Not every machine at Eurobike 2012 fitted the ‘carbon monocoque, tapered headtube, BB30, skinny seat stays’ template of the modern racing bike.
For connoisseurs of steel machines, there was little to see, but the few of their stately ilk displayed were of the finest quality.
A Colnago Master hand painted in Florence in the company’s Arte Décor paint scheme was one steel delight of which we have brought you news already, but far from the only of its type exhibited. Here’s a selection.
When Chris King isn’t making beautiful hubs and headsets, he’s making beautiful steel bicycles, sold as Cielo. The pure white Sportif Racer caught our attention, covered here in Campagnolo Super Record, and rolling, appropriately enough, on Enve carbon rims laced to the man’s own hubs.
The Cinelli Supercorsa, fashioned from a Columbus Niobium tubeset, is a flawless replica of the machines that graced the peloton in the 1980s, right down to the classic 1A quill stem and the sizable drop in the handlebars. The chromed lugs, fork crown, and rear triangle gleamed beneath the lights of the Eurobike messe, and the polished Campagnolo Athena groupset seemed a considered choice. The American contributions, polished Chris King hubs (him again), and a Thompson Master Piece seatpost, did not appear out of place.
Tommasini’s exquisite Tecno exhibited few nods to the past; the Columbus Memo Nivacrom steel frameset and polished Athena groupset are retro in style only. LOOK Keo Plus pedals, a Deda Zero 1 stem clamped to the fork steerer, and a 1500 gram Marchisio SX100 wheelset were all modern selections that provided further justification for the name.
