Aubergine 

The levers look like Universals to me. Horrible, horrible levers btw.

Mr. 66

That must be their detail style. I have white detail on the tips and dropouts

iab

fyi, more likely a Magistroni crank branded Lygie with Simplex chainrings. And my vote, fwiw, is that the wheels are not original.

Kabuki12

I disagree . For me , one of my favorites.

Pcampeau

Painted dropouts are a Lygie thing, I’d say the red accents are likely original, though my 1970 doesn’t have this feature.

SwimmerMike 

I'm pretty sure the hubs are original. They are Record "No Record" hubs with closed "C" skewers that should align with the late 50's /early 60's. None of this is visible in the pictures, but I stopped by Cap'n house over the weekend to check out the bike. I couldn't resist not swinging by to see the bike and talk to @cap'njohny about it.

Mike

unworthy1

yes Universal levers, if you like 'em have all you want, my limited experience is: they crack.
Painted frame/forks ends? Maybe an early version of the "don't shoot, it's a toy gun!" orange caps?
It's not a weapon, it's a Lygie!

juvela

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thank you for this confirmation

this is what expected from images provided

there were midliner models at this epoch which received Record model hubs, have had such in me workshop

if the cycle had been just a whisker later it might have received instead Sportman hubs which launched ~1961 and never got into a catalogue as they launched just after publication of Catalogue Nr. 14 of 1960 and had been superseded by the introduction of the Nuovo Tipo model with the publication of Catalogue Ne. 15 in 1967






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iab

Except the rims. Velobase puts the start of their production at mid/late 60s. Also, mixing Record with lower tier stuff was not common. Wheels are probably the most common owner upgrade. And finally, it was not common that early for Italians to export with 27". Sure, bike boom you see the 27s, but not 50s/60s.

Of course, I can be entirely wrong too.

SwimmerMike 

Looking back at what I wrote, I had meant to say "period correct". With the number of upgrades/parts replacements the bike has seen over the years, it would be difficult to confirm anything as "original". I was just trying to add some additional details since I just spent some time looking over the bike. There is a lot of potential and the Cap'n has access to an extensive set of parts (plus I can donate a couple of parts if he decides on a period correct build).

juvela

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wheel note -

position of brake pads mentioned above suggests cycle may have been built for 700 wheel and may have been fitted ex-works with tubular rims


at some point owner opted to have wheels converted to wired-ons

at this time 700 wired-ons were something quite exotic in the U.S.; few shops would have had the rims or tyres

so that conversion from tubulars to wired-ons nearly always meant 27's


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noglider 

Yes, I think those are Universal levers. I don't like them because they have less mechanical advantage than other levers. In other words, you have to squeeze harder.

capnjonny 

Pics of the mostly complete bike. I am looking for a Campi rear derailleur to complete the mech. Anyone recognize the bars? I had to cut up the ones on the bike to get them off the Schwinn Track stem that was on it as found. Unusual bend and the bottoms are about 1 1/2" longer that "normal"
You all were right about the 27" wheels. They didn't really fit. I substituted some 700 c wheels I had in the shop. They are later and much better looking than the 27's. When we sell the bike I will probably cut the original Campi hubs off the spokes and sell them with the bike.

SwimmerMike 

@capnjonny I'll drop off a Gran Sport RD for the build.

Mike

juvela

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wow, capnjonny you've done your usual outstanding job yet again with this beastie!

suspect reason a previous owner made the pedal change to those Sakae Ringyo quills is that the machine was fitted ex-works with the Sheffield Crosa Nr. 655



the example in this sample image exhibits the chrome finish; likely the OEM fellas would have had the zinc finish, which have found to ironically resist corrosion better than the chrome

the lateral distance between the inner and outer "spurs" on this model is quite narrow; many riders find they are unable to fit their shod foot between the spurs


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bar -

have not before seen this one

somewhat reminiscent of the Universiade from Mexico

artwork tells us it is not of asian origin

me guess would be that it hails from latin america

"bottom of bar" is a portion usually referred to as the "trail"

3TTT Tourist stem slightly late for bike; their products generally considered to have launched 1963


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OEM brake cable casing would have been a satin finish silver-grey colour as supplied by Fratelli Pietra with all of their sets at the OEM level

replacement adjusting barrel covers are available for the 306 serie levers if wished

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Fine work and fine record of the process; thanks so much for posting, as always!


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capnjonny 

Juvela,
Thanks for the further detail. It is great to have this type of info for an old and somewhat obscure make. I will be sure to include it in my writ up of the bike for the Bike Exchange. The stem that came with the bike was a schwinn adjustable track stem of that vintage. I used the shown stem because it was the oldestitalian stem I had. Others were either 3 ttt or made in italy 3ttt, both later. Do you know what stem would have been likely used in 1960? I am still puzzled about the bend and extended "tails"on the bars. They remind me of the "Reg Harris bend" bars on the 58 lenton I did a while back. Where did you see the rubber barrel covers? They are not simple o rings and If we haven't sold the bike yet I might get some for it.

Thanks to Swimmer Mike for donating a Campi derailleur . It completed the bike wonderfully . I also found some vintage Italian plastic Bar tape to wrap the bars. I left it at the shop wednesday for one of our vintage experts to dial everything in as I had to take my wife to the doctor. I will try to take some more pics of the finished bike Saturday

juvela

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great to read you got her finished and deliverd to shop capnjonny!

stem -

that Schwinn adjustable is probably quite valuable
if shop would like to get the most out of it a good place to list would be at thecabe.com - t'is even free

mentioned back in post #13 Lygie that original stem would have been Ambrosio brand; the model would have been either the I-beam/girder or the Champion, bar of course Ambrosio as well, 38cm

the base model at this time would have received the I-beam and the top model the Champion
since bike is one up from the base it could have gone either way...


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Oldairhead 

You place too much faith in me and it is not deserved! It looks like wonderful progress has been made in my absence. Congratulations on your work Capn!

I cannot disagree with anything that has been mentioned in the discussion so far. I would only add my opinion to the facts that have been revealed so far. This is a pretty early Lygie for the US market, perhaps the earliest one that I have seen from a dealer here. They became much more prevalent in the late 60's in the SoCal area and those examples are easier to find. I have 3 Lygie's with the oldest rider being a 1968 Record model. For 1960 I do not know how many tiers there would have been in the lineup, but I suspect not many. The parts spec on these were often a mashup of Italian components with some Swiss and a smattering of French here and there. As a result I think that there probably is no "correct" build for a Lygie of this era. They just put on the parts they had in stock which in some cases were old stock items. Americans wouldn't know the difference anyway, right? It was a tough business back then and economics were crucial to survival.

I enjoy riding the examples that I have but I would not regard them as "high end" or particularly desirable in general. Very few people will say "Wow, a Lygie" when they see it. They are more prone to say "what the hell is that?" I also appreciate keeping the original paint since that can never be replaced. As far as the other components go, my preference is to try for "period correct" but favoring function over form mechanically. If I have to use later era parts to get the function that I want, then so be it. It will be a nice, durable bike which may a little bit on the heavy side for the era, but it should serve you well. If cared for properly it should outlast all of us!

In my defense for being absent I have a good excuse.

June 26, 2024

juvela

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- oops, forgot to reply to question

brake lever adjusting barrel covers -



https://www.3mcaverni.com/?s=UNIVERS...t_type=product

(recommended by non-fixie)

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juvela

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your absence partially made up for by the availability of the outstanding barn


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capnjonny 

Weighed the bike before taking in to the shop. 24.75 lb all up with everything but the bar tape. I bet with some lighter tires, pedals, and saddle I could drop another pound or 2.