Pegoretti Frames and Complete Bicycles

MARCELO | DUENDE | LOVE #3 | BIG LEG EMMA | RESPONSORIUM| LUIGINO | WILD WOMEN
2010 PEGORETTI CATALOG PDF

We are proud to be able to offer this cult classic. Dario Pegoretti frames are raced (Tom Boonen won the Tour De France green jersey in 2007 on a Marcelo with Specialized logos) and collected by investors who appreciate Dario's artistic talents. If you want to scare your friends on their carbon fiber freakouts, show up on a Pegoretti and take them into fast turns or leave them in a sprint. Steel has advantages. A Pegoretti frame is where those advantages prove themselves.

Dario Pegoretti began as an apprentice to Luigino Milani of Verona where he helped produce frames for legendary road racers like Roche, Battaglin, Chiappucci, Indurain, Tafi, Cipollini, Ghiroto, Fondriest, and many others. Dario worked in the Milani shop until he moved to his own one-room shop near Trento in 1999. Dario was one of the first to use modern tig welding to produce state-of-the-art steel frames. With two assistants Pegoretti fabricates about 600 frames per year - all by hand. Dario's hand-painted finishes turn each Pegoretti frame into an individual work of art.

Pegoretti tops our list of frames, more than worthy of a top notch build by Dreamride owner, Lee Bridgers. Call Lee at Dreamride if you are interested in a Pegoretti frame meticulously built with magic and humor. About custom orders: As of September 2009, Pegoretti custom orders take at least two years. This is due to decreased availability of Columbus steel tubing, increased demand for Pegoretti frames (damn magazines), only two people in the factory to build all the frames, and a long list of custom paint orders. Dario's very popular freeform, one-off Ciavete paint scheme (ask us what that means when you call to order--if you are Italian you are already smiling) is $700. Track frames can be based on Duende, Love #3 or Marcelo platforms.

WHEEL SUBSITUTIONS FACTORY PRE-BUILT WHEELSETS IN CLINCHER OR TUBULAR ARE OFFERED WITH FRAME OR COMPLETE BIKE PURCHASE. The best choice for a Pegoretti is a handbuilt wheelset with Campy Record hubs, but if you are looking for a Pegoretti with a wheelset from Zipp, Mavic, Campagnolo, Shimano, Bontrager, Fulcrum, FSA or Easton, we offer many factory-built options as part of a bike we build, or in addition to a frame-only purchase. Choose ceramic bearings, aero carbon sets, and various spoke configurations. We are especially happy to offer the full line of Zipp wheels, the most advanced high tech wheelsets available. Ask for pricing during your order.

Kits and Grouppos for Pegoretti Frame Builds

Pegoretti Frame Models with Retail Pricing

Love #3 was designed for many pavement uses, built from Scandium matrix Columbus XLR8R tubing. Considered by many to be the best aluminum road bike available, all bits are custom drawn to Dario's specs. The mantra for a Pegoretti lover is: Acceleration from an extremely stiff rear mated to vertically compliant front section. A 54cm Love #3 frame is 2.5 lb with 1 1/8" threadless carbon fiber fork. ~ Pegoretti Love frame & fork: $3400

Marcelo
"The Marcelo is a very special bike. Just inspires so much confidence. I have taken some corners that I would not dare do on any other bike I own. It just speaks to me, "Come on,... we can do this!" And the tubing is almost miraculous, in its ability to be stiff enough to take a stomping up a hill and also mute the road buzz to a massage level. I am SO thankful that you made me get this frame. I would not have known otherwise that it is a very different ride than the Duende." ~ Eric Anderson

"The more I ride it, the more I love it. I'm officially no longer held back by my equipment. I'm going to go ride it right now. This bike really makes me feel that the sky's the limit." ~ Nate Neufeld

CLICK HERE FOR MARCELO SHOP REVIEW.

This is the most popular Pegoretti frame, our top road frame at Dreamride. Marcelo is suitable for a wide range of riders and uses. Constructed from oversized Columbus "Spirit" tubing, the Marcelo is strong, yet vertically compliant, with hand cut stainless steel rear dropouts and custom drawn rear stays. Comes with an Edge fork. Weight is 3.8 lbs in 54cm. ~ Pegoretti Marcelo frame & fork: $3400

Pegoretti Marcelo Dreamride Edition
Dreamride Edition Pegoretti Marcelo bikes feature parts that suit the frame's Italian roots and the needs of a rider who wants light weight, solid performance and outrageous beauty based on careful selection of parts and attention to the smallest color and texture details. Budget is a consideration for most folks, so it is best to state your limits and requests from the onset of the process. Each parts combo selected for Pegoretti frames in particular grows from the specific frame and your riding style. Each build is color-keyed for visual effect. There is no limit to customization of parts to suit the build, so do not expect limits to the beauty you will find when you open the box or come to Moab to pick up your new ride. Each Dreamride Edition Marcelo is personally built by company owner, Lee Bridgers. Most of the Marcelos we sell come with custom paint. The Marcelo is certainly our favorite Pegoretti frame, extremely versatile, allowing us to build it up for recreation or racing.

