What Happened To Gios?!
 

Hi all, I’ve been on a hunt for some new (newly built) blingy Italian steel, looking at all the usual suspects (Colnago Master, Cinelli SC, Wilier Superleggera etc) and really like the GIOS TORINO Super Record as well as one or two other offerings.

I’ve read that the original GIOS “split” into two, with new carbon bikes being sold out of Japan under the name GIOS, while GIOS TORINO is handling the steel builds. So I’m happily purring away over the new GIOS TORINO framesets and desperately trying to get as much info as possible, which isn’t easy. I emailed Marco Gios, and got a tiny bit of info regarding prices, but he is being quite coy on any other info. He says I have to come to Turin to buy or get information about the frames. As I understand they don’t/can’t ship anymore. It’s a catch 22 because I’m obviously not gonna fly over there on a whim with no info.

So... anyone bought a new GIOS/ GIOS TORINO. Should I carry on the hunt or let this one die out.

cheers

No answers on contacting Gios, but a huge thumbs up for the Super Record. I rode one for a few years and it was wonderful, super stable. Definitely a road and not criterium bike, with a low, road BB which made it feel as if it was on rails.

There is no shortage of creative and talented builders in the world. Any of them could build a frame with the geometry you want/need. And any that Ive seen who deal in lugs are quite capable of getting very ornamental in design.
England has a healthy volume of steel frame builders and you are right there.

Anyways, no I wouldnt consider travel to Italy for a frame to be reasonable. After having seen frames be built and building one myself, there is no mystery or romanticism involved- just a lot of patience, knowledge, and talent and those are readily available by builders who wont make you fly to them to take delivery.
I also wouldnt be interested in a builder who isnt willing to discuss questions beyond price. Usually price is the last thing they want to release since there are so many varying factors to cost for a handmade custom frame. Again, there are just too many builders that willingly discuss options, geometry, tubing, etc for me to be interested in a builder that wont discuss that stuff without an international trip to their shop.

But hey- I get that the Italian brands have been romanticized and there is great interest as a result. Some may view a builder who wont talk specifics without an international trip to their shop as only adding to the mystique and exclusivity.

Good points, yeah I will consider a UK builder it for sure.

The prices I got were for the framesets only, I think that’s why it was easier to give a price. I asked whether or not it could be shipped here after I visited the store to pick a frame and get sized up, or whether I’d have to take it home from Turin and that’s when the replies stopped. A little brash.

I guess part of the appeal of the Italian bikes is also the heirloom and collecting side to it... as you know that the big Italian names are gonna hold their value and are cemented in cycling tradition (not buying to keep pristine and sell so this is probably moot). A lot of what the other builders produce is to some extent based on the innovations of the Italians, whether that’s Cinelli’s seat stays, Colnagos lugs, or Columbus’ innovations. Maybe I need to pay more attention to what the English builders have achieved as I’m sure I’m pretty ignorant on the matter which is a shame!

Cheers

+100

Yes, a lot of what other builders produce is based on Italian design, but to be fair if you wanted race frames it was pretty much just 4ish countries to choose from for decades. So innovations were created by them thru default of being one of the very select countries that event produced on a measurable scale. And once steel went away from being raced on, innovation hit a screeching halt for a long time. The innovation you reference is decades old. If you want to pay homage to it, I totally get that, but it definitely isnt innovative.
Over the last almost half century though, there have been tons of innovations by builders and product outside of Italy. Lugs by Llewellyn, Sachs, HJ, and many others. Tubing by Reynolds, Kaisei, and Variwall. Fillet brazing and TIG welding. Sloping top tubes with lugs. Heat Treated, OS, and 2OS tubing.

Llewellyn lugs and some Reynolds tubing would make for quite the Commonwealth frame!

Anyways, enjoy the process. There are so many options and possibilities out there.