Gaulzetti Cicli

[soupless]

Hey craig-

Do any of the manufacturers you deal with at IBC care that you're running a bike company as well as selling their stuff?

thanks,
paul

[jerk]

Hey craig-

Do any of the manufacturers you deal with at IBC care that you're running a bike company as well as selling their stuff?

thanks,
paul

no. in fact, most of ibc's vendors have been enthusiastic supporters of the project.

[jerk]

hey jim-
i don't believe that the manner in which carbon changes the way stresses are felt or transmitted really enters into the design of my carbon bike. nic builds'em using the tube to tube construction he has outlined in his own smoked out thread and this gives us the ability to build a carbon bike in the geometries of our choosing in a manner that holds together really well, uses a minimal amount of material and is durable and light . the materials used are sourced from dedacciai and designed to mimic the charachteristics of our aluminum tubeset. frankly, the carbonio is a corsa that is lighter. in order to maintain the rigidity and and great performance of the corsa, the only way to make it lighter was to go with nic crumpton's construction and carbon fiber.

the uniqueness in my design really is about its non-uniqueness. i am not re-inventing the wheel in any way. i'm building bikes that are based on sound and proven geomtries that put the rider in the right place and the wheels in the right place. i start with the bike- not with the fit. i think that's what i bring to the table.

of course my carbon is also super ultra fancy 7000000 to the nth degree modulus awesomeness and the same stuff used on the toasters on spaceships and the floorboards of ferris' volkswagon.

thanks!
craig

[PJN]

I'll post some tech stuff in my smoked out thread tomorrow!

of course my carbon is also super ultra fancy 7000000 to the nth degree modulus awesomeness and the same stuff used on the toasters on spaceships and the floorboards of ferris' volkswagon.

Killer.

[jimcav]

Cragi,
thanks--i like very much that it is purpose built, like the bugatti, to do a certain thing incredibly well: ride and ride hard. although to be honest, having ridden my 14 lb TIME and my 17.3 pound kirk last week, I can't say the 3 lbs matters, but maybe i need to take both up MT Palomar. Anyway, when the time comes, I think I would lean toward the corsa over carbon--not sure the weight savings matters if the feel adn response is similar-especially for a guy pushing 170
thanks
jim

[Jonathan]

Craig,

I know some people are unaware that you can build frames with your own hands so here is a question about that. How does your own knowledge of the fabricationpart help you in relating and understanding what happens when the order is transmitted to xyz builder? Second, do you enjoy building the occasional frame?

[jerk]

Craig,

I know some people are unaware that you can build frames with your own hands so here is a question about that. How does your own knowledge of the fabricationpart help you in relating and understanding what happens when the order is transmitted to xyz builder? Second, do you enjoy building the occasional frame?

i know that the folks i employ to do the building are going to do things the right way and i can at least be part of the discourse due to my knowedge of the production process. in regards to the corsa frame, i also know that they can do the tig welding better than i ever could or would. i have built carbon frames using both tube to tube construction and usind pre-made lugs, but there is no way i can get anywhere close to the kind of work nic does. as far as my ability to braze- some of the issimos are my work- but the ones that go out to client athletes most certainly aren't. for the most part, the myth of the one man frame shop- the kind of place where the name on the down tube is the same as that of the guiy who designs, miters, tacks and brazes is just that- a myth. with few exceptions, the best handbuilt bikes- the stuff you see at nahbs, the best examples of steel, ti and carbon hanbuilt bike frames are made by people employed to do that task. the fact that i employ american frame builders to do the majority of the hand work doesn't make me less of a bike builder than anyone else. i'm not particularly interested in the "process" as an end in and of itself- i'm interested in building the best bikes i can and made to order frames, hand built by domestic builders is the best method to achieve this.

i like working with my hands- so i'm going to keep building and i'm going to keep working with my tubing suppliers to continually improve my bikes.
thanks for the question jonathan!

[e-RICHIE]

i know that the folks i employ to do the building are going to do things the right way and i can at least be part of the discourse due to my knowedge of the production process. in regards to the corsa frame, i also know that they can do the tig welding better than i ever could or would. i have built carbon frames using both tube to tube construction and usind pre-made lugs, but there is no way i can get anywhere close to the kind of work nic does. as far as my ability to braze- some of the issimos are my work- but the ones that go out to client athletes most certainly aren't. for the most part, the myth of the one man frame shop- the kind of place where the name on the down tube is the same as that of the guiy who designs, miters, tacks and brazes is just that- a myth. with few exceptions, the best handbuilt bikes- the stuff you see at nahbs, the best examples of steel, ti and carbon hanbuilt bike frames are made by people employed to do that task. the fact that i employ american frame builders to do the majority of the hand work doesn't make me less of a bike builder than anyone else. i'm not particularly interested in the "process" as an end in and of itself- i'm interested in building the best bikes i can and made to order frames, hand built by domestic builders is the best method to achieve this.

i like working with my hands- so i'm going to keep building and i'm going to keep working with my tubing suppliers to continually improve my bikes.
thanks for the question jonathan!

you are show worthy.
get a booth next to me atmo.

[anthonymaietta]

you are show worthy.
get a booth next to me atmo.

The quality of his bikes makes them show-worthy, but technically, I don't think Gaulzetti as a brand is allowed.

