User:Ziggge/Legnano (company)

Legnano was Italian bicycle manufacturers also known for having a cycling team, the eponymous Legnano team. It also manufactured motorcycles from 1953 to 1979. Since 2012, the Legnano brand has been managed by the company Cicli Esperia from Cavarzere.

History
The origins of the Legnano are controversial. The company's origins date back to 1902, when Vittorio Rossi began manufacturing bicycles under the brand Lignon in his own mechanical workshop. Shortly after, a Lignon bicycle won the top spot at the "Coppa Val di Taro" race.

The company founded by Vittorio Rossi, "Soc. An. Vittorio Rossi & C.", was later acquired by Emilio Bozzi, a Milanese entrepreneur active in bicycle components. Bozzi had founded "Emilio Bozzi & C" in Milan in 1902 with the aim of producing complete bicycles under the brand "Aurora".

In 1907, Franco Tosi obtained a license to manufacture Wolseley bicycles in Italy. From this agreement, Wolsit (a contraction of "Wolseley Italiana") was established. Emilio Bozzi also participated in the deal, establishing a joint venture with Franco Tosi for the marketing of Wolsit bicycles in Italy. In 1927, Wolsit changed its name to Legnano, with Bozzi as sole owner, given the concurrent exit of Franco Tosi from the joint venture. On the occasion of the name change, a profound update of the models sold was arranged, involving the line and mechanics; in addition, the design and manufacture of the bicycles were disengaged from Wolseley, thus becoming entirely Italian. The color of the bicycles, which changed from the initial blue to Legnano green and then changed in the late 1930s to the historic color of auburn. From the 1930s onward, the Legnano met with increasing success.

In the 1970s, Legnano experienced a constant decline in activities, and after many tribulations, including a halt in motorcycle production, the ownership of the brand passed to the rival Bianchi in 1987 (then controlled by the Piaggio Group), which continued the production of Legnano bicycles.

In 1997, the Bianchi and Legnano brands were acquired by the Swedish group Cycleurope AB, which decided to allocate the former to high-end bicycles and the latter to less expensive ones. The Legnano brand was later lost by Bianchi, passing in 2012 to the company "Cicli Esperia" of Cavarzere.

Sports Team
The Legnano cycling team, present since the early editions of the Giro d'Italia in the early 20th century, flourished in the two decades before World War II thanks to the victories of Alfredo Binda and Gino Bartali. In total, from 1907 to 1966, the Legnano cycling team won 7 UCI Road World Championships, 15 Italian National Road Race Championships, 16 Giri d'Italia, 2 Tour de France, 10 Milan-Sanremo races, 10 Giri del Piemonte, and 14 Giri di Lombardia, among others.

Bicycles
In addition to racing bicycles, Legnano also produced city bicycles, maintaining the same green color scheme for the frames for a long time. The company's logo, reminiscent of the Monument to the Warrior of Legnano, was initially made of brass and affixed to the steering tube. Later, the brass logo was replaced by stickers.

Mopeds
Alongside bicycles, the company also produced mopeds, initially under the Wolsit brand starting from 1910 and later under the Legnano brand. These included models equipped with Garelli and Sachs engines. The Legnano mopeds, particularly the "T118" and "T120" models, were successful in the 1960s.