Going to Tuscany/Factory/Bike Shop Info?

[drbob]

I will be travelling in Italy this summer through Tuscany/Venice/Rome over 10 days......I would love to pick up a frame while there. Does anybody have any experience visiting any of the factories and/or ordering a custom rig? Any ideas which companies are in close proximity to my itinereary?

[amg]

drbob,

Can you take me with you, I speak fluent Italian! :D

Well, travelling in the Lazio, Toscana and Veneto regions you are in the heart of Italian bike building country. There are lots of builders located within these regions, it's just a matter of what appeals to you. Some of my top pics include Pegoretti, Tommasini and Scapin. If you travel abit west from Venice into the Lombardia region (Milano) that opens up even more builders to choose from such as De Rosa and Colnago. I'm sure you can walk right into the De Rosa shop and be measured for a frame but I doubt the same is true for the Colnago factory. What manufactures are you interested in?

Antonio :beer:

[93legendti]

The only one I know is Borga in Milan (not in Tuscany, I know). Great guy, very friendly. He makes frames, cranks, stems, hubs and seatposts.

[drbob]

I'm looking for a steel bike to set up as a fixed gear/track bike/road trainiing bike.........companies that I'm considering, assuming they are in the vicinity I'll be in would be Pegoretti, Guernocotti, Cinelli or any others that anyone might be familiar with. I've got my fit template from my Ottrott (which fits absolutely perfectly). I'd love to know what anyone's experience is with regard to ordering a custom bike there.

[Climb01742]

i'm biased because you're talking about my dream trip -- oh, some day! :rolleyes: -- but i'd think that visiting dario would be amazing...you'd get a frame and have a talk with a legendary, and by all accounts a really cool, guy. i doubt you could talk directly to ugo or ernesto, but you could hang with dario himself. would be kinda neat, yes?

[amg]

I'm with Climb, if you're going to visit a frame builder in Italy to have a frame built for yourself, visit Dario Pegoretti - cool guy, great frame builder - you can't go wrong.

Antonio :beer: