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Holy Gaiole!!!
Photos and words by Kyle Kelley
l’Eroica Gaiole has always been a dream of mine. Since the early days of Tracko I would fantasize about traveling to Italy with only two things: a vintage Cinelli and a 35mm film camera. I hadn’t yet been outside of the United States and was young, dumb, and thought I could get anything done. Looking back, I probably would have forgotten to bring film. I was most definitely a bit naive back then.
The Devil in a Dress; L’Eroica Celebrates Alfonsina Strada
Words and photos by Tenzin Namdol
“The act of remembering is about the future, not the past.” -Dr. Tashi Rabgey
There was a poster on the door of the Jolly Bar in downtown Gaiole In Chianti advertising a one woman play about and dedicated to Alfonsina Strada, the only woman to have competed in the Giro d’Italia way back in 1924. She was called “The Devil in Dress” by the press who sensationalized the story of a woman riding the Giro against pro racers of the time who were very well known and very male. Strada is no doubt a darling of the Italian vintage cycling social scene but completely unbeknownst to me. The play was one of the many official events organized for the L’Eroica weekend of ogling at relics that function as baseline vision for countless daydreams of bike builds, some looking much like the bike Strada rode for the Giro.
Wind vests are great, but when it gets cold on your ride, it’s nice having a little extra protection. PedalEd’s newest collection, dubbed Tokaido, features a lightweight, packable, and insulated jacket and vest. Made with Polartec, these layers will keep your core warm when the weather changes. The same material keeps the US Special Forces warm when they’re in the field… See the Tokaido Jacket and Tokaido Vest at PedalEd.
The Jeroboam Bike Festival is a weekend-long event in Italy, offering up multiple course routes including a 300km dirt road route. For a less-ambitious undertaking, registrants can take on a 150km, 75km, and 37.5km route. The price is €39.90 for the event and you can see much more at Jeroboam.Bike.
PedalEd’s products are as durable as they are functional and yes, fashionable. So it should come as no surprise that when it comes to on-the-bike portage, we should expect the same from the Italian brand. Launching their new bikepacking bags today, PedalED brings made in Italy, which are completely waterproof, made from denim and yes, built to last. See the entire offerings at PedalED.
The Road to L’Eroica: An Italian Honeymoon
Words and photos by Ultra Romance
We had been running from winter… riding from winter… actually hike-a-biking away from winter in the Swiss Alps for nearly 2 weeks now. Snow, wind, rain, and low UV indexes had driven us out of the most verdant and bucolic panoramas I’ve ever eyeballed. Away from the abrupt mountaintops that rise from the undulating valleys like the jagged teeth of a gnashing puma eagle. My hair was damp and lifeless, and our bodies were craving the sunlight and ACTUAL early September weather (fair and pleasant for those of you who live in the Swiss tundra). In a split second decision, while climbing out of a cold and empty valley after hiking down a roots rock reggae slip n’ slide, we hopped a train south to Europe’s fashion capital, Milano. It just felt natural.
Ciao Italy!
Alberto Masi and the Vigorelli Velodrome
Photos and words by Brian Vernor.
The Red Hook Crit is in Milan for the final race of the 2017 championship series. This race exceeds expectation every year I go. This year we once again had a private pre-race track day at the legendary Vigorelli Velodrome. In the velodrome itself is Alberto Masi’s frame shop, which I visited with many other racers and fans. His crew brought out some vintage bikes and dernies to run on the track. It was an amazing day blending cutting edge contemporary racing with the timeless spirit of Italian Cycling. Much thanks to Trimble Racing and the Red Hook Crit. Now, to the races…
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Ever go on a ride and forget your multitool only to find yourself needing to adjust your stem or bars? Sure, laying out this scenario might be a bit cheesy, but we’ve all done it and personally, I like to “set and forget” a lot of my gear. Which is why the All In Multitool piqued my interest when I first saw a prototype last year. Check out more below.
PEdAL ED’s winter cycling gear has begun to roll out, so you can continue to ride through the inclement weather. The Kaido jersey is back, in a longsleeve, the new Thermo gloves will block water and wind, while the Nachi waterproof jacket will keep your core warm. This made in Italy gear has a sleek, slim fitting, is available in subdued colors and tones, and is in stock now at PEdAL ED.
Francesco Barbieri and Paolo Paciucci (Ferriveloci Cicli Milano) make up Fabrica Cycles, an Italian framebuilding company, offering up custom road, cross, track and all-road bikes, made in house, by using either fillet or tig welding construction methods from custom-drawn Columbus tubing. Check out Fabrica Cycles for more information.
A Stelbel Nina All-Road Bike for South Africa
Photos by Tino Pohlmann, cover photo by Stan Engelbrecht and words by John Watson
After yesterday’s gallery, I received a number of emails requesting more photos of this bike!
