Connecticut-based framebuilder Matt Klucha of MSH1 Bicycle Works will announce a unique 'American Delivery Program' for European customers at this years' European Handmade Bicycle Expo, which takes place this weekend in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

The program, inspired by the European delivery schemes offered by performance auto makers such as Porsche and Ferrari, offers European clients the opportunity to experience the 'final mile' of becoming a custom frame (or bike) owner in the workshop where their frame was built and in the company of the builder.

Customers get their final bike fitting from the builder and have the opportunity to take full advantage of the beautiful New England scenery and its network of local roads as the 'test track' for their new MSH1-built bike.

According to MSH1,

'...with the MSH1 Bicycle Works American Delivery Program, you will experience first-hand what actually goes into making a truly handbuilt bicycle - the process of meticulous craftsmanship of an MSH1 bicycle, made entirely by hand in America – and enjoy a lovely vacation in New England along the way'.

The Program offers customers the chance to experience at close-range the many hours of work that goes into building an MSH1 frame, with all of the finer details of framebuilding explained and demonstrated. As guests of MSH1, they can take full advantage of the picturesque location and spend some time getting to know the the local roads and nearby picture-postcard locations. Program customers are offered competitive prices on the cost of a full bike, with generous discounts offsetting the cost of collecting their new bike from the builder.

Prospective customers can discuss the Program with Klucha during EHBE, where they can be measured up with Klucha's in-house 'Fingerprint Fit' frame-fitting process, and at the same time, discuss the myriad of frame and bike options a custom bike offers.

Customers not able to make it to EHBE in person can nevertheless take advantage of MSH1's fitting process via the comprehensive telephone and e-mail consultation method developed by Klucha to ensure the best size and position for the customer is determined.

Ugo de Rosa, Mechaniker und Ingenieur, wurde am 27. Januar 1934 in Mailand geboren. 1952 begann er mit der Produktion von Rennrädern, sehr bald für professionelle Rennfahrer.

Der wohl bekannteste Fahrer auf De Rosa war Eddy Merckx, heute noch sehr enger Freund der Familie. Nach dem Ende seiner aktiven Karriere erlernte Eddy Merckx von Ugo de Rosa das Handwerk des Rahmenbaus und gründete später seine eigene Firma. Die Trikots seiner vier großen Erfolge im Jahre 1974 – Tour de Suisse, Giro d´Italia, Tour de France und die Weltmeisterschaft – sind heute eingerahmt in Ugo De Rosas Büro zu sehen. De Rosa war und ist in der Profi-Szene immer präsent – Rik van Looy, Gastone Nencini, Gianni Motta, Francesco Moser und Moreno Argentin fuhren ebenso auf Rädern von Ugo De Rosa wie Jewgeni Bersin, Sergei Gonchar, Francesco Casagrande, Fabio Baldato, Franco Pellizzotti, Miguel Indurain und Roman Vainsteins – dessen Weltmeister-Merak von 2000 mittlerweile zum Liebhaberstück geworden ist. Viele berühmte Fahrer und zahlreiche Profi-Erfolge säumen De Rosas Rahmenbaugeschichte des letzten halben Jahrhunderts – und sie dauern an. Zurzeit fahren auf De Rosas King3 die italienischen Teams LPR, Acqua e Sapone – Caffè Mokambo sowie das Team CarmioOro – A Style.

Jährlich werden bei De Rosa circa 5000 Rahmen in Handarbeit gefertigt, manche noch von Ugo De Rosa persönlich. Zurzeit arbeiten in Cusano Milanino etwa 20 Menschen – viele davon schon ihr ganzes Berufsleben lang. Anders als bei allen anderen italienischen Herstellern ist und bleibt es das Ziel von De Rosa, die eigene Produktion in Italien aufrecht zu erhalten – das Herz in Italien zu lassen. Unverzichtbar für echte De Rosa Liebhaber.

How time flies...

Ten years ago, the cycling world was gearing up for the start of the 1999 Tour De France.
Dubbed the 'Tour of Renewal' by its organisers, it followed on from the infamous 'Festina affair' of 1998, the first of cycling's great drug scandals.
In the sports pages and TV coverage throughout Europe, there was little room for anything else other than talk of drugs and doping.

Which was a pity. All the talk of doping and dopers overshadowed the marking of a momentous occasion a decade before. In 1989, American Greg LeMond scorched down the Champs Elysées on a bike equipped with Scott 'tri-bars' to score an historic, sensational 8-second win over Frenchman Laurent Fignon – an event that was to change the face of cycling technology forever.

However, 1999 was to provide us with another surprise event; a decade on from LeMond, another 'against-all-odds' American triumphed in the event, and like LeMond, won on a bike which heralded the start of yet another new page in bike technology history. Inside the trucks and on top of race-service vehicles of the 20 teams heading for 1999's opening time trial in Puy De Fou, you'd have found plenty of alu, but not much carbon. A few teams, notably the LOOK-sponsored équipes of Credit Agricole and Kelme, rode carbon-tubed, aluminium-lugged frames, but in the main, alu was the frame material of choice.

The serendipity continues...

On display at EHBE, just down the aisle from MSH1 (see here), was another new name making a big impression on show-goers.

Julie Racing Design are the husband and wife team of Kris and Julie Vacheron.  Natives of the town of Dreux, in the Centre region of France, they brought along a sample of their decidedly different creations, each one drawing huge amounts of admiration from those lucky enough to be at EHBE.

Although most of the JRD bikes on display were of the off-road variety, its hard to pigeon-hole the work of JRD into any one genre; their unique style of construction and finishing is worthy of a category all of its own.  Indeed, many of the features incorporated in their work would  fit in comfortably on road, track or mountain applications...and not just for show either.