Info on Rauler

[Pastashop]

Hello good folks,

I came into owning a Rauler a little while ago, have been enjoying the ride very much, and want to learn more about the marque. Reading some easily accessible websites, I've learned that they shared (and in many cases even enabled / inspired) many aspects and details of Colnago's iconic bikes. Side-by-side comparison with a Super from the early '80s confirms as much.

Anyhow, I came across a bikeforums post with a PDF file linked here, but don't have a bikeforums login to access it. Apparently, it's an English translation from Italian of the history of Rauler bikes written by one of the brothers who started it, Reclus Gozzi. (Hoping it's something a bit more cogent than a Google Translate version of the web page.)

Thanks in advance!

Not mine, but mamma mia!..

[unterhausen]

It looks pretty interesting. They got started doing Colnago's pantographing.

[Peter P.]

RAULER 1970-2020
FIFTY YEARS OF CYCLING HISTORY
by RECLUS GOZZI
Rauler was born in 1970; let's retrace its evolution over time.
My brother Raoul was older than I and born in 1946, and I was born in 1948; as a boy he raced bicycles for a few years with Gruppo Sportivo Bismantova in Reggio Emilia, achieving some good results thanks to a lot of passion and sacrifice, and to his stealing time away for training.
He became a specialized pantographist, making engravings in metal. While employed by a craftsman in 1970, he ultimately wanted to set up his own business.
Bicycle racing brought him good results, although when he raced he always had to settle for used bikes more or less suited to his size and built with medium quality materials, so he decided to indulge himself with the satisfaction of a long-standing desire; a custom racing bike built to his own measurements.
He talked about his decision with Nello Olivetti, his trusted mechanic, who in the sixties had been a notable racer, so much so that he had competed with Ernesto Colnago.
Ernesto Colnago was a manufacturer of specialized bikes and supplied his bikes to the champions of the time. One Sunday morning, (because at Colnago they also worked on Sundays) they left for Cambiago, Milan, and went to Colnago to have the dream bike built.
Once the measurements had been taken, they agreed on the type of frame, color and chrome desired by Raoul; the delivery would be in a couple of months.
Before leaving, Raoul asked Ernesto Colnago if he could have the Campagnolo groupset in advance, promising to bring it back when the finished frame was delivered. Ernesto agreed but asked the reason for this request; Raoul explained that he wanted to lighten and beautify the group.
This is how work began in Reggio on the details of racing bikes; pantographing the seat posts, the handlebar stems, the chainwheels and the brake and gear levers.
The ace of clubs emblem that was the Colnago brand, along with other engravings and the lightening work then gave new life to the new Campagnolo group under Raoul's expert hand.

After about two months Ernesto Colnago informed Raoul that the frame was ready. Early the next morning, Raoul set off for Milan carrying all the modified parts ready for mounting on the bike.
Ernesto Colnago marveled at the sight of the material Raoul had modified. He called his brother Paolino and told him to prepare ten complete Campagnolo groupsets to give to Raoul to modify them like the one he had brought for his bike.
This is how the collaborative working relationship with Colnago began in June 1970 and lasted more than 15 years.
Raoul, unable to keep up with the number of orders, asked me to come and work with him. It was a difficult choice for me because I already had a job that gratified me and I liked a lot. I worked at Donelli di Povigio, a company that built railway maintenance machines.
I was involved in heavy carpentry and therefore I thought I would not be able to do the precision work on the pantograph that Raoul proposed to me.
I talked about it with my wife who suggested I try it; with her consent I took courage and went to my boss Signor Donelli Ovidio to inform him of my intentions.
His response: try it; if you don't like it, know that you will always have a place here. I thanked him and after two months I took my leave but only after having finished the construction of a new machine that I had started and for which I had the responsibility of foreman of about ten workers.
When I told Raoul of the decision he told me: "the sooner the better."
In March 1973 I started working on the pantograph: it was hard, not the physical effort but due to the tension it caused me to work on those beautiful and delicate objects, for fear of damaging precious pieces like the Campagnolo components that were worth a lot of money.
But with patience and with the teaching of my brother Raoul, I gradually learned the secrets of the trade and became completely autonomous, and ultimately was able to work tranquilly.
Each month there were about 70-80 groupsets to be pantographed. Each group consisted of a crankset, a seat post, brake levers, gear levers, stems and sometimes even hubs and rims. After engraving them I had to put the color inside the incision and then clean it. My wife helped me many times in this process.
During these months the work always proceeded under the expert eye of Raoul, but by now nobody could have stopped me anymore.

