Grupetto Italia

by Simon · 08/02/2013

News

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Grupetto Italia

February 2013

Grupetto bikes are a small company based in West London that produce a range of Italian manufactured frames with some interesting custom options and discounts for clubs.

The brainchild of the cycling obsessed O’Brien brothers, Grupetto are hoping to bring Italian craftsmanship and flair to a wider audience. They use small workshops in Northern Italy that have produced frames for some of cycling’s greats over the last 40 years, usually re-badged with another brand’s name, and even now are still being ridden in the pro peloton.

The Grupetto range consists of two carbon frames, the Mottarone SL and the Mergozzo CL, and a beautiful retro steel frame, the CS Maggiore. Grupetto want to bring back the joy and excitement of ordering a handmade bike that has been put together by people who share your passion about cycling; from the first discussions, bike fit, colour choice, to the first ride.

Part of the service offered is a custom paint job. Any colour can be applied within a fixed set of templates, to offer you a one off look. This could be your club colours or just the colours you love, and Grupetto also offer generous discounts if a club or group order more that one frame at a time allowing you psych out the opposition with matching frames.

The Mottarone SL is the top of the range frame, it’s a monocoque constructed from 3K carbon fibre, with nanotechnology additives added to the resins, reducing the frames overall weight and improving stiffness. The Mottarone SL uses internal cable routing and comes with either ISP or standard seatpost. Weight for a medium frame is 985g and will set you back £1,920.

Mottarone SL

Then there’s the Mergozzo CL aimed at those looking for a more comfortable ride on long rides, though still stiff enough to race. The Mergozzo CL is also available in smaller sizes making it ideal for women or junior riders. Weight is 1050g, again for a medium, and complete bikes start from £1,550.

Grupetto Mergozzo CL

If you yearn for the days of old, when real men in woolen jerseys battled over roads that were barely more than dirt tracks, when bikes were covered in acres of chrome and lugwork that wouldn’t look out of place in a Gothic cathedral, and the material of choice was of course steel, you can’t beat the offerings from Italian giant Colombus and Grupetto’s CS Maggiore.

The CS Maggiore is a cycling classic, combining race proven geometry and beautiful Italian artisan build quality to produce an eye catching bike that is ‘equally at home riding a Tuscan Gran Fondo as it is flying round a city centre’. A bold claim and one that we would love to try out. The Maggiore is undoubtably a looker. Complete bikes start at £1,350

The modern retro CS Maggiore.

As well as producing their own brand of Italian loveliness for adults, Grupetto are keen to make sure the kids are alright. They have a range of aluminium tubed 22″, 24″ and 26″ wheeled bikes. Components and geometry are child friendly and Grupetto even offer a “buy-back” option to help ease the cost of keeping up with your children’s growing demands! With the amount of youngsters getting into cycling and in search of good quality kit, this is a clever move.