Buy a bike in Italy?

jhynesrockmtn · 03-26-2015, 06:43 PM

I'm travelling to Italy with my riding group in September. I've got a FELT Carbon I bought in 2005 or so that I've never really loved. I tend to ride my older Lemond Zurich more often. I like the idea of buying a bike in Italy for the riding we'll do there and then shipping it home after the trip. Has anyone done this? Any recommendations? I have a guy who wants to buy the FELT which started this whole thought process.

John Rogers · 03-26-2015, 07:33 PM

In 1984 while in the US Navy and on a ship that stopped in Monaco for 4 or 5 days, I rode my old Raleigh road racing bike down to Nice to catch the end of the Paris to Nice bike race. While there I bought one of the brand new Vitus glued together aluminum bike frames and all the bits and pieces to make a bike. The threads were French but I had the bike that only had been written about back in America. Over the next week I used my spare time to assemble it and then went on a ride in Ivory Coast Africa with a French cycling club and it was GREAT!

I brought mine home by ship but there are bicycle boxes that can be used on airplanes I imagine so I'd say do it if for no other reason than the story you can tell someday.........

4495 · 4495's Garage

You're probably better off getting an Italian frame in the US. They've already accounted for the currency fluctuations.

If you are wanting you dream frame and it is titanium look up a kid by the name of Darren Crisp (HE WORKS AND LIVES IN ITALY). Beautiful craftsmanship. He's a Texan and an aggie but otherwise cool. One of our bike tour guides had a Crisp and it was georgeous.

look 171 · 03-26-2015, 08:10 PM

Go see the old man Masi under the Vigollei Velodrome in Milan. I know, I know, not the actual old master but his sin still hand build their bikes there. When I was there, I wanted him to measure me up and have a custom bike build for me, but the shipping and tariff made it not worth the trouble. The wait time was something like 3 weeks. Go up to Monza and see about getting a Casati. They make a fine bicycle. I raced on one for many years.

I got talking with some rep. about custom steel Italian bikes some time ago. He mentioned that most of the hand build Italian frames are shipped to north America. People want carbon there. Tell you the truth, I have ridden and crashed a lot of steel bikes over the years. They sure are the prettiest to look at, but I take a carbon bike any day of the week.