Almost every Sunday morning some of us went to Cambiago to deliver the processed material and to retrieve the new groupsets. The work proceeded very smoothly and an almost familiar relationship had been established with Colnago. When he was in the Reggio or Parma area (he was a sponsor of SCIC Cucine), he would visit us and then we would go together, as friends, to eat a nice plate of tortelli which he liked very much.
It was on one of those occasions that Ernesto, telling us that he was looking for a frame builder who could help him build neutral racing frames, without logos, made us a proposition: Colnago, undertaking production of 200 racing frames, would build 150 directly under his own brand and would outsource the production of the remaining 50 that would have the customer's brand. He could not build so many frames alone.
Ernesto Colnago proposed that I visit him in Milan where he would instruct me for the purpose, assuring me that with good will I could do it.
The following day, Raoul and I talked about the proposition and we found it worthwhile, and thought that we would also bring our father Otello, but considering that he was a blacksmith and working alone every day, it was difficult for him to get away. We spoke to him about it because we would need Otello, as he was good at welding with an oxyacetylene torch, a skill I still lacked; to build racing bike frames, quality welding was indispensable.
Having convinced Otello, we talked about it again with Ernesto Colnago who confirmed that he was already waiting for us.
So began the adventure of Rauler.
The following Monday, Otello and I left for Cambiago for the Colnago workshop. We were armed with measuring tape, calipers, drawing blocks to take measurements and, in case of need, masks; we were prepared to take notes on the various methods that Ernesto's workers used in the construction of the frames.
Where we were uncertain we asked for explanations and they kindly gave us clarifications. For example, they recommended we always try to build the frames of larger size first, because if a tube was cut wrong, it could be used for a smaller frame.
We copied the scheme of the jig used to assemble the frames, noting the dimensions we would use to build one for our own shop. My father observed the welding steps with great interest, asking for specific explanations about the various positions.
Once the frame was tacked (light brazing preliminary to full welding of the joints) it would be removed from the jig for the squaring operation on the abutment plane and then held together with special nails in the various joints.

This operation was necessary to prevent the various joints from moving when the frame was welded, thus diverging from the set measurements. The welding brought the localized temperature to 800 degrees centigrade which dilated the parts.
Otello, under the guidance of Aldo, Ernesto's senior frame builder, began to weld frames and forks, learning the true tricks of the trade. When he faltered, Aldo corrected him by explaining and indicating how he should do it; at the same time I took note of the various processing steps, making sketches of details that would help me in the various construction phases. Where I was uncertain, it was sufficient to ask any worker present to receive all the necessary clarifications.
With learning and the passing of time, the work became more and more within our reach; in the evening at the hotel, Otello and I would go over the various tasks and we were already thinking about some changes. For example, we wouldn't use welding jigs like Ernesto's. They had a large "carousel" on which three welders worked, who simultaneously welded the bottom bracket first, then the steering assembly, then the saddle assembly.
In the carousel there were three torches for preheating and three others for welding. When the frame passed in front of the welder he only had to apply the brass for the brazing because the piece was already at a temperature of about 800 degrees; we would have heated it to that temperature with a single torch. This didn't worry us, we were aware that we would spend more time for the operations.
Then came the evening when, after dinner, we took leave of Colnago confirming that we would go to Reggio to build the various jigs, to put into operation the machines already purchased, and to prepare the welding facility.
Ernesto reaffirmed that when we were ready he would come to Reggio with Aldo and together we would build ten frames, one in each size from 50 to 60 cm, which would be useful for setting up the tacking jig and for cutting the various tubes.
In the following days in the Raoul Gozzi workshop we decided to change the name of the company to "Rauler" which combined the name of my brother Raoul, who was already known for his past as a cyclist in G.S. Bismantova, and mine, Reclus ("Raoul and Reclus"). We registered the new name of the company "Rauler" at the Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Emilia.
We worked to prepare everything that was needed in order to then inform Colnago that we were ready to start. One Sunday morning Ernesto, with his brother Paolino and Aldo, arrived in Reggio in via Abba 26 at the Rauler factory. We started by building the ten prototype frames under the expert guidance of Aldo.
In a short time the frames were cut, milled, tacked and assembled; all that was left was to complete the final welding that Otello and I would carry out the following Monday. After a much-appreciated plate of tortelli, Ernesto and his companions took their leave

