|
"For
every 1000 bike shops, there is one that separates
itself from the others in its own unique way that
can't be duplicated. Smart Cycles is one of
these stores. Top 15 in North America, hands
down. Not the biggest, not the flashiest,
not the richest, just simply one of the finest
bicycling resources around."
-Mark Mendelsohn, artisan frame builder for Anreas
Quevas, team mechanic for 2 Tours De France, and
formerly with Campagnolo USA.
Featured
Rider
 Our
resident ROADIE Ed Torres with his custom,
one-of-a-kind Mondonico FOCO, Full Record, AC Carbon
wheels, just over 17 pounds. Ed won his age
group and finished 4th overall at the Mt. Equinox
hillclimb, the second toughest such race in the
country. He is a consistent top 10 finisher at
the Mt Washington Hillclimb every year, riding better
than many pros. Go ED! Regarding his fine
Mondonico, Ed says, "The fit is absolutely
PERFECT and the performance of the steel tubing is
unlike aluminum, I never lose traction and the whole
bike is only 1/2 pound heavier than my previous
climbing rig. I feel like I am a better climber
on steel than on any other material and I've tried
them all. As far as fit goes, Ed says: "I've been
pretty anal about the size of frames and other parts I
use for a long time...stubborn to a fault sometimes.
I left myself in the hands of the Mondonico fitting
process with this one and it turns out to be the best
fit I've known!"
 I
won the 2006 39 & under Tour de Greenwich on my
original Mondonico.
I loved
it. It is still my favorite bike. This
event is like a casual ride for me on my steel Foco.
I also went to the Green Mountain Stage Race in
Vermont. 30+ is a field full of x-pros and top
cat-1 & 2 riders. I was a "domestique"
and I didn't expect to finish. WELL...I Finished
the race 37th overall in the 30+ group!!! I
started in 60th place the last day. Half
the field got eliminated because they either were
tired or got lapped.. I was the only one with a steel
bike. Many riders told me later that they were beat up
after 4 days.
Well
because I raced my steel bike for all 4 days my body
was not tired or beat up. It helped me move up
about 30 places in one day...no doubt. I LOVE
STEEL!
Ed Torres
ITALIAN
BIKE HEAVEN!
We really think
it would be hard to find a store and staff that has
more experience with REAL ITALIAN Stage Bikes than
Smart Cycles. Along with this experience comes
un-compromised passion, knowledge, understanding of
fit, un-equaled ability to design and build the
PERFECT bike for our client, and so much more that is
priceless in value for the consumer!
Below: 11 PURELY CUSTOM Mondonico masterpieces arrive
at Smart Cycles!
7 Custom
Made Mondonico Frames arrive at Smart Cycles December
2006! Your custom dream bike can be on its way
to us soon. Don't miss the Personalized custom
bike fitting day in February '07!
LAST
CALL FOR:
FUTURA
LEGGERO / DIAMOND EXTRA
by ANTONIO MONDONICO
So,
here is your FINAL opportunity to own a TIMELESS
pinned, lugged, brazed frame lavished with passion and
soul by a legend. We
have purchased the entire remaining stock of Futura
Legerro and DIAMOND EXTRA models made by the legendary
hands of Antonio Mondonico himself. Antonio has
retired from building frames after over 50 years of
crafting the finest road bikes in the world! While
the MONDONICO label will live on in full handmade
glory, ANTONIO HIMSELF NO LONGER IS THE BUILDER.
Contact us for more info on the
remaining frames! Our
stock of authentic ANTONIO MONDONICO frames is listed HERE!
Mondonico Neuron Custom
- Simply TASTY! 0 grams Carbs too!
MONDONICO CUSTOM TIG
747 - Full Centaur.
58cm Countach. Stock
blue. Campy Centaur.
100% Custom - Columbus Spirit
Tubing, Fillet Brazed by Antonio Mondonico. For
Phil Miano. 2007 Chorus Parts Kit. 17lbs!
Mondonico Countach -
Women's Style! Full Veloce. $2299!