Duende is a Marcelo front triangle mated to a Palosanto rear triangle, resulting in a very comfortable bike for the long haul. Tubing is "Spirit" cromoly from Columbus. Fork is 1 1/8" Edge carbon. Weight is 3.9 lbs for 54cm. ~ Pegoretti Duende frame & fork: $2875

Now only available as a custom order, "Big Leg Emma" (The name comes from a Frank Zappa tune on the album "Absolutely Free.") is a beefed-up steel frame with huge internally-strutted chainstays for remarkable lateral rigidity, but with surprising vertical compliance for a comfortable ride. This is an effective, efficient pedaling platform for a large or very agressive racer. The horizontal reinforcing struts inside the tubing are added for torque response. The custom tubing is made exclusively for Dario. Fork is an Edge, all carbon. Steerer tube is 1 1/8", frame weight is 4.2 lbs in 54cm. Stock color is orange and yellow with a pea green flair, but since the "Big Leg" is a custom order, take the opportunity to choose personal colors. The bike pictured, built by Lee Bridgers, weighs 17 pounds. ~ Pegoretti Big Leg Emma frame and fork: $4600 Wild Women ~ This is a woman-specific frame of specially drawn and thinned heat treated Columbus Spirit cromoly tubing for supreme comfort and compliance. With 650c wheels this is a frame that caters to a range of needs of female riders, from hardcore racing to century rides. Custom builds only! You can get a Wild Women frame based on any of the frames listed here, so the cromo version is just a jumping point. Design your own special paint scheme for $200 additional. Expect at least 4 months for delivery. Pegoretti Wild Women frame & fork: $CALL Responsorium is built of stainless steel, the most supple Pegoretti frame. No rust. Paint is either the "wild" (Ciavete) or the "wooly" (Catch the Spider). Catch the Spider is stock. Dario insists that no two Ciavete paint jobs be the same. The only real options for Ciavete are a specific base color request or a request for no foul language on the frame. One client was asked what he wanted on the top tube, the client replied, "I don't give a fuck," so when he got the bike "I don't give a fuck" was on the top tube. The story brings tears to my eyes! Catch the Spider is pictured above. Ciavete is pictured to the right and elsewhere on this page. We recommend jumping on the chance to own a Responsorium ASAP because frame runs are limited and mostly reserved before frames are complete. Expect to wait two years, depending on when you place the order. The Columbus XCr stainless tubing is being extruded souly for Pegoretti and runs are short and rare. Fork is Edge full carbon, or you can order a steel custom fork to match the frame for $595. Tubing diameters are identical to the Marcelo except chainstays are 2mm less stout. Butted sections are longer and tubing walls thinner, creating an amazingly comfortable ride for riders under 180 pounds. Sorry, the Responsorium is not for big boys! Place your order now. The sooner you get in line the sooner you will have your bike. ~ Pegoretti Responsorium frame and fork: $4400 with Catch the Spider paint. $5000 with Ciavete paint. Luigino Special Edition frames are beautifully lugged and available by special order only (you must be patient!--two years until delivery). Columbus Nivacrom EL-OS tubing on frame and fork. Handcut investment cast lugs and commemorative double layer fork crown reminiscent of steel frames of the '50s and '60s. The classic two color paint scheme comes in any Pegoretti colors you desire. Lee and Dario see to your perfect custom fit. As always, components must suit the mood and Luigino components must be retro and, as a result, somewhat exotic and hard to find. Since this is a chrome steel frame, prep for this model requires that machine tools used for chasing and facing be replaced or re-sharpened, and careful attention be paid to paint removal in areas where components meet the paint surface. As a result of the added attention this frame must receive to insure its safety during construction, labor costs are triple compared to other Pegoretti frames. Steerer tube is 1" threadless. Frame weight is 4.5 lbs for a 54cm. This is the frame that got us interested in Pegoretti from the start, a classic that will increase in value over the years. It is the future of the past. ~ Pegoretti Luigino SE-5 frameset: $3350

Custom Track frames can be fabricated based on the Duende, Love #3 or Marcelo tubesets (same pricing). Forks can be double plate or box crown. At the top of the page on the right in the sidebar Dario is pictured with one of his track frames. Since track frames are custom orders many paint schemes are available from simple, elegant classic to wild "Ciavete" (Italian for "fuck off") freeform freehand.

