Late ’40’s Lazzaretti

1940's Lazzaretti racing bike

Lazzaretti Bike Shop, Rome 1915

This Lazzaretti shows off some of the most spectacularly detailed Italian craftsmanship found on racing bikes from the ’40’s and ’50’s.  With more ornate construction than our Legnano or Galetti museum bikes from the era, the Lazaretti stands out as a small production bike shop brand that probably had a very loyal local following.

Two brothers, Remo and Romolo Lazzaretti, opened a small bicycle and sewing machine repair shop in Rome during World War I.

Romolo's likeness on the badges

Fine top tube lug and Magistroni headset

Remo’s great entrepreneurial talent turned the little commercial venture into a thriving business, capitalizing on the racing exploits of brother Romolo.
Romolo rode full European racing campaigns, including the Giro di Italia, Milan San Remo, The Giro di Lombardia, and the 1925 Tour de France.  He competed alongside Binda, Girardengo, Belloni, Bottechia, and other cycling giants of the twenties, and won a stage of the 1924 Giro.

A cool bike from central Rome

Oil port on the bottom bracket shell

The post binder goes right through the stays

In 1939, the factory was tapped by the Fascist Government to manufacture aluminum water bottles for the Italian Army.
This bike is from the late 1940’s, an era that saw the Lazzaretti brothers return to their bike racing roots.   Today, the heirs of the Lazzaretti brothers still run two stores in Rome.  In 1996, Romolo Lazzaretti Jr. moved to Brazil where he set up a bicycle importing business.