Crank It Cycles

Customer Franco Dal Din has ticked off another one on his bucket list!

As he luxuriated in the beauty and style of the 2010 bikes, Franco met the founder Giovanni Pinarello on his daily visit to his cycle factory. In 1947, after winning 60 plus amateur titles, Giovanni became a pro cyclist until 1953, retiring with 5 wins to his name. For Franco, meeting Giovanni was an added bonus to just being there.

The making of the Pinarello marque began in Catena di Villorba, towards the end of the 1940's. At the age of fifteen, Giovanni Pinarello, began making bicycles at the factory of Paglianti. He continued making bicycles throughout his cycling career. In 1952 Giovanni Pinarello took up the opportunity to become an integral part of the beginning of manufacturing bicycles in Treviso. He had to give up his first love and passion, bicycle racing and the opportunity to cycle in the Giro d'Italia accepting his sponsors money he opened the first and most renowned bicycle store in Treviso.

The new Pinarello Dogma 60.1

As a young boy Franco moved with his family from the north east of Italy to New Zealand. He has always had a love for things Italian, especially cycling and fast cars. Franco cycled for many years and encouraged his children to cycle with both his sons doing well as schoolboys on the track and road. Having been thwarted on two previous visits to Italy, Franco finally last month got to Treviso and found the Pinarello factory open. He got to see the prototypes of cycles with innovative technology, many of them had not yet been released to market.

With the onset of winter and mud, a trend overseas, which is also taking hold in NZ, is to ride single speed. Anzac weekend saw the 2^nd NZ Single Speed Champs in Rotorua. Continuing on from the inaugural Champs last year, the event was a lot of fun, with a social atmosphere reminiscent of early Mt Bike racing in NZ and tactics to prevent anyone from taking it all too seriously. There are photos and results at http://www.nzsinglespeeds.com. If that is not enough incentive to consider trying single speeding, read on.

Single speed bikes offer simplicity and low maintenance, which go a long way towards keeping winter riding costs down and saving your prized bike for when the trails are easier on all those higher maintenance items like chains and gears. Why wear out suspension pivots on muddy but less technically demanding winter rides?

Single Speed riding might at first seem like a pastime for masochists. It is however a quiet and relaxing experience. There is no chain slap. In a world full of stress and decisions it is relaxing to just get on the bike and ride. There are some advantages which translate to the saner world of geared riding. It reinforces the following good riding habits:

• Smooth spinning of the cranks
• Conserving momentum through rolling terrain
• Attacking short rises instead of slowing down and changing down gears
• Choosing good lines