Bianchi Restoration: Finding the Darndest Things

Cocoon that was hiding in the brake lever.

I blogged about disassembling the Bianchi over the weekend and finding not only a cocoon in the brake lever, but also a wasp nest inside of the bars, which had been plugged for a number of years. Last night, as I was polishing some of the chrome, I noticed on the top bar, very faintly, some faded hand-lettering near the seat seat tube lug. I took some photos on my Nikon in RAW format, then imported to Photoshop in an attempt to enhance the lettering more.

Wasp nest that was hiding in the bars for who knows how many decades.

After some twiddling, I’ve decided that the name on top is that of Sam Knutson, who was a well-known bike racer and mechanic in the Portland area many years ago, and who also happens to have been the original owner of the bike. Beneath his name are the initials “R.C.W.” or “B.C.W.,” followed by what I believe is “Portland.” I’m guessing this may be from the second owner, from whom my dad bought the bike. I don’t know his name, but will try to see if my dad can confirm those initials.

It’s amazing to me the amount of history that’s stored within this little hunk of metal that has lasted so many years and it makes me want to repaint this thing even less, knowing that such small, almost invisible details like these would be lost forever.

Look closely... I promise it's there. Click to enlarge.