You saw photos of mine...

I'll see if I can post some others later today or tomorrow morning. It's hard to do from work. If you google him you will find some stuff. He made one in spirit for Stefano/Slotcar55 which is just WOW!

Holy crap, is this yours? Very nice.
http://columbusmaxbikes.blogspot.com...9/marnati.html

Here's an article on the builder.
http://www.eroicacicli.com/blog/daniele-marnati-milano/

They both look like really nice builders. There's a long Pelizzoli frame thread over at the Serotta (Paceline forum).

One other thing is that Masi is still building beautiful frames and they aren't too expensive. I read the article on him in Roleur and it made me want one of his bikes and take him out to dinner.

It would seem that the Italian Post office now works with UPS for all but the economy shipments which don't offer much protection (no insurance, no tracking...) UPS WILL ding you for duty (plus they invariably charge it using the wrong more expensive duty rate, plus a customs clearance fee).

That is mine :)

Have to love drilled dropouts, and the work he did to those chunky lugs is amazing. Talk about a labor of love! I've seen other MAX frames and they just don't have that beauty and workmanship to the lugs.

Prepare to drool!

Marnati with Spirit Lugs:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...pirit-for-Lugs

man, the idea of putting together my own paint scheme for these things is getting me even more pumped.

i'm thinking about metallic blue for most of the frame, chromed seat stays and BB area, with some white stripe at the transition. hm.

Not to mention the second time I have ever seen a Max fork. The only other being on a Zanconado. I might just have to let my wife know that a Marnati Max bike would be a perfect 40th birthday present.

I might break your heart...but I THINK I may have gotten his last MAX lugset.

So, anyone else with experience on Spirit framesets?
I did a little looking, and i've read about some framebuilders saying it's too thin.

As for the fork, I'll probably ask him to do it without the fork, and i'll buy an ENVE or something.

You could always get the main tubes and the chainstays out of Zona which is very stiff. Or maybe just the chainstays. Nobium is also used by a lot of framebuilders for good stiffness to weight.

Most likely if you told a framebuilder that you needed the bike stiff, they'd be able to tell you what they'd use.

I rode a Spirit framed Curt Goodrich last fall that made me rethink a Max framed bicycle.

It was all that and much more!

But I worried about the frame due to my weight.

The Max tube set has a solid rep for powerful bigger, heavier riders like I was last summer.

At the time I bought my Merckx MX Leader frameset I was almost forty pounds heavier than I am now.

I thought I needed the stout frame until I rode the Spirit framed bicycle.

In addition, I put on a ton of miles last summer on various EL-OS framed bicycles.

So I am thinking the Merckx will be a fun "blast around with guys" bike, while the EL/EL-OS framed bikes would get the bulk of the miles this summer.

A Spirit framed Dave Anderson, Goodrich, Kvale or Zanc would fit the bill best for me at this point, but that's another topic.

So this is a little frustrating.
I'm ready to get started with an order, and I can't get these guys to email me back.

Which builder?

in all seriousness, you might want to check to see if there's any holidays, soccer games etc going on at the moment (Paris-Nice might also be distracting). They might not be operating at full capacity while something is going on in the Italian tradition.

gomango, I'm fairly good friends with Ciöcc and can give him a shout for you. I also know the young guy who runs the website and likely checks email - it's Italy. They're probably enjoying great food and wine! I've written and filmed a little about Giovanni (he's restored a number of old bikes for me) on my blog (below). I'm currently lusting after the Aeta, which he wants to do in my custom-brand for me. You're right... the prices are great, the quality is top for Italy. He frequently compares himself (maybe with envy) with Sachs. He's a great old guy, cancer-beater and proud of it, and still very active with lots of new ideas in his head.

http://rorymasini.blogspot.com/search/label/Ciöcc

pm me for my contact and I'll give you a shout, and say 'hi' to Minneapolis for me!

Thanks for the note!

If you haven't been in Minneapolis lately, you should see the daily bike traffic on the streets.

Any type of bicycle you ever care to see!

I met a fellow yesterday riding a very nice late 70s Masi, on his way home from work.

Additionally, I will certainly pm you about this wonderful builder.

Currently, I am really trying to work through the process on a special bicycle for my wife for an anniversary gift.

She currently rides a De Rosa Primato, which we picked up from a Minneapolis team rider.

I am sorting out a new build for myself, a Kvale, and then saving for her frameset.

We will be back in Bayern, Austria, and Italy in the summer of 2013.

I think it would be very tempting to order a special frameset and pick it up in person.

Aaron here on our forum has done this and had a reportedly wonderful experience with his Marnati.

