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Tullio CampagnoloItalian racer and inventor
Date of Birth: 26.08.1901
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Tullio Campagnolo
Tullio Campagnolo (Gentullio (Tullio) Campagnolo, 26.08.1901 – 3.02.1983) was an Italian cyclist and inventor. He is known as the founder of the company "Campagnolo" and the holder of the patent for the bicycle quick release skewer.
Early Life
Tullio Campagnolo was born in Vicenza, Italy. His father owned a small household goods store. From a young age, Campagnolo was drawn to various inventions, and he conducted his first experiments in the family store.
Cycling Career
Campagnolo became interested in cycling in 1922. He regularly participated in races of various scales and devoted a significant amount of time to improving his bicycle. On November 11, 1927, Campagnolo lost a race in the Italian Dolomites because he couldn't change his wheels quickly. The freezing temperatures and heavy snow made it difficult for him to unscrew the nut. This defeat greatly frustrated Campagnolo, and he decided to come up with a new way to secure bicycle wheels.
Inventions
In 1930, Campagnolo patented the quick-release skewer, a simple device that securely fastened bicycle wheels and made it relatively easy to remove them when necessary. His invention was quickly appreciated, and the skewers he designed are still used in modern bicycles virtually unchanged. In 1933, Campagnolo's newly established company began producing bicycles built using his invention.
Not content with just the quick-release skewer, Campagnolo obtained a patent for a new type of gear shifter in 1933, later named "Cambio Corsa." In 1949, he introduced a new model of gear shifter that is similar in many respects to the ones used today.
In 1961, Campagnolo started using low-pressure magnesium die casting for bicycle component production. Additionally, his company was the first to use several previously unknown alloys of aluminum and titanium.
Campagnolo's inventions were not limited to bicycles. In 1966, he patented a new model of corkscrew bottle opener.
Legacy
Tullio Campagnolo passed away on February 3, 1983, at the age of 81. His numerous inventions made him a figure of almost cult status among bicycle manufacturers and professional cyclists.