Within yesterday’s epic gallery by Stan Engelbrecht, you might have spotted this blue beauty, albeit covered in a bit of dirt, dust, mud and Apidura bikepacking bags. This Stelbel Nina is something special. Made in Italy from one of the oldest tig welding builders in the world, the Nina is at home on the ‘cross course with 33mm tires as much as it is in the backcountry, rolling on 40mm rubber and unlike many of the frames on the market today, this one comes from a legacy.
Stelbel has arguably brought more to the tig-welding alignment table than anyone else. When Stelio Belletti first founded the company in 1973, there weren’t a lot of builders out there experimenting with tig welding and not just with bicycle frames. Belletti was responsible for improving the chassis for the Grand Prix monster machine, the Honda 500 GP as well as a fuselage for the P19 Scricciolo, a small plane and the vehicle of choice for the Aero Club d’Italia. This knowledge spilled over onto the Stelbel name and to this day, the workshop is creating impeccable examples of tig-welded steel. See more of this beaut in the gallery and for more information on the Nina, head to Stelbel!
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PedalED’s apparel is some of the finest on the market, yet unlike a lot of brands, their quality isn’t greatly offset by their consumer price, especially for either being made in Italy or Japan! These new Ultralight baselayers are $89 and come in a variety of sizes. Bring on the summer months with hot rides and yeah, meshed baselayers. Ever try one? Don’t knock it til you do.
You don’t need SPD-compatible shoes to ride your bike. Especially on a tour. While at the Berliner Fahrradschau this weekend, I got to see the new PedalED Mido riding boots in person, complete with a full grain olive leather construction and a Vibram sole. These boots are water resistant, breathable and are made by hand in Italy. I’ve tried on a pair before and they were exceptional. If you’re interested, see more information at PedalED!
As a brand, Brooks has really grown from just making saddles by hand in England. While they continue their British handmade saddle heritage, they’ve also introduced a number of handy bags, for both on and off the bike use. Their latest additions being the Mott Weekender duffel and the Rivington Rucksack. As a part of Brooks’ new Metropolitan collection, these two bags are handmade in Italy and as expected, carry a stout pricetag. Stout, but well worth it in my opinon anyway. See more at Brooks England.
I’ve been a fan of the Cambium line from Brooks since its inception, yet was always hesitant to put one on my carbon Argonaut road bike. Why? I dunno, they never really matched the sleek and minimal aesthetic of my bike. Read that as: they never came in black! Now I don’t really care about weight. I’m not a gram counter, especially when it comes to saddles- even though the C13 weighs 259g – less than any of my other saddles. What I like in a ride is comfort without sacrificing aesthetic or most importantly, functionality. A lot of the über weight weenie saddles look scary or don’t fit my sit bones right. Or they’re just too damn stiff.
On the other side of the coin, Brooks saddles have always felt great. Luckily, the Cambium C13 continues this tradition just with an undated material palette. It’s so sleek that it looks great on a road bike (full driveside photo coming soon with another product review,) which I have to say has been feeling a bit neglected as of late. Yet over the past few weeks, since receiving the C13, I’ve been riding my road bike more and more, just to test the saddle’s durability and feel before I even began to think about writing this review. I was worried the C13 would lose the springiness of the other Cambium saddles when adopting the carbon weave, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it give just the right amount. The only bummer was having to track down oversize rail hardware for my ENVE seatpost.
After what I would consider a lot of road riding for this dirt-minded individual, I’m completely satisfied with the C13. It’s elegant enough for a carbon road bike, fits great, and is made in Italy. The C13 saddle is available for $220 at Brooks Dealers of Excellence worldwide or online at Brooks England.
Any questions? Leave them in the comments and check out more photos below.
When Rapha does something domestically-produced either in London, or Italy you know it’s going to be good. It’s like they save the best products to be made by the best hands. Cycling apparel has been made by the Italians since the dawn of the bicycle and so it should be no surprise that Rapha looked to Italy to manufacture their new Pro Team Shadow kit. It’s designed for racing in inclement weather with high-tech fabrics and a super sleek fit. Check out more information below and see the line at Rapha.
What an incredible race promo video! Wait for it… See more at the Crampi Race III’s Facebook page.
All hail Bongripper.
I like the looks of this!
“Before the start no one had a clear idea of what would happen along those 110 km in the vineyards and hazelnut orchards of the Langhe territory. Many expectations and so many unknowns for the competitors, and everyone who was there.
The story telling of the first Superenduro B-Road was in the hands of the media crew, which moved fast on motorbike following the groups of competitors between asphalt and gravel sections, to document the race and spirit of this event.
Check the video report with the best shots from the race, good memories for someone and a little push for everybody else to don’t miss the second edition!”