for Cambiago, again assuring us that if there was any need they would always be available to help us. "Thank you, Ernesto."
LET'S GET GOING!
On Monday with a certain amount of emotion and moreover with the fear of making a mistake, we completed the work and thus began the adventure; it was 1975.
We finished welding the prototype frames including the forks and then the difficult finishing work began.
For braze welding, aside from brass, borax, an indispensable powder, is used to allow the brass-based alloy to flow; once cooled, borax vitrifies; to be able to file the weld it must first be sandblasted.
Raoul, who knew the owner of the "Lobrighisa" Foundry, who was already his customer for pantograph work on the molds, contacted him about availability; the foundry, which was located in our neighborhood, allowed us to use their sandblaster for a fee.
When I took the frames to the Foundry I did not fail to study their sandblaster, trying to understand the principle of operation, and shortly after, I felt able to build one myself.
I went to a junkyard where I recovered an LPG (liquid propane gas) tank; I filled it with water to prevent it from bursting during processing and modified it to model that of the sandblaster of the foundry; our tank was smaller but if it worked for us it would be great.
We bought a large second-hand compressor and were happy, because money was tight; the important thing was that everything should work well.
We built a metal cubicle that could contain a frame, equipped with a door with glass to be able to observe the various parts during processing and two holes to insert the arms carried by rubber sleeves in order to be able to maneuver the frame and direct the stream of sand.
On the first try it didn't go well and I couldn't understand why; then in looking at the sketch I had made I realized that I had not installed the tube that would have had to maintain the pressure in the tank by pushing down the sand. I made the change on the tank, tried again, and everything worked. Hurray!
So with a few thousand lire we were able to solve the business problem of the sandblaster.
It now remained to solve the challenge of filing the welds but with patience we were able to overcome this difficulty too; certainly the first pieces did not come out finished to the

utmost perfection, but in a short time, with the help of Raoul, who continued his work as a pantographist and was very good at finishing, we were able to manufacture a perfect product.
At this point we began to fulfill the orders that Colnago passed to us, which had many very important customers and when they had to produce a batch of 100 frames, they built 80 and ordered 20 from Rauler, customized as requested by the customer.
Once made and finished, we took the frames to Milan where they were chromed and painted. Colnago took care of sending them to the customer.

[Peter P.]

HOW THE RAULER LOGO, AN IVY LEAF, WAS CREATED
When we had attained a certain level of experience and maturity, we decided to become a manufacturer of specialized bicycles. We bought the various lugs, fork heads and other material from Colnago as they were able to buy all this at much lower prices than us.
But the ace of clubs, Colnago's logo, was already present in the head of the precision-cast fork; therefore, using the pantograph, Raoul stretched the petals of the ace of clubs as seen in the drawing and thus the ivy logo of Rauler was born.
As we began to supply custom-made frames on the town square of Reggio, where cycling was very popular, Rauler bikes acquired a large slice of the market and I too, though being an avid motorcyclist, gradually began to ride racing bikes.
So it was that I switched to cycling and entered the Citroën group of which Raoul was already part; the first year I had several setbacks, but then with a little training and a Rauler bicycle everything began to go well, very well indeed.
Among our customers there were many former professional riders who retired from the races and opened their own shops such as Neri Guido, Enrico Paolini, Vincenzo Bellini, La Pier -- Belgio, Dancelli, Saronni, Poggiali and various other small bike mechanics throughout Italy.
We began to equip a small team of rookies, the Unione Sportiva Montecchio, whose excellent president, Mr. Fontana, a cycling enthusiast, tried to educate and train the youngsters in cycling, in the hope that some of them would make it into the ranks of top racers.
If his efforts didn't produce a champion, it was enough for him to be a good person, a good father, a good worker. Indeed, one of his charges, Sandro Venturelli, became a good mayor for two terms; another, Guidetti, is still the sports director of a youth team; Pattacini, a bank official; Graziano Beltrami with his brother, a dealer in special racing
bike material, the best on the world market, Beltrami T.S.A., also passed through the team.
For our part, we always tried to equip the team as well as possible, trying to make them spend as little as possible and always providing them with material of legitimate quality. Some of these fellows came to work at Rauler; as long as they behaved with the utmost seriousness (as much as possible for their age, usually 15 years old), we let them have Thursday afternoons off so they could train.
Those youngsters, who began to work without any specific knowledge, became good and eager workers under the guidance of Otello, me and Raoul.
THE LEAP IN QUALITY - THE MILAN FAIR
When we decided that Rauler should take part in the Milan Fair "Ciclo Motociclo" (EICMA) in November 1976, with the help of Colnago we were assigned an area in the pavilion where he and the most important manufacturers in the sector exhibited.
It was a considerable effort on our part; the costs for renting the exhibition area were high and to limit expenses, we built the stand ourselves; in the end it was also beautiful and functional; we didn't make a bad impression.
To prepare all the bikes to be exhibited, we had the help of the mechanic of the SCIC team of which Colnago was the sponsor and supplier of the bikes; that mechanic was Rino Parmigiani, a magician in the sector, and also a friend; his father had been Otello's workmate in the 1960's.
Rino then became our coworker and managed our shop located outside the factory a few steps away from the Rauler headquarters.
The fair went well; we exhibited a series of bikes painted by an artisan from Parma, Gianni Schivazappa, a true artist in the sector, with beautiful colors.
The contacts with potential future customers that Colnago passed us were numerous, and many did become our loyal customers.
On that occasion we got to know a former Danish national team racer named Gunnar Asmussen who had already participated in the Rome Olympics in 1960 and then won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968.
Asmussen retired from racing and opened a high-end bike shop in his country; when he came to the Milan Fair he was looking for a frame builder capable of producing frames under his own brand; he stopped at our stand admiring our bikes and soon we agreed on how the brand should be, on the price and on the quantity of prototypes.

