Cyclocross is kicking into a big gear this season, as images pour in from around the globe of new teams, new bikes and a massive resurgence of interest in the sport. With good reason too: what other activity allows you to get down and dirty in a professional environment, apart from mud wrestling?
Here come the Italians — a country that has long been enamoured with ‘cross — with a fresh builder called Zino Frames who already has an intriguing portfolio of fun and functional frames under his arm. The local amateur circuit has a new contender.
This isn’t the first or the last that we’ll see of Zino. The first of his seen on these pages were of another CX bike, but since then he’s created some BMX, 29er MTB, cargo and commuter bikes… and doesn’t look to be slowing up anytime yet.
The latest cyclocross frame is disc-specific and, as well as being a race machine, is also set up to accommodate racks and bags for touring, making it both versatile and a speedy mud machine. Indeed, its maiden voyage was a massive ride down to Apulia, in southern Italy.
The Columbus Zona frame is finished with a build kit that consists of a Columbus Mud Disk fork, 3T bars, Thomson stem and post, Chris King headset and a SRAM Force drivetrain. The Gulf Oil colors is a timeless palette, offset with graphics designed by local illustrator and friend, Cento Canesio.
Special thanks to Francesco at 10Cento.
