Very rare swiss "beast" ! Ferraroli road bike "wishbone"

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Hello everyone,
Congratulations David B! It's nice to see that the white Ferraroli frame from eBay found a good home with one of us here on RB. I think the model name that goes with that era and configuration is Joviale. Could you share the serial number with me?

Here are a couple of quick snaps of my latest project; this time, it's a neo-retro/resto-mod build with modern parts on a classic frame. I believe the frame and fork are either a Simpatico or a Grazioso, but as with so many Ferrarolis, the small, over-clear-coat model name sticker has been lost over the years. I am only waiting for a pair of Continental Grand Prix Classic tires with brown sidewalls to complete it to my satisfaction.



I am (very slowly) working on downloading all of the knowledge I have collected on Ferraroli to a new brand appreciation website.
https://fascinationferraroli.wordpress.com/
I would love to collect more information from fellow enthusiasts like you, and feature your Ferrarolis on the site. If you take time to share with me, then it will force me to make time to write a post!
Cheers from Switzerland,
The Kid

 

[bduc61]

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Hi TK
I quite like this neo retro build

but have just "reservation" about the saddle , which is quite bulky and the white seatpost and stem

Think it spoils a bit the sleekness of the bike with this so lovely rear seatstay :idea:

 

[David B]

Re: Re:

Hello everyone,
Congratulations David B! It's nice to see that the white Ferraroli frame from eBay found a good home with one of us here on RB. I think the model name that goes with that era and configuration is Joviale. Could you share the serial number with me?

Thanks - I'd had my eye on it for a while. Paint is a bit below par in places and the touch-up isn't an exact match but is largely in the less obvious parts of the frame (e.g. underside of the top tube); all told though I think I got a bargain for the condition it's in, especially with the good quality BB and headset being included. The frame number is 01185, preceded by a 2 lying on its side.

There are no tubing decals but from detective work on Google, Tange Infinity cromoly seems a likely suspect. Would this frame have actually been Swiss or one of the volume-produced Ferrarolis that were built under licence in Japan?

David

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Hi David,
It is very hard to precisely touch up a multi-layer, pearl-effect white, as seen on your Ferraroli. As you will read below, I believe that this your frame may have been repainted by the factory. First, serial number analysis.
Based on my personal observations, the number lying down indicates a frame built in the 1990s. In the 1980s, before they started building entry-level frames in Japan, they could not make enough frames in La Chaux-de-Fonds the require a fifth digit.
Everything I have seen strongly suggests that the prone first digit stands for the year in the 1990s in which it was finished in Switzerland. In your case, the leading 2 probably means 1992.
Next, if there is only one serial number stamped into the BB shell, it is almost certainly silver-brazed in Switzerland. The Japan-brazed frames all carry a second, longer serial number, given by the frame builder, and with a year of manufacture clearly indicated.
So, if your frame has no second serial number, I believe it was entirely made in Switzerland in 1992. Its decals, however, are more associated with later production, from 1995 on. Thus, my prior speculation on the factory repaint. If the decals are under clear coat, that would be quite rare, as I have only ever seen one in person painted that way.
Finally, regarding road bike tubing, early Ferrarolis are more likely to be made with Columbus, transitioning almost exclusively to Tange by the mid 90s, and then going a bit freestyle towards the end. I have seen stickers for both around the time of your frame, but I have never seen a Columbus sticker on a wishbone frame.
I find it unlikely that a Swiss-made frame would be made with mid-grade tubing like Infinity, but have unconfirmed suspicion that a few may have been in the monostay configuration, because I can't tell the difference between a Simpatico and a Grazioso through pictures alone.
Cheers,
The Kid

 

[David B]

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Thanks for the comprehensive reply. I've just checked the frame and (1) it seems there's no second serial number whilst (2) the decals are indeed under the lacquer. I potentially have quite a rare find!

David

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Bonjour Bruno,

Thanks for your comments. I spent a lot of time thinking about the seat post and stem on this build before going ahead with white.

My first choice would have been a shiny grey anodized finish to match the 3T bars and TRP brake arms. Unfortunately, since this is a Japanese-brazed frame with seat tube inner diameter of only 26.8mm, my choices of quality seat posts in this size were very limited. When I found the 26.8mm NOS/NIB American Classic post in white on eBay, I knew I could do something special with it.

Visually, I like how the hard transition to white clearly divides the magenta upper frame from the violet saddle and bar tape. That having been said, I was heavily involved in the graphic design process at BMC for five years, so my eye is quite accustomed to hard transitions between contrasting colors.

Without the white sharply separating the colors, it might look as if I tried to match the upper frame' paint color and failed. With it, one's eye drifts lower to find a repeat of the violet color within the gradient fade.

I don't normally ride Brooks saddles, but really love the way this leather color works with this frame. Once the weather and road conditions improve, and I am lucky enough to sit on the bike for more than a few minutes at a time, at least you won't be able to see the bulky saddle so much!

Meillures Salutations,
The Kid

 

[Bessa]

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C'est quel année c'est vélo ? La marque est ferraroli. Merci de votre réponse

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

C'est quel année c'est vélo ? La marque est ferraroli. Merci de votre réponse

Bonjour Bessa,

Les couleurs de peinture et les lettres utilisées pour les logos indiquent que ce cadre a été fabriqué vers la fin de Cycles Ferraroli SA, probablement entre 1996 et 1998.

Recherchez le numéro de série estampé sur la boîte de pédalier. Sur la plupart des Ferrarolis construits dans les années 90, il y a normalement un chiffre orienté à 90 degrés qui indique l'année de production, avant les chiffres suivants qui représentent la séquence des cadres construits au cours de cette année. Par exemple, le vélo de mon fils ci-dessous est le 1728ème Ferraroli construit en 1992.



A la toute fin de l'histoire de Ferraroli en 1998, je crois qu'ils sont revenus à des numéros de série plus simples, car ils ont arrêté de construire des vélos de série, et sont revenus à ne fabriquer que des vélos personnalisés sur mesure. Par exemple, voici un numéro de série sans le premier chiffre pour indiquer l'année, avec des couleurs, des lettres et des caractéristiques de conception de cadre similaires au vôtre. Ce numéro indique probablement le 76ème Ferraroli construit en 1998.



Meilleures salutations,

Terrance Malone

 

[Elev12k]

Very clean. This design is a success.