Asmussen then became the supplier of bikes to the Danish National Team for the 4 x 100 km team time trial event, (built by Rauler) those that had a 26-inch front wheel; he remained our customer until the 2000's when he then ceased activity and returned to being the sports director.
He was a very serious person, and with him we never lost a penny.
In 1975 Colnago equipped Giacobazzi, a first-class amateur team from Nonantola, in which a young man from Reggio named Mauro De Pellegrin also raced. When he had problems with his bike, he turned to Rauler.
That year Colnago encountered a problem in the construction of the rear triangle, which was too short, so that to replace the rear wheel it was necessary to deflate the tire and in racing this was not acceptable. The sports directors of Giacobazzi were alarmed and telephoned Colnago asking for an explanation and a way to deal with the problem, because the racing season had already begun.
Colnago directed them to Rauler where the problem would be solved.
It was not a simple problem because the bikes were already assembled and painted; we looked at each other and then we took a bike, removed the rear wheel and the derailleur, and with the grinding wheel, trying to damage the paint as little as possible, we shortened the tips of the dropouts so that the wheel could be mounted correctly and quickly, and so we fixed all 10 bikes of the team.

[Peter P.]

WE BECOME OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS
After that operation Giacobazzi started equipping the team with Rauler bikes in 1976. With the Rauler bikes the Giacobazzi riders established countless milestones.
In 1977 at the UCI (Union Cycliste International) World Championships in Venezuela, Mauro De Pellegrin won the silver medal in the 100 km team time trial.
Then in 1980 the consistent Mauro de Pellegrin won the Italian time trial championship in the city of Pescara.
Then the first category amateur tour of Campania was won by Borgini from Romagna; in 1984 Claudio Vandelli won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, again in the 100 km team time trial; while his brother Maurizio won the Italian championship for second category amateurs on the road.
In 1976 a Rauler bike carried Dino Torelli, also from Reggio, to victory as winner of a world championship held in Austria; incidentally, in a recent multi-category event Torelli triumphed in the age 60-70 gentlemen's category.
The victories were many but one in particular moved me: that was the Milan-Reggio won by Maura De Pellegrin in a breakaway. On that occasion, Raoul and I were "wheel changers," following the race with our car equipped for this work. Winning in Reggio with a rider from our town, on a Rauler bike, was a beautiful moment ... an unforgettable joy.
In the order of arrival the first four were all Giacobazzi riders; even the director of the national team Davide Cassani raced with a Rauler bike for Giacobazzi.
In the 1977 season Rauler organized a grand prix in the junior category with arrival at the Roncolo Park in the Terre Matildiche di Quattro Castella; in the second year it was won by Cassani.
1985 - THE SATISFACTION ENDS
With the arrival on the team of Marco Pantani and Michele Paletti, Giacobazzi decided to use the bikes of Paletti's father, who was a bike manufacturer, and who thus became the new official supplier of the team.
The decision was part of the game; it was taken without problems, and Giacobazzi and we greeted each other politely and without rancor.
There were many teams equipped with Rauler bikes, I hope to remember them all: Giacobazzi, Autotrasportatori Napoli, Maltinti Lampadari, Top and Esmeraldo, SMEG di Artoni, Velo Club Reggio, CREI Gualtieri, VIBOR con Panizza who raced with COLNER bikes built by Rauler.
There were numerous customers, from all over including Europe, Argentina, the United States and Australia.
A NICE EPISODE
One day the masseur from the Reggiana basketball team showed up in the workshop; at the time the sponsor was Cantine Rinite; he asked us if we were able to build a bike for a basketball team player who couldn't find a frame that fit his size. We answered yes and the next day a giant of 2.17 meters appeared. It was Roosevelt Bouie, an American; we took the various measurements and in the end the frame was 72 cm high.

