Ciao
I'm Dario and my friend Riccardo asked me to be here. Ask me anything.
D
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Ciao
I'm Dario and my friend Riccardo asked me to be here. Ask me anything.
D
Wow, This is pretty cool. Welcome to Smoked Out, Dario.
Could you tell us the story of how you got started in framebuilding?
Hello Dario,
I wanted to say good-bye in english (with the help of Uncle "Bing Translator").
A greeting to all your friends and fans of Dario bike around the world.
I am presenting to the group, my name is Roberto, i live in Verona, the city of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Arena", I think Dario is a fantastic framebuilder and also a special person.
I forgot: I have a Marcelo and a Big Leg Emma (I love this frame) and ... is not yet finished here.
Dario,
Benvenuto
One of the few things that are on my very short list of things to do before I die is to get good and drunk with a famous Italian bicycle builder.
Would you be so kind?
-Josh
Welcome Mr Dario and big up to e-RICCARDO for smoking you out.
All the best
Paul
Hello to everybody! My name is Nicola and i Live in Rome. I own two bikes made by Dario, which i've already presented in the v salon gallery, a Responsorium and a Luigino.....no need to say i love both of them! Let me say a great thank you to Richard for his wonderful Idea to invite Dario to show the world what a fortune is for us italian to have a man like him with us!
note - i wrote these words (below) in 2005 and am pasting them in their entirety here atmo -
=====
atmo dario is one of the few originals, despite the fact that - as has been noted - we're all the sum of our experiences. in the bicycle industry, going back at least to the early 70s, dario is a one-hander; the number of folks that have made the impact on the trade that dario has can be counted on one hand. atmo, dario has earned his stripes.
here's a text i emailed dario last year in the midst of the tubing project we were collaborating on. note: i had met dario several years prior when he came to visit chester. whoa. so, there already was some history between us before the project began. but in the middle of it i pinched myself because i realized that i was working with an icon. i wrote this:
hey dario-issimo...
i just wanted to add a note of thanks to all these emails,
and the phone calls too. the thought of us being "pals"
fills me with good feelings.
i first heard your name in the early 90s. i believe it was
either from storino or tim maloney (maloney is an old, old
pal of mine from new jersey). regardless, whoever of the
two mentioned your name informed me that in italy, which
was then still the bastion of all great framebuillding ideas,
this man "dario" was the next in line to all the famous tailors
who made the great bicycles through the eras.
since i consider myself an armchair student of these "great
men", i watched throught the decade and into this century
as you have proven true what my pal (which one, i forget!)
predicted would happen.
i watched all the frames that georgio imported, first as giordanas,
and later as pegorettis, and knew that mister dario truly is the
best of all builders. i often wish i had other skills and more of
a curiousity about what is there in addition to steel. i believe
it takes a craftsman with no self-imposed bounderies to really
know what the limits are. i have stayed safely within the cocoon
of steel, and you have tried and succeeded with so many other
material combinations.
as you know from some of our exchanges and the posts i make
online, i am not too impressed from within our industry; i haven't
had much inspiration comefrom bicycles since the 70s, despite
still trying to forge ahead. but you, dario, are one of the true
geniuses of the craft, and i admire you like you cannot believe.
it is my pleasure to call you a friend, and an honor to be making
some of these decisions with you regarding the future of quality
steel tubing.
i want to thank you for all your dedication, for being the one
at the vanguard, and for being the leader of an industry that
should always have italian roots. the bicycle is a beautiful
object, and often the americans can complicate its beauty.
it's because of geniuses like you that the beauty remains.
as we say here, "you are the man!"
ciao, bro'.
e-RICHIEŠŽ
i s'pose my only point in posting this is to support any notions that dario's body of work stands on its own, despite the jazz, and the clapton, and the basquiet, and all the other influences some of you see in it. he has taken all of his racing, and his art, and his life experiences, and created something from scratch. that should be respected atmo.
Ciao Eric,
Thanks for your question, I have started accidentally, when I finished the high school in Trento I chose to continue with a school that was in Verona.
The real reason was not the school but in Verona lived a beautiful girl that I liked a lot, I race as an amateur and the father of this girl, who was Gino Milani , was coach of an amateur team. Milani asked me if I wanted to race for this team and I said yes. I had no interest in the framebuilding but I had little interest in the money because I was always without money. Milani, one day asked me if I wanted to work in the workshop to help a bit and I said yes.
After a year I was completely involved in the workshop.
After two years I have stopped to' race .
After three years I stopped going to school
But I still buid frames .
D
The real reason was not the school but in Verona lived a beautiful girl that I liked a lot
OK Dario
Tell us about the beautiful girl:amuse:
Franco
ciao dario,
this is james.
i hope you're well and happy.
today i rode my marcelo that you painted in the pink elvis motif. i just wanted to thank you for building such a wonderful bike. every time i ride it, it makes me very happy.
i hope someday that maurya and i can return to italy and see you again.
we often talk about how much we enjoyed spending time with you.
take care, my friend,
james
I don't have anything pertinent to add/ask but would just like to say that despite all the years you have spent making steel frames, yours are always the freshest and most modern of designs.
I want a Pegoretti in my life.
Honestly I must confess that the first time I read Riccardo words I was surprised, excited and happy. I think it is one of the most beautiful articles written about my work and my person. I was surprised because it came from the United States and by a colleague.
I think it would be impossible in Italy .
Thanks Riccardo
D
With your permission I'd like to ask some harder questions.
Do great race bikes also make great training bikes?
