1982 Marinoni Special

In the early 1980s, I was working for The Ski Rack in downtown Burlington, Vermont. After a year, I was promoted to the position of Bicycle Buyer and given the responsibility of planning and ordering the bicycles and components for resale. I learned of a bicycle frame builder in Canada named Guiseppe Marinoni who had been a professional racer in Italy, had apprenticed with (I believe) Ugo DeRosa and had moved to Canada where he set up his own frame building and component distribution operation. Marinoni has always done very nice work, in the tradition of the Italian frame builders. His bicycles are exceptional values, as the currency exchange has remained favorable and Marinoni has always priced his frames low to allow them to be affordable to racers. It's a family operation that keeps the overhead low.

With the manufacturing so close to the US and the excellent pricing, it is surprising to me that Marinonis are not more popular in the the States. It may be due to a lack of marketing, or maybe people think that bikes priced higher must be better. I know that some connoisseurs have criticized Marinoni for not being more innovative, for sticking to the tried and true racing designs of the time. I believe these people are missing Marinoni's stated goals of providing quality bikes at prices affordable to racers. Guiseppe, himself, still races. In fact, he has set the record for his age category for the Mt. Washington Hill Climb and still actively races. His bikes today are built using some of the most advanced technologies available.

You can find out more about Marinoni's bikes at http://www.marinoni.qc.ca. Unlike most of the big European names in bicycles, Marinoni still makes his own frames. having invested in the equipment necessary to produce today's hi-tech welded frames. With so many expensive bikes being identified by different decals plastered on the same Taiwan frames, it is refreshing to be able to get a top-quality frame from the actual builder.

My Marinoni was ordered as a custom from the builder on one of my regular trips to his shop when we were importing them in the '80s. One of the features that identifies its uniqueness is that my name (in French) is engraved on one seatstay cap, while my wife's is engraved in the other. I have ridden the bike a great deal and it has been repainted three times now. Some of the photos show the beautiful metal flake in the paint. I originally built the bike up with the components I kept from my Masi, but over the years almost everything but the brake calipers and shift levers has been replaced. It is most definitely the nicest riding and best fitting bicycle I have ever ridden and is, by far, my favorite ride.

If you would like a Marinoni of your own, contact Gene Bell at Richmond Bicycle repair, 802.434.4876; Dave Porter at Winooski Bicycle Shop, 802.655.3233; or the US importer, Glenn Deruchie, 802.483.6743. Marinoni's website has links to other dealers in Canada and the US. Marinoni is the only frame builder I know of who includes an online classified section for people who want to sell or buy their used bikes. It's just another one of those things he does to support the racing community.