The trouble was that the extra-long tubes did not come in this size; we had to phone Columbus, our tube supplier, to explain our problem; they told us that they would build some special ones for us and so after 15 days the super long and reinforced tubes arrived.
By adjusting the jig to the limit we built "the monster"; granted, because the frame was so big it was not so beautiful but those were the needed dimensions. Upon delivery of the bike, Roosevelt was enthusiastic, he mounted the bike and off he went on a test drive, pedaling for about twenty kilometers. When he returned, satisfied, he immediately ordered another one that he would send to America.
After him, four other players, more or less tall like him, had a Rauler bike made, convinced by Bouie's enthusiastic publicity.
Every year that we exhibited at the Milan fair we tried to come up with something new; in 1985 we proposed an innovative frame for that time; we changed the main triangle tubes from a round to a rhomboid cross-section to make the frame more rigid. It was baptized "Profil."
In the first model we used Columbus PL tubes (Pista Leggero -- light track); we built it according to my measurements and I tested it on the climbs of the streets of San Marino.
Upon testing, the frame was perfect despite being the first experiment. We patented it and over the years we applied it to all the bikes.
The racing teams started to request it and so the Profil frame caught on.
At the end of 1985 Raoul left Rauler to concentrate on his work of construction of molds for all types of materials with high-tech machines and processes, (electrical discharge machining and computer numeric controlled machining) coincident with the arrival in the company of his son, Massimo.
With the departure of Raoul, a very eager and talented young worker (Mauro Govi) entered the company; he grew up in the company and was trained by Otello and me.
In Rauler, the workforce was seven; besides me, Otello who was a welder, "Ferro" my cousin, did filing, Mauro was a filer and welder, Enrico a welder and filer, Matteo was a filer and Rino, as an expert mechanic, was a fitter and managed our shop which he later took over.
There were always problems, for example we had to try to relieve Otello because during the summer season there was a lot of work and for him the heat of eight hours in the vicinity of burning torches became unbearable. I devised a machine to do the pre- heating, thus reducing the work for the welder who at that point could limit himself to brazing the frame.

After Raoul left the company, I relied on a dear friend for the Milan fairs, the accountant Riccardi Elio; he was a commercial expert in the motor industry and attended trade fairs for his former company Lombardini Motori.
He knew how to operate in that environment and how to treat future customers well, with contracts that were fair and appreciated. He was a good person; he never wanted any sort of payment and I was a kind of wingman when we went out cycling.

[Peter P.]

