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:

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.

You've read things into my post that were not there.
I did not debate geometry with them. The handwritten numbers looked like they were way off (several cm), but that was cleared up. It just took a long time to get a response. And really, I don't need anyone to explain to me that I'm not buying a frame off the rack from a store, nor do I need to "calm down." My post was simply recounting what has happened. I'm completely calm, despite over $700 being in limbo.

I would like it if they were more responsive. It's just email, and the guy i'm corresponding with is not Pelizzoli himself - he's a younger guy. I too am in a service profession. I have to keep my clients updated and must answer their questions. I certainly could never tell them it's 'not their place to ask' or that they should just 'have faith.' And, if you believe that's really the way things will go, see how you feel the next time your lawyer, mechanic, contractor, or doctor sends you a bill and doesn't bother answering your questions.

Again, i'm not angry or upset. We're actually well within the wait time I was initially quoted - but WEEKS have been wasted waiting for him to answer simple questions about things...like whether headtube cable stops were available.

When I was investigating buying from Pelizzoli, lots of people expressed interest. So i'm posting an update so future buyers know what to expect.

Good luck. I have no interest in continuing the discussion and I hope that you get what you're expecting.

Hi everyone. I hope folks are still paying attention to this thread. I could really use some help with the folks at Pelizzoli.

It took them 8.5 months to deliver my bike from first deposit. And when the bike finally arrived, the left rear dropout was bent so badly that my local bike shop (the estimable BicycleSpace in D.C., USA), said the frame was likely cracked, and trying to bend the dropout bike might further damage the frame.

The dropout looks like it was hit by a car, it was bent with such force. I've posted photos below, as well as the box the bike came in, and it was just rattling around in there, wrapped in one layer of bubble tape and a sort of elastic paper.

Pelizzoli has stopped returning my emails. I have been exchanging emails with Simona all this time...and as I said, it took them 8.5 months to deliver the bike. I understand craftsmanship takes time, and this is Italy, but more than once I would not hear from them for a month or more at a time when I asked for updates. It was quite stressful and I feel pretty helpless here.

The bike can't be repaired, and to tell you the truth, I don't think I should have to settle for a refurbished bike even if it could be repaired. Just getting my money back isn't satisfactory either, because I have waited so long for this thing already, and they had $1000 of my money for almost a year.

If someone here can help contact Pelizzoli, or put me in touch with someone who can, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please email me or reply here.

Bummer

Why would you tack on the end of an old thread instead of starting a new one ? Makes no sense if you want full attention to your problem.

Wow. That looks bad.

Am reading this with some interest because I met with Sr. Pelizzoli in Bergamo several months ago and was measured for a frame. We have some very frank discussions regarding delivery time and issues that had been posted by customers regarding wait time, communication, etc. I was assured that my frame would be ready to ship at the end of January.

Can't help you with your current situation, but wish you well in resolving the problem.

Sorry to see this terrible outcome for you. I would think this is clearly an insurance claim and from the pictures you seem to have documentation. I hope you got a damage report from USPS, UPS, whoever delivered the box.
As Homebrew says I would post on every bike/racing/building/etc. forum you can for the contact info you need, people will want to know about this kind of thing and someone will have a good contact. I would also try to keep the drama out of discussions as hard as that will be. For a damaged shipping claim it does not matter if they took 8.5 months or a week to build your bike. Sticking to just the damage facts might help with Pelizzoli and the insurance claim.
Brace for a long battle with insurance. I dropped of a boxed bike at a USPS Post Office, got the scan w/printout of shipping, tracking and insurance and the box disappeared, never showed up on the USPS computers anywhere. Took months of battling the USPS, calls and letters with documentation and they sent me a partial payment, 75%. More months and I finally got full selling price but not the shipping cost.

Thanks. I just started a new thread since folks here seemed to think this one was too old to get attention.

What other forums would you suggest?

The contact information you have must be good, in that they responded before. What you need is someone in Bergamo or Milan who can speak the language and go see them in person to figure out what needs to be done. Please note that in most cases an insurance claim must be filed by the shipper.

My process was as follows (on a damaged frame from Belgium that had an insuranced value of $1,000usd):

Pictures as documentation of box and packing and frame damage.
Send pictures to the shipping company/person
Get them to file claim (w/ all your pics) with initial delivery service (mine was BE postal service)
The initial delivery service contacted the USPS (but could be any other company)
USPS sent me a letter (while I was out of town)
1 week later I went to the post office, I was informed that USPS had informed BE Postal that the damage had not been verified in person.

After 2+ months, Claim = Denied ; and I have to say, the shipping party was generally cooperative with paperwork and communication.

Maybe we should have used FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. but I trusted an 'experienced' seller.
Sometimes international shipments of large packages are subject to mishandling.

Sorry to hear of your loss. Good Luck. Be patient.