Maybe an Aeta would be the right choice for my wife as well.

That might compliment her De Rosa, not replace it.

Time will tell.

Edit: Love your blog btw.

These master builders are just so amazing. It's great to see that the craft is supported and people go through the effort to seek out craftsmen like the folks mentioned in this thread. Great blog Rory, I will be back tonight to read more.

I can confirm that Pelizzoli is still making good stuff. My Corsa GP. 62 day delivery time.

Chromed Corsa GP
Masi double plate crown fork
Spirit tubing


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/7...5a177a7fa2.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/channon...7629710005685/

Very nice.

They have my deposit, and we are at the geometry stage. I have to say, I just wish they'd be more communicative. I'm getting maybe one email every 5-7 days, even when i ask a question.

Please excuse what might be thought to be a snippy response, but let them work. Don't waste their time asking questions. Pelizzoli and Marnati certainly know more than most of us on this forum will ever know regarding tubing and geometry. By asking questions you will simply piss them off. When KonAaron Snake got his Marnati, he left Daniele work and will readily state that he got more than he ever expected and that the frame size was different that what he had "thought" he needed. People who have real experience dealing with the top pros learn that you can't get by on talk, you need substance. Every question that you ask simply cuts into his building time...

This is 100% right...Daniele asked me for measurements...he asked me what I wanted to do...and that was that. I was worried about the size...especially after picking it up...and what I found out is that Daniele knows a lot more than me about frame fitting and he knows a lot more than most of the people doing your fit kit.

I obviously respect the guy and I'm not questioning his decisions.

he asks "what do you want". so I have to ask some questions.
next time you have to retain a lawyer, see if you don't feel compelled to ask some
questions about what's going on, or if you are happy just handing over a check.

and for the record, my questions here came from the guy's handwriting. the 1s looked like 7s, which would be way bigger than any bike I've ever ridden. when I realized they were 1s, I emailed him and said "ignore my last email, I trust you guys."

It's a Euro thing:

http://static2.openrice.com.hk/UserP...80EC8A909l.jpg

The lugs just look too generic, nothing to knock the build quality, makes me want to send him a set of worked over lugs... here, use THESE on MINE.

yea, I realized after a bit that that's how my grandfather writes his numbers. very cool now that I see it.

I don't expect Curt Goodrich, Dave Anderson, or Chris Kvale at this pricepoint.

These are attractive frames at a very humble cash outlay.

The Corsa GP I saw in the shop a month ago was pulling oohs and ahs from many a folk.

I think you get a lot of value that most of the folks on the forum would appreciate.

Would I pine for one and make it an heirloom frameset?

Perhaps not for me, but many a rider likely would.

Edit:

My wife just pointed out to me how much she likes the Aeta, and I agree with her.

It has all the makings of a very special bicycle and she could easily end up with one if she so chooses.

I'd love to order her one.

As a minor update, I'm not super psyched about how things have been going so far.
Communication with them is incredibly bad.
I email them, and it takes about a week for a response. This is true even if I email them instantly after they send something.

My first email to them was on February 29th seeking information. Communication was frustratingly slow, but I figured it would pick up once I was an actual customer.
I sent the first half of my payment to on March 19th.
We discussed geometry until April 13th (about one email per week).
On April 29th I emailed asking if there were any updates.
On May 6, they responded that there was a "problem with their order of tubing from Columbus" and that they were waiting for stock.
On May 31, I emailed again askind if there were any updates.
No response yet.

I understand that they're a small shop, but they do have quite a lot of my money in their hands. It's trying my patience.

Maybe you ticked them off. Or, some old friends came in for a frame or two and you got bumped. I got bumped long ago, but I did not have a Ferrari or two to come let the builder drive when I visited either... the other guy did. So it goes.

Frustrating for sure.

Respectfully, you aren't buying a frame off a peg. As far as geometry conversations, I'd recommend not "discussing" geometry with your builder. That's his business. You are dealing with a small shop in Italy...it's a different, more laid back, culture. The frame will be done...he's not going to steal your money. It ISN'T like ordering an out of stock derailleur through Ribble.

I know it's difficult to make this leap of faith...and not getting constant assurance probably doesn't help, but you are not dealing with billion dollar industries. You're dealing with an old world mom and pop. They probably don't constantly read email and they don't have a PR department. I know it's difficult, but I suggest calming down, being patient and waiting for it to happen. It takes most builders a year to build and deliver a frame. Some have 5 year waits. Hang in there...you commissioned something special and handmade, you aren't buying from Taiwan.