Geometry

Custom fitting begins with the frame. This is the soul of the bike, its properties determine the responsiveness of the ride - how it corners, how it climbs, and how it descends. This is the core around which all other components are assembled, and choosing the right frame is the fist step in building a great bicycle.

Its geometry is surprisingly complex, but essentially begins with two simple sizes: the top tube and seat tube. The ratio of these two is a function of the length of the inseam over total body length, but there are also more fluid variables involved such as flexibility and preferred position. What this means is that as you progress through the sport, your fit on the bicycle responds dynamically and you will likely change your position by minor increments over time. The object of a custom frame is to set the optimum balance based on your body structure, your current riding level and your future goals so that you can make those adjustments in position without compromising the ride quality of the bike.

All too often compromises are made before the bicycle is even out the door, as the great majority of frames today are produced in only a handful of stock sizes. While this approach to manufacturing supports continued growth and access to our sport, it is not always the best solution for the one ultimately riding the bike. These manufacturers favor simplicity of production over the complex task of meeting the specific needs of a wide range of individuals, and as a result many of their customers are forced to compromise their fit (commonly referred to as "fitting the rider to the bike").

We have built our business by respecting those differences that exist between cyclists and then constructing a product tuned and balanced specifically to each individual's requirements. Over many decades we have developed more than a dozen stock sizes within each model (immidiately fitting a wider pool of riders) but the majority of our business is still custom frames. This is the cornerstone of our business - not an extra feature - and so we provide it free of charge. The only cost to you is the additional patience required while we hand-build and hand-paint your order in Italy and then ship it to you or your local bike shop, a schedule which we work hard to complete within 60 days.

We are happy to work with you or your trusted local shop owner to make sure that your measurements are correct, or if you are already an experienced cyclist and know exactly what you want, build directly to order. For our own reference, please begin by completing this simple self-measurement form, which we will use to initiate your order process.

Materials

The best recipe is nothing without the finest ingredients. This is true for all things.

Over the years we have experimented with a great variety of tubes and tubing manufacturers, but today we build exclusively from full Dedacciai tubesets. We have found the quality guaranteed by Dedacciai consistently surpasses that of the competition, and we are proud to use only the very best materials available when building our frames.

EOM 16.5 Steel is a low-alloy steel characterized by the presence of Boron (C.Cr.Mo.Va.Mn.Bo). The tubes are drawn, triple butted and heat treated to a tensile strength of 1650 N/mm² and a yield strength of 10%. The finished product is a steel that is up to 20% lighter and stronger than its contemporary alloys. These are in our estimation the very best steel tubes available in the industry, and we reserve their use for only our top level steel production.

SAT 14.5 Steel is triple butted with variable thickness, a blend of Chrome (Cr), Molybdenum (Mo), Vanadium (Va) and Manganese (Mn). The material undergoes a purification treatment resulting in a tensile strength of 1450 N/mm² and a yield strength of 10%. The result is a steel that balances the traditional comfort of the material with the superior rigidity made possible by modern chemistry.

Colours

Currently we produce in over 200 indexed colours of the RAL CLASSIC colour space system (glossy and metallics). While we can simulate the appearance of each tint online, the conversion to RGB values for Internet browsers is only aproximate, and most computer monitors are not calibrated to render them acurately. This means that the colours you see on this site are only representative of the rich tints and hues of the final product.

What we can do is show you examples of some of our favourites. If you would like to order a colour book, we have them available for $29.50 CAD which will later be applied to your frame order. The palate below uses sRGB equivalent formulas and is for reference purposes only. For the most accurate colour matching we highly recommend the use of a colour book.