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The art critic explains himself.

Have we forgotten that a bicycle is a miracle? When engineers and MBA's work to make a product presentable and marketable, they build for a mentality. They build something visually and psychologically threatening with any number of modern processes that tend to eliminate the hand of the artist. Small builders still exist, but success in America means GROWTH, selling out, and by those rules art is not worthy of consideration. Some small builders rebel with flourishes of humor and audacity, but most come off as adolescent, silly or pretentious. As a former educator, I understand this is due to poor quality education in fine art. Who would blame them for not having a clue? This is America, where those with a gene that requires them to challenge every perception and accepted idea die horrible deaths alone in dirty places. Meanwhile, the greed mongers and art phonies serve up denial of humanity to greedy vacancies in suits, ties, white teeth and hairspray. I have watched close friends die for art--from alcohol, drugs, dangerous encounters and irresponsible acts of futility and/or courage--but mostly from the poverty accepted as part of the struggle. As an artist, it is hard to hit that high note consistently, but a dedicated soul will work for years on end and sacrifice anything and everything required with only the hope of brief, unrewarded success. Paul Sharits and Chris McLaine both made groundbreaking films in the mid 20th century, films that change the world for those who see them. Paul died of medical complications years after being shot in the abdomen during a drunken argument. Chris died in a mental institution after the meth he used to help create his art destroyed his mind and body. These guys did not care about money, success or even the adoration of fine art intellectuals. Jack Smith, who made the film "Flaming Creatures" that broke down the barriers of censorhip in the early 70's, heard there was a disease called AIDS, and said, "That sounds like something I have to get." He died of AIDS. These fellows didn't make a living from art, they sacrificed for it and left us fine art documents that are the 20th century equivalent to the Mona Lisa. Let me say, before I proceed, that no bicycle builder (not even Dario Pegoretti), holds a candle to these guys. Even the best bicycle frame builder is just making a living, never seeing his work as a living document of a moment, the death of a day, or the rememberance of a feeling that exists simply for itself? Dario Pegoretti is somewhat of a unique exception. When his work evolved into transmitting the pain and fear of cancer, people began to squirm. When he produced a bike with barbed wire paint and called it the "Guantanamo," people cringed (I cheered!). Always from the heart and hand of a very talented painter and graphic artist, Dario's bicycle frames, among the most desirable machines on Earth, flowered into "fine art for art's sake" as he demonstrated a brutal dedication to his work by continuing to build and paint as he endured an ordeal, and faced, even if it is postponed, his death. Remember, Dario is Italian. Unlike America, his culture is swamped and saturated by centuries of art and human history. Most Americans don't even know they are going to die. I often think of these poor beings, unaware of the predator on their heels, plodding on, missing opportunities for learning in favor of opportunities to advance to a point where they can afford a Mercedes. Dario Pegoretti's recent work is a Sundance. His canvases are most likely the best steel bicycle frames ever produced, but the whole package is the swan song of a true artist, a loving reminder that we haven't taken him seriously enough. Art is a general term used to describe objects that are curated, collected for aesthetic value, as an investment. Art hangs on walls. "Fine Art," as it came to be defined during the late 20th century, is incapable of being "curated"--only experienced. Fine Art is strictly personal. My own work is "shown" in college classes or University cinemateques or at rare shows in theaters or galleries. Some of it has been performed in nature. Performance and installation are present day rebellions within the art community to insist that money not be a part of our spiritual journey. But there is always the possibility that someone like Dario Pegoretti comes along and shows us a new wrinkle. He follows his own passion, his heart. And, he just happens to have an abundance of Godgiven talent. Though there are defining movements, fine art remains that which is done for its own sake, by one person, with no consideration for reward, no attention to "outside" and artificial concepts of beauty, and definitely not done to advance on a social scale. Dario Pegoretti, through selfless giving, by including his life, loves, passion and suffering within and UNDER his amazing graphic designs and freeform painting, has produced kinetic fine art that is entirely practical! The fact that these "works" can be ridden and are roundly considered the best examples of their kind--this is the foundation of my understanding of Dario's frames as true fine art. Think of it--the rare moment where a welder and graphic artist of Dario's stature produces highly praised and internationally utilized kinetic sculpture that evokes emotions and juices-up human-powered transportation to make people want to ride a bike, to feel and think of his hand on the steel. When Dario says he hopes his bikes are ridden and not hung on a wall, it reaffirms my understanding that his work is indeed fine art. I understand because I have one, and I scratch it up because I just cannot resist riding it. ~ Lee Bridgers, Dreamride owner and soul mechanic