I've heard the term "work of art" bandied about when talking about bicycles so many times it's beginning to lose meaning; until I stumbled across this one.
Dario Pegoretti works out of a small shop in a mountain village near Trento, Italy, and hand-paints many of the bicycles that leave his workshop.The Ciavete seen here begins life as a custom, hand-built, Columbus steel frame. Pegoretti then chooses a base coat color and paints over the frame as if it were his canvas.
The Columbus steel tubes, custom-built geometry and fact that Pegoretti apprenticed under none other than famed Italian builder Luigino Milani should guarantee a dream-like ride; how anyone would overcome the fear of even the tiniest scratch while out riding (let alone laying this bike down) is beyond me though.
Sadly, Pegoretti was diagnosed with lymphoma in May, so getting your hands on one of these beauties will likely be difficult.
