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I feel like some of those guys are rolling around (carefully) on 100 year old tires. I'll see if there's anything I can do to keep these tires rollin.
Your Fiorelli is a very attractive machine and I'm sure you're on the right lines in just treating it to gentle cleaning.
The frame angles look surprisingly shallow for a track frame, but it's said that the continentals were much less interested in frame design than the Brits (who were obsessive).
I think you'll be lucky to save those tubs. The inner tubes are probably latex which, in my experience, will be rotten by now. If they do pump up, make sure you re-cement them to the rims before riding.
It's very rare to see 1" pitch (block) chain now. It was still widely used on the track when I was a kid and it certainly makes an exciting noise in use, but I was never convinced it had any benefit. It must be heavy compared with conventional chain and the noise implies friction.
Airlite hubs, large and small flange, were very widely used in Britain up to the 1970's, and Tony Doyle won the 1980 worid pro pursuit championship on them in 1980. The wheels were on loan from his mentor and Clarence Wheelers club 'boss' Alf Whiteway.
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clubman
jeff80
Cranks, BB, headset are all Magistroni. I'm still looking through some of the parts that came along with it, but I quite like these super high flange airlight hubs. I was unfamiliar with them before today. Here's a comparison of the rear hub with a Campy & a HVZ rear hub.
I have had and gently refurbished a number of vintage track bikes, but nothing quite this old. I'm a bit nervous about doing too much to it, I would hate to use a paint cleaning/wax product and flake off the logos. I guess I'll try to clean everything very gently, oil/ carefully remove rust where possible on the chromed parts, assess the strength of the rusty spokes on the front wheel and give her a go. My 1964 HVZ got new tires because I had to build wheels for it, and the look of new tires kind of bothers me. There's an American forum called the Cabe, and I feel like some of those guys are rolling around (carefully) on 100 year old tires. I'll see if there's anything I can do to keep these tires rollin.