepin," short for Giuseppe Olmo, an Italian road racer of the first order, with many significant victories under his belt. Competing in the 1932 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the team race and placed fourth individually.In 1935 Olmo set a new hour record at 45.090 km. Like many champions before him, when Gepin retired in the late 1930s, he began building bicycles with his name in brass on the head tube.
Serial number 264 K
His nickname was "Gepin," short for Giuseppe Olmo, an Italian road racer of the first order, with many significant victories under his belt. Competing in the 1932 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the team race and placed fourth individually.In 1935 Olmo set a new hour record at 45.090 km. Like many champions before him, when Gepin retired in the late 1930s, he began building bicycles with his name in brass on the head tube.
1961 Olmo Special ©Daniel Dahlquist