THE CRISIS
Nineteen-Eighty-Seven was a slow year in the racing bike business and at Rauler we had a bit of a crisis; summoning my courage, I telephoned Ernesto Colnago to explain our problem; after thinking for a moment he opened a desk drawer and said to me: I have here an order for about twenty tandems for Russia and Czechoslovakia and we are unable to fulfill the order; if you want to build them, come to Cambiago and I will provide you with the measurements and the material.
I accepted immediately even though I didn't know how to build tandems; I consulted with my brother about how we should proceed. We realized we needed a sample, a model; we talked about it with our mechanic Rino who advised me to check with the director of Giacobazzi who lived in Forli where an Italian Cycling Federation track was operating; perhaps they would have one available for this purpose.
I rushed to the phone and called Roncucci to whom I made the request. He asked me to give him some time to check with his friend the track manager, then he would let me know.
After half an hour Roncucci called me back and told me that if I wanted to, I could travel to Forli where they would lend me a tandem they had on-hand, that I could keep for two or three months; they no longer raced tandems on the track.
I agreed to pick it up and went to the Forli track. There they lent me an old tandem from the 1950s'; it would suit our purposes. I thanked them and got myself back to Reggio in a hurry.
FROM C'ANDOM, TO VIN SIRA AND GARMAGN AND FER, WE ARTISANS CANNOT WASTE TIME
The next day I undertook the study and preparation of a special jig and the various components necessary to assemble the tandems; with the help of Raoul and my father
Otello we were soon ready for the new challenge; everything went well despite it being a new and difficult matter for us.
In just a couple of months we managed to fulfill Ernesto's order for the tandems.
The day I went to Milan to collect the material to build the tandems, at Colnago I noticed that their frames, ready for filing, had a beautiful bright color, with a slight white powder coating. I asked Aldo about this.
He told me that they had tried a solution of sulfuric acid diluted in hot water which had the property of removing all the borax; then the frames were rinsed in a solution of water mixed with caustic soda which completely removed the traces of acid and kept the frames from rusting.
The processing times were shorter and the work less tiring, so back in Reggio I talked about it with Raoul and we too decided to adopt the same procedure so that the sandblasting process would be lighter and faster.
Meanwhile, word had spread that Rauler was able to build tandems.
Orders from private individuals began to arrive, even blind people who could thus ride with the help of a guide were ordering tandems.
Among the customers there was also Vittorio Adorni (1965 Giro d'Italia winner), who wanted one for himself and his wife. Once the measurements were made, it was delivered within a month, assembled to perfection by our mechanic, Rino.
Mr. Horacio Pagani, maker of beautiful carbon fiber supercars, was also among them and added a racing bike for himself to the order for the tandem.
We were able to build tandem frames of all sizes according to the customers' requests and measurements.
High, low, long or short, we had no problems; with this flexibility we were able to overcome that period of market difficulty while waiting for the work in the racing bike business to get going again.
When my father Otello retired it was difficult to find a welder to replace him; I was already able to, but if I had taken up welding I would not have been able to prepare the frames and no one in the company was able to replace me in this function. Finally we found a welder, a friend of Raoul named Piero, also passionate about bikes, and incidentally also an expert mushroom collector. He was a good worker who permitted us to proceed in the best of conditions.
One day Mr. Claudio Toselli, a former Giacobazzi racer, came to visit me. After his racing career he had become a sales representative in the racing bike business for various

products including Viner bikes from Pistoia; the owners of this company were having trouble with their frame builder because he did not deliver on time. They were looking for a frame builder who was able to make at least 50 frames per month ready for painting.
He, Toselli, contacted us knowing well how we worked and how reliable we were on deliveries. Although flattered, we asked for a meeting with the owner of the company, who rushed to Reggio with his warehouse manager, Rodolfo; we quickly concluded our negotiation by agreeing on everything, quantity and price, with due recognition for our professionalism.
We had prepared the various parts already pantographed with their brand on the basis of their catalog; everything went well for them, Viner gave us all the material as Colnago did and we provided the labor. It was a very good and lasting agreement. In 1997 Viner made an agreement with Reverberi's professional team the "Scrigno," but had problems with their old frame builder who was a drag on business; they didn't deliver the frames on time and this put the whole team in difficulty. Reverberi got really upset with Viner.
At that point Rodolfo the warehouse manager asked us if we could help him.
In response we told him to send us the measurements of the riders and working four days non-stop we were able to deliver the requested 15 frames in record time.
Cesare, the owner of Viner, amazed and surprised, thanked us, consolidating a working relationship that continued for a long time.
ALUMINUM AND CARBON, ANOTHER WORLD
In 1998/1999 the market shifted to aluminum and carbon frames, therefore the workshop had to be converted, not without difficulty and with expenses for new equipment. We had to modify all the jigs in order to build the new-generation frames, a very complex job, to which, with the help of a toolmaker friend, we were able to adapt.
We geared up to process carbon. We had to prepare an oven with an autoclave and a vacuum in which the assembled frames were placed in bags that, attached to valves, created the vacuum at a temperature of 120 degrees.
The frame was assembled more or less like the steel ones but without welding, the tubes were glued and once the glue had reacted, in about 2-3 hours, the frame was removed from the jig and the various joints were wrapped with a carbon fabric already impregnated with special glue that had to be kept in the freezer to prevent the glue from reacting; it had to be removed from the freezer not more than half an hour before use.
Once the frame had come out of the autoclave it was necessary to remove the excess carbon and then sand with an abrasive cloth with the aid of pneumatic machines, always

