Got this thing from a fellow "old bike" nut at the LBS. He says it is an Orero, built by a guy from South America who did custom work back in the 1970's.
It is a true track frame, and has round fork blades and rear-facing dropouts, properly speaking, track ends. The front fork blades are rounde, not oval like a road fork, and seem bigger and sturdier in construction. The fork ends, front and back, are chromed, as are the head lugs. Neither the front fork nor the rear seatstay bridge are drilled for mountin' a brake.
The bike was painted an orange-yellow color identical in shade to a number 2 pencil or a taxi cab, when I got it, but it needed some touch up paint on chipped spots here and there, and there were a few really bad ones, the seatstay bridge appeared to have a few corroded spots, and the drive-side chainstay was real scratch and chipped. Also chipped was the seatclamp and attached lug. So I painted the seatclamp lug, chainstay and seat bridge black and will be glossing them, and leaving the rest yellow, if I can find a close touch up paint. I will also have to do something to protect the lugs, and touch up what appears to be a small rust spot on the underside of the top head tube lug, where it meets the top tube.
I have only taken it outside twice for brief test rides around the block but it rides very well, and is very fun. Though to judge by the head tube it is probably too big for me -- I think it's a mid fifties, and all my other bikes are like 53 or 54 at the most -- once seated on the bike, it rides excellent, and putting a foot down is no prob. Standover height is a little tight, but in cycling shorts or even cut-off sweatpant shorts it should be no problem. And as the frame clearence up front only really permits traditional narrow road tires (700x23c), the bike stays pretty low to the ground.
I plan it to be my 'round town fair weather ride, but who knows? I may even be inspired to look up a velodrome somewhere... yeh right. (but heh, u never know...)
[better pics coming soon]
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