Mondonico Futura Leggero,
with Centaur Kit and Torelli Bormio Wheels!
Torelli Scappa -
56cm. Ultegra, FSA Carbon Cranks, Carbon
Everything else too! 17 pounds!!! Columbus
Airplane tubing.
Ready for the Giro, Vuelta or TDF! Matte Black!
Mondonico
Futura - Custom White/Blue Fade - Full Chorus!
Mondonico Futura
Legerro - 2007 Centuar - Custom Gold!
Mondonico Diamond Extra - Seen with
Campy Centaur Equipment!
Pictured above: Mondonico Futura
Leggero in Custom Orange and Black - Full
Chorus, Mondonico Columbus Fork
in Chrome Complimented with DEDA, Thompson,
Vredenstein Tires and Selle Italia Flite Equipment 18 pounds
- Who
says steel bikes are heavy???
Our
Thoughts On Italian Road Bikes,
Torelli, and Mondonico:
>>>Italians
are to bicycles what the French are to wine, the
Germans to beer, the Americans to apple pie and
baseball. They flat-out own it! Before we get
too many emails about that last line…we would like
to acknowledge that some pretty fine bikes come
without an Italian meal having made the menu of the
designers, never mind their ancestry or locale! Corona
is a pretty fine bottle of suds in our book, and we
know (more so than you might think) that some pretty
good baseball exists outside of the states. We might
have to keep the pie though!
>>>All that being said, and with full props
to all involved, when it comes to bikes, our
Mediterranean friends still have a lock on designing,
building and advancing the art and science of bicycles…period!
In Italy, cycling is CULTURE…there is no place on
earth that can claim this on the same scale. No where
else does there exist as large and diverse a
collection of people, in a small area, who have a huge
hand in the advancement of bikes and bicycling. The
worlds BEST Frame Builders, Racers, Coaches, Raw
Materials Manufacturers, Component Designers and
others all melt together in that culture we mentioned….constantly
pushing the materials, equipment, and athletes to the
edge of it…the best it can all possibly be!
 >>>When
we here at Smart Cycles set out to find a manufacturer
of absolutely top-shelf road bicycles to represent and
sell, many name brands and distributors were
considered. We had made a semi-firm decision to go
with one classic name, but that idea was scuttled when
we found TORELLI and MONDONICO. We can’t imagine a
more perfect fit for our store and customers.
>>>Torelli
offers CLASSIC Italian ideals and workmanship but
blends them with (and is not afraid of) current day
advances in materials and designs. Torelli offers
steel bikes, aluminum bikes, titanium bikes and bikes
that utilize carbon fiber mixed with either aluminum
or steel. Torelli now has the fantastic Torelli 990 -
a fully molded, c600 series carbon frame that weighs
only 990 grams! The workmanship on these bikes is
ABSOLUTELY PURE, it can't be touched by anyone! Their
dollar value is not to be rivaled. Bill McGann, the
owner and importer of Torelli bikes to the US is a
cycling psycho in addition to being a very smart man.
Having been in this business for 20 years, I must say
it is refreshing to see a company operate with as much
attention directed at retaining the passion and FEEL
in biking and in what you believe in, than in just the
bottom line. I admire Bill’s approach, knowledge,
and Mode of Operation greatly already.
 >>>Antonio
and Mauro MONDONICO are two of the remaining legendary
framebuilders of our time. These men are consumed with
making every frame they lay their hands on a work of
scientific art. Each masterpiece is attended to until
it is the best it can possibly be. There is NO annual
quota for frames to be built…volume is a dirty word…time
spent on a bike is something they cherish, not
quantify and put in the loss column of a speadsheet.
They use it without limits to build an untouchable
bicycle…every time they go to work. A bike is done
when it is done, not by the time the clock strikes
done! Less than 1000 MONDONICOS are built every year.
Like an Italian chef might go to the market to buy the
ingredients to make a meal we might all be lucky to
enjoy ONCE in our lives…Antonio Mondonico goes to
the Columbus factory and chooses tube sets to build
the bike he has been asked to build…knowing it will
be a once-in a lifetime purchase for his client. We
are proud to have partnered with these men to be the
only dealer of the product in Connecticut! Click HERE
for the story and photos from September 20, 2003 when
Antonio and Mauro visited our store to custom fit
riders to the bike of their dreams!
