THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » Tech »

VeloNews Q&A: Guerciotti returns to the United States

By Ted Costantino
Published: Oct. 22, 2004
Micaela, Paolo and Alessandro Guerciotti, with Bill and Carol McGann of Torelli Imports.
Micaela, Paolo and Alessandro Guerciotti, with Bill and Carol McGann of Torelli Imports.

After a long period of hit-or-miss availability in the United States, Guerciotti bikes returned to Interbike this year with a new importer, Torelli, and a new commitment to widespread distribution and support.

Paolo Guerciotti’s bikes gained fame among American riders in the 1980s as part of a wave of high-end Italian imports that raised the expectations for what a great road bike could be. Guerciotti’s cyclo-cross models were especially sought after, thoroughbreds in a field of balky, unwieldy CX beasts. Today, the Guerciotti family — Paolo, his son Alessandro and daughter Micaela — still offers a stellar line of cyclo-cross steeds, along with race-ready bikes of every description. We spoke with Bill McGann, head of Torelli Imports, and Alessandro Guerciotti, about the return of this fabled marque to our shores.

VeloNews: You’ve been bringing in the Guerciotti frames for about four months now. When did you start the process?

Bill McGann: Paolo and I have been friends for over 20 years. I actually walked into his store in 1980 when it was a little store on via Petrella in Milano, and met him there. We became close friends when we began importing Mondonico because Mondonico and Guerciotti were partners then. Even though later on they split, we remained good friends. But there was always something in the way. He was being imported by Ten Speed Drive, or I had Masi, or he had another importer. When we went riding this spring in Tuscany, we both discovered that we had clear decks. So finally after dating for 20 years, we got married.

The Guerciotti EM2 is the same bike used by the Guerciotti/Selle Italia team. It's built with Dedacciai EM2 tu
The Guerciotti EM2 is the same bike used by the Guerciotti/Selle Italia team. It's built with Dedacciai EM2 tu

VN: Guerciotti may be best known in the U.S. for its cyclo-cross bikes.

BM: Ten world championships.

VN: But you’re going to do the complete line of bikes?

BM: Absolutely, soup to nuts. We’re going to start off with the cyclo-cross frames, of course, so we brought in his Force and EM2 and the first shipments we received sold out instantly. And we also have the road frames, the Eureka and the G35 because it seemed to me that the combination of the airplane tubing with the carbon stays is an all-rounder bike that is good for everyone. But we’re going to extend the line and go all the way down to the Hero, which is an entry-level frame, and all the way up to the Cartesio, a monocoque carbon frame.

VN: When you say “entry-level,” what is the construction of that frame?

BM: Aluminum TIG welded with Dedacciai tubing.

VN: Will you have any kind of sponsorship program for riders in the U.S.?

BM: We will. We haven’t exactly decided yet; we just sat down with a team today that was working out of a shop. We haven’t worked out all the numbers, but yes, we’ll have sponsorship and that’s the way it will work, through our shops. Absolutely, because the racers are the backbone of the business in terms of promotion and visibility.

The Guerciotti Hero, built with Dedacciai Energy aluminum tubing, is one of the company's most affordable fram
The Guerciotti Hero, built with Dedacciai Energy aluminum tubing, is one of the company's most affordable fram

VN: Has it been hard to get all the cyclo-cross frames you need?

BM: These guys are very fast and turn the orders immediately.

Alessandro Guerciotti: We try to have all the frames in stock in Italy so that we can ship right away. We want Bill to be able to give the best service to his customers. The U.S. market is very important to us.

VN: American riders always want to know, can I get a custom frame?

BM: The answer is, “Absolutely.” In fact, that’s the only way you can get a Crono frame. Alessandro wants to know about the rider before he will build a Crono frame because he wants to make sure all the measurements will meet the UCI requirements. And the others, we’re glad to make customs.

AG: The sizing, the paint — we try to make options available to satisfy the customer because in this market it is important to have a standard frame but also to give the personalized frame for the needs of every customer. Also for the track frames, cyclo-cross frames, it’s important to size these exactly to the rider, so we are happy to make custom frames if the standard geometry is not sufficient.

Photo Gallery