What makes a great bicycle? Is it the material? The geometry? The welder? For decades, fans of Pegoretti's exquisite steel bicycles have held that it was a man, Dario Pegoretti. One of the most celebrated frameshops in the world, Pegoretti bikes blend classic materials with new technologies to create modern performance machines.
Forget the clichéd descriptions: springy, whippy, heavy, and so on. To ride a Pegoretti is to experience the fullest realization of what a steel bike can be. The Marcelo’s stout, oversize tubes and crisp, eager response under power are perfect for knife-fight style American crit racing. The Duende’s slimmer dimensions offer the perfect all-day ride, or a spirited sprint for lighter riders. And the stainless-steel Responsorium and its stablemate Round, built from tubes designed especially for Pegoretti, are an alchemic combination of the two. And that paint. Any discussion of Pegoretti has to include paint. Even “stock” schemes are unlike any you’ll find elsewhere, not to mention the boundless creativity of the custom Ciavete program. A Pegoretti is as beautiful to behold as it is to pedal.
Sadly, Dario passed away suddenly in 2018. Dario was more than a business partner; he was a friend, and we miss him terribly. But Dario’s genius was in more than just building bicycles; he built a way of building bicycles, and a company to build them, so that it would survive him. Dario took on few apprentices, but those he did often stayed permanently. For 20 years, Pietro Pietricola has been his lieutenant, compatriot, shopmate, foil and lunchtime companion, all while mastering the art and craft of Pegoretti Cicli. It might sound like sacrilege to some, but in our view, his skill rivals Dario’s. It is in Pietro and his team's supremely capable hands that this beloved marque continues, and we are proud to continue our long association with Pegoretti Cicli as the company takes its next steps.
