Of Steel - trailer from RAPHA on Vimeo.
Ah, steel bike frames. Italian steel bike frames. The history, the heritage, hand made, old school - however you wish to label it. There's something there, perceived or not, that still oozes bike culture, even in the Land of Carbon-O-Plenty.
Torches, flame, sparks and files in the process of construction. I don't care how trick and feather light carbon frames are, and for how well they ride - popping 'em out of a mold, or gluing patches of high tech cloth together - it just ain't as romantic as the craftsman hand welding a steel frame. Especially welded by an Italian dude. Face it kids, that's a fact.
Film above features Dario Pegoretti and crew talking about steel, assembled with love in Italy. Pegoretti frames are ridable works of art. Is there a little hype and schtick involved? Of course, call me a sucker for falling for it, but there's still something to bikes from Italy - and I don't mean a Bianchi with a "Made in Taiwan" sticker hidden under the bottom bracket. The frame, the soul of it all, must be fully constructed and painted in Italy to qualify. Capiche?
Dario and crew curse in the film - Italian cursing - how cool is that? I'd like to learn Italian just to curse at erratic motorists. That would be worth the trouble of learning a second language right there. Yes, the wonders of Italy never cease.
I may order a pizza for dinner...