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EICMA show -
Milan, Italy, September 15-18, 2006
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Part 5 - September 15-18:
Casati: For those with holes in their pockets
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By Anthony Tan at EICMA in Milan, Italy
Monza isn't just famous for its race track and hosting the Italian Grand Prix each year; it's also home to renowned Italian frame builder Cicli Casati. The company was founded by Pietro Casati in 1920, a good amateur racer who decided to start building bikes in Monza soon after the first World War. At the end of his career, Pietro began supplying bikes to some of the local clubs in the area, the most prestigious being the 'Pedale Monzese'.
Later, Pietro taught his son and Gianni the art of frame building. Gianni followed in his father's footsteps by bringing his sons Massimo and Luca into the business, as well as sponsoring up-and-coming amateurs; among them was a kid by the name of Gianni Bugno, who would later become a two-time world champion and rode on Casati frames for eight years.
10 years ago, Casati moved its original workshop in Via Lecco to its present location, where Gianni remains as patron and supervisor, Massimo heads up purchasing and sales, and Luca is responsible for manufacturing. Gianni Casati's daughter Manuela and four other employees form the rest of the crew, and so their business remains very much a boutique operation. A small operation it might be, yet 16 models form part of Casati's 2007 catalogue with 13 of those road racing frames.
The Vola and Marte carbon frames sit at the top of their tree, the former a 1,030 kilo, made-to-order piece of bike porn, and the 1,150 gram Marte a pure race-bred production model that features an unusual cutaway section along its top tube, designed to dampen vibration for increased road stability. The Marte is constructed from carbon tubing and carbon lugs Casati developed with Dedacciai.
Asked how big a hole the Marte would put in your pocket, a Casati representative told Cyclingnews a Record-equipped machine with Campagnolo Eurus wheels would set you back €5,650, and the same deal with Bora wheels is expected to retail for €7,500. In other words, you wouldn't have any pockets left, but you'd no doubt be very happy.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Anthony Tan/Cyclingnews.com
- The Marte is Cicli Casati's top production model, a 1,030 kilogram carbon beast, available as a traditional and sloping frame.
- Chunky carbon fork.
- High modulus, multi-directional carbon tubes are used throughout on the Marte.
- The cutaway section along the top tube has been designed to dampen vibration for increased road stability.
- S-bend seat stays were fairly common among the carbon bikes we saw at EICMA.
- The Mistral sits just below the Marte on Casati's top shelves, and at 860 grams for the frame, it's even lighter.
- Like the Marte, the Mistral is also of carbon monocoque construction.
- The cutaway seat tube.
