1993 Ferraroli Dolomites

[thekidmalone]

Hello everyone,
Sometimes it seems that most of the classic mountain bikes in Switzerland have been victims of ill-advised attempts to turn them into comfortable commuters. It was certainly the case with this Ferraroli Dolomites, which I bought based on an on-line classified ad, without pictures, describing a ladies' bike with 21 speeds and clip pedals.

So, after a few months of internal debate about what to do with it, here is how it stands today.

I never seriously considered re-painting it, as the medium green to dark green fade with light green splatter is simply stunning. Even back in the day, I can imagine that the cost of the Swiss-applied paint on this bike may have approached that of the Japanese-made frame.

Speaking of costly options, can you imagine someone ordering a mid-range, lugged steel bike and upgrading to a carbon-kevlar handlebar in 1993? I'm happy that she did, and that it wasn't swapped out for a riser bar along the way.

I need to turn the front wheel around to align the rim decals and add matching skewers tomorrow. I'm not overly pleased with the levers (one group too high, one year too new) or the condition of the seat post, but I'm generally happy with the way this is turning out. What do you think?
Thanks for your time and attention,
The Kid

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Looks great, I wasn't aware that Ferraroli did anything but hand-built in Switzerland?

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Thanks, Rod.
I haven't yet been able to pin down exactly when it happened, but sometime in the early 1990s, they began to import raw frames in stock sizes from Japan, offering more affordable bikes to complement their existing made-to-measure program.
It's easy to identify the frames from Japan. They have two serial numbers stamped into the BB shell: a long one from the frame maker in Japan, and a short one applied before painting and assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds. According to the serial numbers, this frame was brazed in Japan in 1992, and finished in Switzerland in 1993.
This practice also gave them flexibility as to what brand name would eventually appear on the more affordable frames. Ferraroli built a line of mountain bikes for Authier, the Swiss, high-end ski brand, during the early 90s.
Cheers, The Kid

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Good stuff, ta. Who built them - do you know?

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Not yet. It's one of dozens of questions I have for Alain the next time I visit Ticino.
Toyo seems a likely source, but until we have evidence, it's just speculation.
On the early nineties MTBs, the Japanese lugs are notably less elegant, especially at the BB shell. On the other hand, I have a mid 90s road frame with quite elegant lugs, especially the one at the seat tube which accepts the wishbone seat stays.

 

[24pouces]

Re:

Your Ferraroli is elegant, like other Ferraroli
What a pity you don't got the lugged Cinelli fork instead the unicrown.
But there's the amazing swiss Barflex handlebar, specific made for Ferraroli with 12 degree angle.
Ferraroli brazed the lugs with silver alloy with a low temperature for keeping thequality of the tubes.

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

Thank you for the compliment. Coming from the owner of what may be the most beautiful Ferraroli known, that means a lot.
I agree, all Ferrarolis are elegant, but only some are Elegante. For example, here is a peek at the Dolomites' road-going little sister with the same finish.
Don't worry, I have at least one other Ferraroli with the Cinelli crown, and leads on two more.
My Pyrenees also has a Barflex, but with a light blue triangle sticker instead of purple. Any idea if that signifies a structural difference or not?
Cheers,
The Kid

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Re: Re:

Don't worry, I have at least one other Ferraroli with the Cinelli crown, and leads on two more

Pics?

 

[thekidmalone]

Re:

More posts with pics coming slowly but surely, as well as more Ferraroli content for the Manufacturers' Archive. Thanks for your interest and your patience!