[anthonymaietta]

for the most part, the myth of the one man frame shop- the kind of place where the name on the down tube is the same as that of the guiy who designs, miters, tacks and brazes is just that- a myth. with few exceptions, the best handbuilt bikes- the stuff you see at nahbs, the best examples of steel, ti and carbon hanbuilt bike frames are made by people employed to do that task. the fact that i employ american frame builders to do the majority of the hand work doesn't make me less of a bike builder than anyone else.

Can you please elaborate on this idea? What do you mean? How many bikes in our niche have a name on the down tube that does not represent the person behind the mask or torch? You, Hampsten... seems to be more the exception than the norm.

[jerk]

Can you please elaborate on this idea? What do you mean? How many bikes in our niche have a name on the down tube that does not represent the person behind the mask or torch? You, Hampsten... seems to be more the exception than the norm.

anthony-
this may be true for shops doing less than 100 frames a year- any thing more than that requires a team.
craig

[ashwa64]

The quality of his bikes makes them show-worthy, but technically, I don't think Gaulzetti as a brand is allowed.

i'm not implying you think he should not be allowed to participate, anthony, but craig certainly brings something legitimate to the table (particularly with regard to his perspective on [race] frame design, among other things) and nahbs would undoubtedly be a better event with him there -- hopefully the organizers recognize this. it would be a shame if he were not allowed to show because of some 'rule'.

[anthonymaietta]

i'm not implying you think he should not be allowed to participate, anthony, but craig certainly brings something legitimate to the table (particularly with regard to his perspective on [race] frame design, among other things) and nahbs would undoubtedly be a better event with him there -- hopefully the organizers recognize this. it would be a shame if he were not allowed to show because of some 'rule'.

I don't think Craig's SO thread is the right place for this discusssion, but I will offer a few more cents worth. This is an issue for Don Walker and his table of advisors. All three of Craig's fabriactors qualify to exhibit, I believe, but only Nick Crumpton chooses to do so (Mootry and Circle A do not). Bikes with Gaulzetti on the down tube are without a doubt quality enough to be in The Hall; I just don't know what DW's thoughts on the issue are...orwhether Craig even wants to exhibit.

[Auk]

Then why, pray tell, would Serotta, for example, be able to enjoy the fruits of the show? Are they not a multitude of different hands producing one frame. Indy Fab would obviously be another. And I do think this is the correct thread for this discussion.

[Jason Musgrave]

Craig should be allowed to show at NAHBS imho. Heck the dude knows more about building proper bikes than the vast majority of the exhibitors there. He's no different than Moots/Serotta/DEAN/IF/etc, and as long as we're on the subject why was DeRosa there last year?

[anthonymaietta]

Craig should be allowed to show at NAHBS imho. Heck the dude knows more about building proper bikes than the vast majority of the exhibitors there. He's no different than Moots/Serotta/DEAN/IF/etc, and as long as we're on the subject why was DeRosa there year?

I don't want to be the lightning rod for this issue, but the reg packet clearly reads "No sub-contracted bicycles are permitted." I'm bowing out of this conversation.

[jerk]

gentlemen-
don and his people run an awesome show and of course i would be honored if they would let me exhibit and would do so in a heartbeat. i have been a supporter of nahbs since day one and will continue to attend and schill for it all levels regardless of my level of participation. of course, i think i should be able to exhibit; but i also think i should have a weekly op-ed piece in the new york times. at the end of the day, its arthur sulzberger's call not mine. it's don's beach, don's waves and don's girls...to quote the the surf punks....i'll be in austin regardless. look for the handsome drunk guy at the anvil booth.

[fixednwinter]

Hi Craig;

This has been the most compelling thread on VS that I've followed. I'm astonished at the amount of great knowledge that I've read so far.

I have two questions for you:

When you ride your Corsa on rough, winter roads or even gravel, what wheels do you personally choose?
And for fair weather, smooth roads with the same frame, what wheelset do you prefer?

[jerk]

hi fixedwinter-
thanks for the kind words. it has certainly been an interesting discussion so far for me. to answer your question regarding wheels i should preface that i only use tubulars. most of it is a comfort level thing. i've never actually owned a road bike with clinchers and i probably never will.

the wheelset i've been riding the most is a pair of cosmic carbone pros. they're super strong, maintain their speed well and compliment the ride of the frame. I like aero stiff strog wheels that maintain their speed well and won't explode when you run into a giant pot hole at 30mph. wheels like the bora, the cosmic carbones and the dura-ace carbon wheels all meet these requirements. honestly, i think once deep wheels start getting too light- they don't ride as well at race speeds.

for dirt roads, gravel and the like my go to wheelset is a pair of record hubs built to ambrosio nemesis tubulars, mainly because they don't bounce around quite as much over cobbles and through the dirt. i'm fat enough that cross winds don't really bother me and braking performance in the wet isn't too much of a concern, so unless i'm on really crappy dirt roads or torn up cobbled streets i'm usually on a pair of deep section carbon hoops and that tends to be what i recommend for most people.

[fixednwinter]

Hi Craig;

Thank you for the detailed response. I really appreciate your wisdom on deep wheels not being too light. I owned the clincher version of the Cosmic Carbone and they had a great ride, and I wasn't bothered by their weight.

Coincidentally, I'm about to buy my first tubulars in over twenty years. My road mileage is finally back up to where I can justify having a great set of tubular wheels again. Looking forward to the ride after decades away from tubs.