Soft spot

For Ciöcc.

Racing pedigree, heavily pantographed components, and all the hidden details you'd expect to find on a tailored suit. What is not to love.

My first road bike was a Concorde (Ciöcc), and my first racing track bike was a Concorde. From there began a deep love of Giovanni Pelizzoli's exports whichever marque they fell under. Ciöcc (Pron: Chu-uch), Concorde, and Conti.

To give you an idea of the extent of my addicition, here's a smatter of steel frames from Giovanni for FYXO past.

Turbo's Ciocc with Super Record.

You might recognise it more from when it was rolling.

Ciocc Fixed Wheel Commuter. Du rar chee 7400

Lou's Concorde Colombo with 9s Campagnolo Chorus

Jade's 'Barbie' Pink SLX, with internal gear cable routing through the chainstay. Squisito!

PDM Track

PDM Road

Still my favourite, I was taken out, crashed and burned (skin) on this one in my Austral heat in front of all my mates. Predominantly Campagnolo C Record.

This Paganini is perhaps a controversial Ciöcc as Giovanni doesn't recall making them but the bottom bracket shell had his signature design in it. Perhaps a local shop 'rebranded' them. This machine rode like nothing else and if it was 1cm bigger I'd still have it. Sloping top tube, clearance for only 20mm tures - The BEST Columbus Max bike I've ever had.

A happy customer's complete Aquila with 8s Chorus.

Another happy customer's complete Conti with Super Record.

And I could keep going...but you get the idea.

When I announced my plans to take a break and visit Italy I got an electronic mail from Ciöcc inviting me to visit. We made a deliberate detour to Bergamo.

If you've been to Italy or any foreign country (including America) finding a place in the suburbs even with the assistance of a GPS can be a task in itself. We spent an hour driving around an area looking for 'Ciocc'. Just as we were about to give up I spotted a sign with their logo on a building 1km in the distance. Gold!

We entered a factory and I asked for Mr 'Ciocc'. The shop was full of modern Ciocc's and the friendly store manager filled me in. The Ciocc name was bought and is now a mass produced offshore offering with the exception of it's highest end carbon frame. Eventually he twigged and asked 'Are you looking for Pelizzoli?''

Si! Yes! Fortunately Cicli Pelizzoli was a mere stone's throw in an inudstrial nook that we'd driven past 5 times in the past hour.

We arrived at lunch, and were told to come back in a few hours.

Coming Full Circle

Cicli Pelizzoli is a velo-lurkers labyrinth. Every turn of the eye invites more curiosity. Posters, panto'd parts, boxes of tubes, lugs, frames, fork, jigs, lathes. A man cave of epic proportions.

Everything is done in-house and it's a family affair.

You don't have to understand Italian to get a sense for Giovanni's passion if you meet him. When he speaks of frame geometry it's with a lifetimes understanding of how a bike moves under load, and the proof is a long list of wins spanning multiple generations of professionals.

Take a wander through the images, which include pantographed components of days gone by, Axel Merckx's MAX Coppi which is being restored, The Boss' own BB shell, the colourful paint booth, and the craftsmen at work. The factory floor is a carpet of old metal shavings and dust that tells you a lot of frames were born here, a lot of them that made their way through my own hands.

Grazie Giovanni!