Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Biascagne Cicli Umberto Dei

Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei

Biascagne Cicli is a partnership dedicated to the restoration and art of the bicycle, located in Treviso, a city in the north of Italy. Treviso also happens to be the home of Pinarello, so it seems the passion they share for bicycles is a bit of a local specialty. This is the latest build to come from the hands of Biascagne Cicli, a sympathetically restored yet completely ridable frame by Umberto Dei, a name that should be familiar to enthusiasts of classic Italian lightweight bicycles.

Umberto Dei was a track racer who began building frames around 1896, initially for himself, and gradually for friends and other racers. It appears he was a true Italian gentleman, likening the fork crown to a neck tie as a sign of elegance and distinction. This frame dates from the 1930s and has been liveried with the ‘tricolore’ of the Italian national colors in the style of bikes competing in the Spring Classic races. It’s interesting to note that originally this frame was specified with a flip-flop hub but would have been raced in a fixed gear, so Biascagne Cicli have retained that configuration. The advertisement for this model, the ‘Milan–San Remo’, features the portrait of one Felice Gremo, a Dei team rider, who can also be seen racing the 1931 edition of the Tour de France, potentially on a model not unlike this one. The Campagnolo Gran Sport gruppo is a perfect complement.

There’s more details on the Biascagne Cicli blog (if you read Italian–there’s a loose translation here). They will gladly build you a similarly styled machine, that’s what they do. But be prepared to wait for as long as it takes… quality can’t be hurried.

Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei
Biscagne Cicli Umberto Dei