>>>Another
detail about these products that I would like expound
on a bit more is their dollar value. Smart Cycles has
used the battle cry "Service, Selection and VALUE"
for many years now…Torelli and Mondonico bikes are
incredible dollar-values. You cannot find a
better priced artisan frame from Italy.
 >>>We
undertake the sale of these bikes with great care,
fine detail, and we enjoy educating you on whatever
points you wish to learn more about...no fast talk, no
rush, in fact we enjoy private appointments as much as
the customers do! If you choose a Torelli or
Mondonico, a careful and complete sizing session is
included. During this session, the precise dimensions
for your frame's seat tube and top tube (frame size),
crank arms (length), handlebars (width, reach and
drop), stem (length and rise) are determined with your
input.
>>>
I invite you in to the store to take the next step and
look at and ride some Torelli and Mondonico
product.
Alex
Stanek
Owner, Smart Cycles, Inc.
Mondonico ELOS - 58CM - Full Campy
Super Record '86
Hi Alex!
Here are some pics of my built up ELOS. It rides
beautifully, makes me
realize how soft and noodly my Merlin was... With risk
of it sounding like
rehashed sales jargon, the frame feels fast and
responsive without being
harsh! Simply put - GREAT ride!
Thanks, Johan!
Here
is your proof that cycling brings joy to
everyone! These two guys might be 35 years apart
in age, but they share the same excitement as they
roll their new sets of wheels out the door at Smart
Cycles!
PHOTO
GALLERIES
Click
a photo Below to enlarge it.
We're working on an extensive Gallery
with all the Torelli, Mondonico, Guerciotti and other
premium bikes
we've sold! Who doesn't love photos?
FULL
BIKES
DETAIL
PHOTOS
Below
you'll find a new gallery that showcases some close
ups and detail photographs of some amazing
craftsmanship and color/finish work that we have had
done for our customers. Your imagination is the
limit when it comes to personalizing these bikes!
 |
 |
|
| Gold
Effect, matching Fork |
Fillet
Brazed Spirit |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Matte
Black w/ Silver Pinstripe |
Raw
Titanium Seamless Welds |
Titanio
Seat Monostay |
 |
 |
 |
| Italian
MASTER Craftsmanship! |
Ferarri
Red with Anodized Blue |
Italian
Yellow with Chrome Lugs |
 |
 |
 |
| Celeste
Green with GOLD Pinstripe! |
<<<Ditto! |
Custom
Mixed Candy Red! |
 |
 |
 |
| Italian
yellow paint with chrome lugs! |
Medium
Garnet Effect w/yellow Pinstripe |
This
craftsmanship cannot be equaled...sorry, no
one can match this level! |
 |
 |
 |
| Metallic
Paint, Italian Chrome, Anodized Aluminum =
STUNNING! |
Old
but New Again... Mondonico Head Badge! |
Custom
Chrome Lugs, Anodized KING headset! |
|
MORE
DETAIL PHOTOS - CLICK HERE! |
|
New
Torelli Selvino!
Tech Specs:
-
Carbon
Fusion Technology
-
C6(600
Series) Carbon Fiber Composite
-
Function
Specific Layup and Shaped Tubing
-
7005
Aluminum Structural Fittings
-
Thermal
Catalyst Bonding Technology
-
STAGE
GEOMETRY w/Parallel Top Tube
-
Frame
= 990grms, lightest available...period!
English
Translation:
LIGHT, STRONG, STIFF, FAST, COMPLIANT
and BEAUTIFUL!
Positively "SICK" - The FIRST
Torelli Selvino full-bike in the US! For our
friend Drew...58cm, 16 pounds! Shown with ZIPP
404 wheels, Campy Record, Easton and Kuips gear.
ATTENTION All other Carbon Frames: look, listen and
learn!
CLICK HERE
for More Info!
|