protected by masks and goggles and with the use of a good vacuum cleaner because carbon dust is very carcinogenic and you can never have too much protection. After this operation, the various shells were inserted in the frame, the boring and threading were carried out, then the frame was ready for painting.
We had to learn how to weld with the TIG (tungsten inert gas) system, both for steel and for aluminum; we therefore had to look for a new welder as Piero had retired. We had to decide which of us should get the TIG welder's license; I designated Mauro as he is much younger than I.
But in order to absorb the full amount of work required, it was also necessary to have another welder with good experience.
The search was not easy because whoever has a good welder holds onto him; we were lucky that we found Paolo, who came willingly because at Rauler there was a much- appreciated family-like environment where everyone did their job without being constantly under pressure.
The time came when "il Ferro" also retired; Enrico left and changed jobs, as did Matteo, who started to work as a salesman.
In order to continue the work we had to look for a filer; we found him in Verona, "il Pima," a craftsman who was already working for Ernesto. Thus, twice a week we went to Verona to "Pima's laboratory," delivering and picking up the items to be treated and so on.

[Peter P.]

EVER MORE DIFFICULT
The market was in intense evolution and the more we went on the more difficult it became; everything was imported from China at prices that were impossible to compete with for us small builders.
Among Rauler's customers, many well-known names in the racing bike sector such as Colnago, Viner, Corner, Somec, Chesini, Olmo, Bianchi, Cinelli, Raimondi, Neri, moved towards the Chinese market.
To survive, we small builders were forced to lower prices and it became harder and harder to survive by making all types of custom-fitted frames.
At the end of 1999 I retired and remained as a consultant with Rauler. Mauro thus had a new partner; a good young fellow, Federico, the son of a friend, took over from me.
The first year everything went well, indeed very well, with a good job order from the French MBK, but in the second year everything fell apart, the two partners had a bad
quarrel; the company was at risk of shutting down. Years later I still have not been able to understand the real reason for that quarrel. I tried to encourage a reconciliation but all was in vain.
Mauro asked me what he should do; I advised him not to give up after so many sacrifices made, I would remain nearby and help him to carry on the business. So although I was retired I again took up the job I loved and everything recovered very well.
We carried on even though we struggled, and when a customer didn't pay it was a blow that hurt ... luckily we had Viner who guaranteed us a certain continuity of work.
When Viner had an urgent problem, a phone call was enough and Rauler was always ready to give them priority. In that lean period we didn't turn down any jobs.
One morning the telephone rang, and a man from Carpi asked if we were able to build a particular frame he had designed for an electric bike; I told him that we were able to do whatever he wanted, "the important thing is that he pay."
Within an hour the customer was already in our workshop with drawings and measurements. For the construction of the frame we would not have any difficulties, apart from the rear triangle in which we had to find a way to house the electric motor. After a few attempts, we found a solution; the prototype was completed and the bike was tested. Everything was perfect.
Mr. Salvo Bisi, this was his name, began to order frames like the prototype; he even paid us in advance like a real gentleman, but this too ended because of the Chinese competition that was killing the market.
Then came the day of the move to new premises because in the old factory we could no longer operate in compliance with safety regulations; we found a new, suitable facility in Villa Bagno, also in the municipality of Reggio Emilia.
In the new headquarters we were working at full speed; we even had to hire a worker to weld the aluminum bottle cages that our friend from Reggio's "Plastica Sole" company was producing, and which were supplied to various bicycle manufacturers.
Everything was going fine, and even the famous Cinelli relied on us to build the new products they put on the market. One Saturday morning his technician from Milan came to Rauler and together we built the prototypes of the series which they would later assign us to build.
The years passed and in 2001 Otello, my father, who had given so much to Rauler, passed away.

