A big thank you to
pezcyclingnews.com for permission to use this report from Interbike.
Sarto frames are made in the Veneto region.
2012 Interbike Las Vegas: Round Two
by Charles Manantan
For a couple of years now, I’ve mentioned Italy’s Sarto Cycles as one of the brands that North America have seen a lot of without knowing what they’re seeing.
This year’s Vuelta had a Sarto bike under a very prominent GC rider, though you wouldn’t have noted the brand nearly as prominently as what was displayed in Las Vegas…
Part of the reason Sarto manage to supply custom bikes for teams sponsored by large, non-custom carbon manufacturers is down to their ability to spec not only geometry, but to actually produce tubes to specification. And that specification includes not only wall thickness and stiffness, but the bigger difference in being able to play with shape. It’s that shape shifting ability that allows them to produce custom versions of bikes that usually have special shapes that typically come from molds.
And it’s that depth of capacity that allows them to produce bikes that look quite like the more reserved custom carbon you’re used to seeing…
As well as custom carbon in shapes you’re not so used to seeing…
One of the challenges they’ll have as a company is in deciding which tubes to offer through select retailers for North America, as it’s simply impossible to effectively sort through the hundred plus shapes they can provide. Their dealers can literally specify every section of the bike.
If we’re being honest, there are simply too many choices to expect fickle customers to sort through and after all, some of that time also needs to go to parts selection befitting custom Italian work…
A spy shot of a couple of things rolling around at the factory revealed that Sarto are not satisfied with just tube shapes and bikes but are developing a few other new things as well…
The picture above is a zoom in of leaked picture of what was supposed to be a notable frame, but what stands out is that a clever man inside is working on options to smooth out the road by designing different suspension rails. (word is that this is the hand work of someone whose name rhymes with “Antonio”). New developments make sense as Sarto are in process of a factory upgrade that will have them adding equipment more frequently associated with F-1 teams than bike builders, so we’re staying tuned here.
You can see more at
SartoCycles.com
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