EventServices

When I said my Guerciotti sounded cool compared to my Trek, I was referring to the name itself.

Trek sounds like a Saturday morning animated character.

Mojo GoGo

Isn't it Pinarello who makes the [Captain] Marvel?

The Italian ride as already stated has to do with geometry, however, my perspective is that the allure of Italian bikes has more to do with the passion that Italians have for cycling. You can find bikes manufactured by just about any company with relaxed geometries good for riding all day or with short stays and more aggressive geometries for crit riding - both have their place. It really comes down to what you like, fits your riding style and keeps you interested (although some aspects of Italian design (or maybe philosophy) do show through such as the fact that Campy equipement is highly backwards compatible and rebuildable).

zacster

Classic Italian, in a very fast yellow, and possible unique in the USA:

froze

I know , I was just messin around.

I bought the Trek because I thought that was the bike Captain Kirk and 1st officer Spock all had.

mellowdave

zacster you got a flat....

nice bike btw...

Geo_NJ

How does this stack up

Angliru Complete Bike! Save $1100!
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DocRay

google "Trek" and you get every Star Trek site, convention, etc., not a coincidence.

DocRay

Also the fact that cycling is in the air in Italy. Last year in Tuscany I saw riders everywhere with beautiful bikes, and 60-80 year olds in lycra riding huge hills.

RAAMRoses

Recently went to Italy to see the craftmanship at https://www.legendfactory.it/home/ and https://www.miche.it/en/home. There are only a handful of 'old school' frame builders who are truly masters of their craft. They are specialists in metals, precision welding, engineering and ergonomics. Why anyone would choose a mass produced carbon mould from a factory in the far East over a genuinely hand built bike is beyond me. OK there is a romance to Italian engineering, look no further than iconic cars, motorcycles and bicycles for examples of this. However, if you're spending good money on a bike then you should research some of the options available from Italy.

I'm waiting for the editing to be finished on some footage taken from our trip, detailing the skill and craftmanship we witnessed. I'll post on here as and when I get it. Road.cc traveled with us too so I think there will be an article on their website too. We do have a couple of short videos from our visit but they're not really focused on the manufacturing; https://www.youtube.com/user/RAAMRoses?feature=mhum

PS. The ride is unbelievable.

lazerzxr

Ive only got about 70km on this so far, when its up to a few thousand, i'll let ya know

RAAMRoses

https://road.cc/content/feature/28676...e-made-measure

bhchdh 

Wow. Old thread. I'm sure someone will complian and it will be locked, but it was nice to see posts from Sydney and Koffee again. I've never had the pleasure of riding a nice Italian frame, I wonder if the subtleties would be lost on me.

Bob Dopolina 

ZOMBIE!!!!!!!!!


Now to your comments.

You're assuming one would choose a steel bike to begin with.

Carbon frames are hand built. The process is just different. Italians also engineer carbon (Can you say Campagnolo? Pretty iconic, too, non?).

If the geometry of an off the shelf frame works for you (and it does for the mass majority of people) then a custom designed frame will offer no discernible advantage in terms of geometry.

Having said that the last custom frame I had was built by Wes Mandaric from Genius tubing. I loved that bike and raced it for 2 full seasons before I finally broke it. I think if I were to add another bike to my stable it may be custom steel but I certainly wouldn't choose it based on something as arbitrary as country of origin. I would choose it based on the builder regardless of where their business was based.

EDIT: Actually the last custom frame I had was a Ti frame that I never got a chance to ride (sponsorship conflicts). I had it for years and only sold it recently.

lechat

Aside from the exotic auto mfrs, I doubt that the Italians have any more expertise working with CF than Asians. Hell, many of the Italian builders couldn't even pull off a durable paint job. Technology that's been around a bit.

Nachoman

Plus there are a lot of American frame makers that are making frames that are as well built, and just as beautiful as old school Italian. Just check out Cuda's very recent thread which has some really nice photos taken from the North American Handmade Bike Show.


Edit: ZOMBIE!

guadzilla

Or that they are somehow better welders than Asians just by virtue of being Italian. I suppose they use olive oil in the welds.

Hey, if calling an Italian welder a "master craftsman" makes the bike worth an additional $2000 or whatever, more power to you.

And lest I be called a hater, at some point down the road, I may yet get myself a handmade Italian frame. But I am under no misconceptions about it being somehow better performing.

V.

Edit - mods, please dont lock this thread. It may be a zombie but it was interesting reading.

RAAMRoses

https://road.cc/node/31878 It's all just opinions, people. Enjoy your cycling, irrespective of what you're riding.

zatopek

That Viner at Road.cc looks really sweet. Can't wait to here how it performs.

TLN

You are correct there.

As much as I love Italian bikes, which I do own and I am talking about the handmade Italian bikes... from Italy, the Taiwanese, which I dont own, are more or less masters of assembling CF. They are years ahead of almost everyone. This is a reason why Italian bike manufacturers have their CF bikes made in Taiwan. The labor might be cheaper but thats not why they do it... its because of the quality.
So to Raamroses... Im looking forward to your vid and then you should fly to Taiwan and make a vid on their CF process... I mean if you really want to be fair and unbiased.

TLN

Great welders are master craftsmen, beit Italian or otherwise. Welding is a science and an art. Anyone can lay down a so-so bead. I know almost everything there is about welding with the big exception of laying down a great weld. I just dont have the talent. I can lay down a bead that works but its whats really underneath the top layer that makes a true weld. When you can combine that with one that looks great then you step up to a master craftsman of welding.

Nerull

Are you here just to spam blog links?

guadzilla

Sure, no arguments there. My point was that competent Italian welders tend to be considered "master artists" whereas competent Asian welders tend to not get the same respect.