Cimatti Cambio Corsa - c 1949

I purchased this Cimatti bicycle from a collector in Italy through ebay.  The photos in the listing were dark and I was pleasantly surprised about the excellent condition of the bike when it arrived, see attached photos.  First I needed to inform myself about how to use the Cambio Corsa.  Luckily there is quite a lot of info out there on the web including videos.  On the maiden voyage I was able to change the gearing with much difficulty.  Also I got my fingers caught in the spokes multiple times, ouch!  I then went back home to study the material online again and I finally realized that the rear mechanism was not set up properly.  I reset the levers in more or less the proper place and tried again.

This time the rear mechanism actually worked.  It took me about 5 minutes to get used to it and now I can zip up and down the rear cogs without much trouble.   The only cause of operational error that persists is that I often forget that I need to pedal backwards to change the gearing.  It is obvious of course considering the mechanism but it is something my legs are not yet prepared to do.  The bike looks great and works well enough.  It has a hop in the rear wheel that I am trying to work out.  And it is missing the front Simplex Competition front changer that I want to locate. I always wanted a bike like this to fool around with, and by chance I found a real gem!