Dario, just let me be another person to say: I love you work!
Obviously a lot of people know you for your beautiful artwork, the use of typography, etc. Do you ever feel frustrated a lot of people don't know about your technical innovations?
Can you tell us a little bit about your work with Columbus?
I read somewhere you like southwestern food, so if you ever make it out here breakfast burritos, wine and other great food is on me!
When did you start using really large tubes?
Did your work with professional cyclists bring this about?
Do you prefer steel or aluminum for high-performance bicycles?
I'm watching this with great fascination. Here is a pic of myself the the "Simple Blacksmith" at NAHBS this year. What fun!
whata saturday ride --- next to you in steel with a steel cx richie ... now that was a "soul" ride..
thank you,
ronnie
Dario
Mingus or Monk?
Dario, what's your take on a properly fitted bike? Steve Hampsten, for example, fits a bike around the stem. From the Hampsten website:
A properly fitted bicycle is centered on the stem, which we think of in terms of sizes: small (100-105mm, for frames in the 50-54cm range), medium (110-120mm, for 54.5-57cm range), and large (120-130mm, for 57.5cm and up range). A bicycle built around the proper stem length giving correct reach will have optimal weight distribution and handling characteristics. We believe that the cure for a poorly fitting bicycle is not a longer/shorter stem but rather a well-built frame using the correct length stem.
I ask because while I love my 54 Responsorium (with a 110mm stem), I'm pretty sure I could also fit a 52 or 53 mated to a longer stem. I would still have the same saddle setback, saddle-to-bar reach and drop. Weight distribution and handling would probably differ slightly though. So, yeah, with clients who can fit more than one frame size comfortably, how do you decide which size is optimal?
Thanks!
That design philosophy makes me think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hTteyEKWNo
Mr. Pegoretti,
I absolutely love the painting on your frames. Do you ever just paint on canvas or paper to make "art" for the sake of making art? How did your paint-jobs become so painterly?
Warm regards,
Shinomaster
Hi Dario,
Just want to say thank you for enriching my life through your creation.
Best,
John
Hi Dario,
I think you were one of the first to start using TIG. How did it come about?
Today you still braze some frames and solder most of them, what technique do you prefer?
Thanks and great work!
Ciao
Thanks for your words, no I do not feel frustrated, I guess if the paintscheme or color can be used to draw attention to a work that is different from the mass production is a good thing.
I understand that at first glance the color may be predominant but normally ,after a little time , attention moves on the technical aspect.
I started working with columbus in 2004, the main reason was because I found people willing to follow new ways and new ideas, in my opinion is still the company closer to the world of framebuilding,
It is true I love southwest, if I had to choose a place to live, santa fč is at the top of the list, and I adore the Tex-Mex cuisine, I hope one day we will have the opportunity of a breackfast burrito.
ciao
d
Dario, why isnt weight important to you? Logically isnt it faster to ride/race the lightest bike you can? What advantages does a Pegoretti frame have over a good stiff carbon frame weighing 40-50% less?
Unfortunately I've never met Dario and probably never will, I admire most of all his modesty in spite of his precocious talents.
Lee
I guess I will ask the obvious question, since I have heard answers from others but not from you, and then a few of my own:
1) Dropped top tube: why, and how did you get to that choice?
2) In terms of ride quality alone, is there anything left to achieve in your chosen materials that you feel you have not yet achieved?
3) Which of your frames would you advise for a fit and light but not incredibly powerful club rider who prizes comfort and smoothness above all over 50 mile rides in rolling hills?
4) Do you feel there is a paint scheme in you that will be more satisfying than what you have done before but you have not quite found it yet?
Thank you for contributing to this forum.
Ciao
I have started to use large tubes around 1991, I met one of the most unknown person in the bike business, Mr. Isidoro Rezze ,maybe someone remembers his son that was a good pro in France and Italy, Dante Rezze.
Isidoro Rezze was the owner at Excell tubes, he opened to me a new vision because he had the opportunity to provide tubes with diameters and thicknesses in a wide range .
The quality of the material used was excellent and the delivery very fast , my opinion is that Isidoro Rezze has been a great precursor.
I remember well the first Marcelo, it was born at the end of 1992, in its essence was the same of what I do now, and I must also say that when the frame come out from the jig I disliked it , the frame disturbed me for how much was different from what I had done until then.
in the early 90 many frames were built for the pro with 35 down and 31.7 top and seat .
I prefer steel, but only because it is the material that I know better, I believe we can build good frames with other materials, the result depends on the choices of the builder , material is only a part of the project.
Dario, I'll explain in more detail. Suppose an rider were to purchase an race bicycle similar to any we currently see raced in Le Tour. Will that bicycle also be a good choice for training, putting in the 1000's of Kilometers necessary to prepare for racing or hard events? My personal opinion is that there is generally no difference, good race bikes are also perfect for training or getting groceries. I will admit I've considered using a bicycle with a slightly shorter top tube for heavy training. Set me straight!!!
Second, I have been a professional coach and bicycle fitter for yrs. In all the years of doing this I've never found a reason to adjust anyone's bars higher than their saddle. Can you comment as to why level bar/saddle or an appropriate amount of bar drop is the correct prescription and when is it not correct?
Thank You
dario,
i love riding my responsorium. it's comfortable and fast and i love how it looks.
would i also enjoy a BLE or a love #3 or do you think most riders are best suited for one particular model of bike?
thank you,
marc
Dario, many thanks for the fixed frame you did for me through Kyle last year, a Duende in Ayers Rock. It's beautiful.