In 2006 Cesare, the owner of Viner, also retired, and shortly after the company was forced to close its doors. There was no longer anyone who could carry on the work; endless problems.
In 2006 I had to be absent from Rauler to cope with health problems, I had to get an artificial hip; everything went well for me but not for Rauler.
After a convalescence of about two months I went to the company and immediately saw that something was wrong; in the office I found Mauro crying in despair, I asked for explanations.
He replied that he could no longer go on -- some of the customers did not pay and the work was scarce; he had decided to close the business. At that moment I really did not know what to advise him.
One evening at dinner time, answering the telephone, I recognized the voice of one of my former racers, Graziano, who had heard of Mauro's problem. He asked me if I was willing to help him carry on the work if he acquired Rauler. Without thinking much about it, I immediately agreed because I could not abandon everything I had built with so many sacrifices and let a brand like Rauler die.
In a short time Graziano brought almost all the equipment to his factory and there the new Rauler continued its activity.
The work involves building the usual customized frames in non-standard sizes, or arabesque frames which are the top of the line and which are now sought after in Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, England, America and even in Australia. In addition, we carry out special repairs on historical relics.
THEY WERE TRUE WORKS OF ART, JEWELS, FOR PASSIONATE ENTHUSIASTS
For repairs people come to Rauler from all over Italy and also from abroad.
Additionally in Parma there is a group of passionate collectors who bring me bikes from the early 1900's; rarities, in sorry condition. For many they would have been scrap, bikes to be thrown away; but with the equipment of Rauler and my experience they are rejuvenated to be used in races like "Le Strade Bianche" or "la Polverosa".
THAT NOSTALGIA

Recently, looking in an old suitcase among the many collected photos that recall the life of Rauler, to my surprise I came across some photos of a "Plus" frame model.
I had forgotten it but seeing it again in the photo I remembered that we presented it at the Milan Fair the year that Campagnolo presented the group with Delta brakes, in 1984, with a modification in the rear of the frame that others adopted only much later with the advent of carbon.
At that point I promised myself to build one so as not to forget it anymore and in the meantime I thought about the good times at Rauler, when we built about 200 frames a month.
I am still instructing two young people who seem very interested in learning the frame builder's trade, with the hope that the experience I acquired over the years will not be lost. It will still take a lot of patience because as it was for me, it is a difficult path for them but if they put all their good will into it, they cannot but succeed.
Courage, "no one was born a professor."
Even after 50 years, I go to the Rauler office every morning to work. If I don't go there I miss it -- I can't do without it.
Who knows how long I will continue doing it -- it is not yet evening. Reclus Gozzi

[Pastashop]

Peter, grazie mille!

That translation reads better / more coherent than the one the browser generated.

[PTinz]

Fascinating story-appreciate the translation it, as it was a great read.

[Razzle]

Do you have more pictures of the complete bike?

[Pastashop]

Originally Posted by Razzle

Do you have more pictures of the complete bike?

Alas, that one in the top post is from the interwebs. Mine is more pedestrian looking, but still quite nice.

I posted some photos in the Custom gallery, but let me dig through for additional ones.

EDIT: comparison with Colnago Super from the same period.

[Steve in SLO]

Thank you for posting the Rauler story. I have a Rauler Special comemmorating the 1984 Olympic victory made of SLX with tricolore paint using pearlescent white paint. It was my first good bike. I saw it at Bikecology in Santa Monica high up on the wall for $349 and I knew I had to have it. I built it up with DA 7400, except I substituted Superbe Pro cranks for the DA because I thought the DAs were ugly. Heck out of it for the next four years while in med school living in South Pasadena. Lots of good miles on that bike. It hangs on my wall to this day I take it out every once in a while. It is a really nice riding frame.

[LouDeeter]

A buddy is selling his Rauler, with the same lugs as the one pictured. It's about a 55-56 if anyone is interested. As I recall, those lugs were the precursor to the lugs used by Colnago on their hugely popular Arabesque.

[LouDeeter]

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/RAULER_main.htm

Anytime you are researching a vintage frame, a stop at the Classic Rendezvous is a must.

[Pastashop]

Originally Posted by LouDeeter

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/RAULER_main.htm

Anytime you are researching a vintage frame, a stop at the Classic Rendezvous is a must.

Indeed. Thanks for that link, Lou.

I strongly suspect that the Rauler I have is either a near-twin or the very one - the metallic brown one - pictured on that site, that used to belong to Harvey Sachs. The lugwork looks identical, although the paint is perhaps now more faded and closer to dark champagne / ginger ale than brown.