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Drool over this Deda-tubed beauty from Casati. The frame is made from a carbon-aluminium combination (Dedacciai Black Soul) and has eccentric bulges. Deda’s carbon tubeset has aluminium ends so can be worked by builders not able to tool up for pure carbon bonding. This Casati number costs $3300 for frame and fork.
And check out Casati’s retro leather handlebar sleeves. The picture doesn’t do them justice, they’re slinky and packed with hi-tech, modern goodness including Teflon guides for STI. The leather sleeves were making their debut at the show, having been held back from Milan.
Casati is distributed in limited numbers in the UK by Kingstone Imports and Geoffry Butler Cycles.
BELOW:
Sounding Italian but actually from Connecticut, these carbon/Kevlar wheels from Topolino Technology weigh just 1390 grams, with the aluminium clinchers, and retail for $850 a pair. This is lighter than Mavic Ksyrium SL’s, Spinergy Xaeros Lite’s and Shimano Dura Ace WH-7701’s.
They were first shown at last year’s Interbike but never made it to market. They did, however, get specced on the bikes of Lance Armstrong and Laurent Jalabert during the Tour de France. (However, Armstrong and the USPS team will use Bontrager wheels in 2003).
The spokes are wind-cutting and made from carbon fibre and Kevlar, the hubshells are carbon fibre. Topolino’s spokes are long, they begin near the rim, pass through the hubshell and continue all the way across the wheel. This elimates "concentrated stress points and spoke fatigue associated with virtually all other wheel designs," said Steve Cuomo, Topolino’s sales and marketing director.
And for true retro junkies, how about these leather lovelies from Italian shoe maker Marresi? They are imported into the US by the Casarti distributor. The uppers are traditional styled and made, but the sole is modern and can be shod with any of the usual cleat systems.
