Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.rickdog81
03-29-09, 02:54 AM
I am going on a trip to italy at the end of summer. Just a cheap college student trek around Italy that I thought would be better/easier/fun with a bicycle. I don't think it will be worth it to ship my commuter bike to Italy and back so I was thinking about possibibly buying a bicycle in Italy. Heck I figure it maybe even be an oppurtunity to get a great Italian bike at a great price/discount (compared to US prices). I was hoping that maybe someone on this forum may have some experience or information that may help me out. I am not even sure where to start looking. But I do that know there are several respected bicycle builders/manufacturers in Italy.
What I am looking for...I currently commute daily on a older single 60's-70's Bianchi single speed conversion so I am partial to steel and don't mind used or older. I will take a lugged steel frame that has stood the test of decades over a carbon frame that is going to crack and be useless, and an aluminum frame that will dent more easily. I have been consumed with the idea of getting a track frame but am not ruling out a road bike. I would just rather not spend the extra money on a gruppo when I can get around with a single gear. I have seen alot of classy italian track frames online like DeBernadri, Cinelli, and DeRosa. What are the better manufacturers quality and value-wise? Any smaller frame builders that maybe able to deliver a better value of equal quality? I have read that the EAI bareknucle track frames were made by some smaller builders in somewhere in venice?
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
p.s. I am not sure which section was the best to post this question to so sorry for posting it in a few different spots.
What I am looking for...I currently commute daily on a older single 60's-70's Bianchi single speed conversion so I am partial to steel and don't mind used or older. I will take a lugged steel frame that has stood the test of decades over a carbon frame that is going to crack and be useless, and an aluminum frame that will dent more easily. I have been consumed with the idea of getting a track frame but am not ruling out a road bike. I would just rather not spend the extra money on a gruppo when I can get around with a single gear. I have seen alot of classy italian track frames online like DeBernadri, Cinelli, and DeRosa. What are the better manufacturers quality and value-wise? Any smaller frame builders that maybe able to deliver a better value of equal quality? I have read that the EAI bareknucle track frames were made by some smaller builders in somewhere in venice?
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
p.s. I am not sure which section was the best to post this question to so sorry for posting it in a few different spots.