Previously in the collection · Italy · stated 1978
Olympia
1978
An orange Italian steel racer with down-tube friction shifting and a mixed build of Campagnolo, Universal and Ofmega parts.
What we know
From a small bicycle shop in Verona
I bought the bicycle from a small dealer in Verona during one of my trips to Italy in search of vintage bicycles. It subsequently came home and became part of the collection.
The bicycle is recorded as a 1978 Olympia. The photographs show the Olympia name on the down tube, its head badge and a traditional lugged steel frame.
Its front and rear derailleurs and down-tube levers are recorded as Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport. Universal supplied the brakes and levers, while Ofmega supplied the chainset.
A mixed Italian build
One bicycle, several makers
Campagnolo supplied the gear parts and, according to the owner’s notes, Super Record hubs. Universal brakes and an Ofmega chainset came from other Italian makers; the handlebar is recorded as 3TTT.
The wheels are recorded with Ambrosio tubular rims. The Selle Italia Grand Prix Professional saddle is dated in the notes to the late 1960s or early 1970s. It therefore predates the stated frame year and should be read as part of the bicycle’s later configuration rather than confirmed factory equipment.
The photographs document the build as it survived. They do not establish an original 1978 factory specification.
Recorded as found
Age was not polished away
Small paint chips, patinated metal and aged tyres remain visible. The photographs record the bicycle before it left the collection rather than presenting it as new.
That sets a useful limit: the mounted parts can be described, but without a catalogue they cannot be claimed as Olympia’s original factory specification.
Previously in the collection
Brief specification
- Maker
- Olympia
- Year
- 1978, stated
- Frame
- Lugged steel
- Gears
- Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport, stated
- Brakes and levers
- Universal
- Chainset
- Ofmega
- Handlebar
- 3TTT, stated
- Hubs
- Campagnolo Super Record, stated
- Rims
- Ambrosio tubular, stated
- Saddle
- Selle Italia Grand Prix Professional, stated late 1960s to early 1970s
- Status
- Previously in the collection
Basis
Photographs and owner’s notes
This page is based on seven photographs and the component notes kept with the bicycle in the collection archive.
The stated year and model names that cannot be read directly are presented as owner-supplied information. No contemporary Olympia catalogue has been used to establish an original factory build.
The Olympia is no longer in the collection. Its photographs preserve a specific 1970s racer with an Italian mixture of parts—and leave the unknown fields open.