“El Diablo” is a spin-off from the feature-length bike movie “The Last Kilometer”. The short is focused on the story of Didi Senft, better known as “El Diablo”, symbol and living metaphor of all cycling fans.
Cicli Berlinetta
Home of Cycling Chic
Time to get your bicycle serviced? Come on by!
Here in Berlin the snow has melted away, but every now and then the sun says a brief hello. Chances are you haven’t ridden your bicycle since the winter set in. You probably left it locked in your courtyard, where it has been exposed to the worst of the elements. Even if you’re not feeling tough enough to actually go for a February bike ride, why not give your bike a bit of tlc? Nothing nicer than a well tuned bike ready and waiting to be ridden when the weather finally gets warmer. Here in the bike shop we’re waiting with our spanners at the ready to whip your bike into tip-top pre-season shape, so book an appointment and bring your wheels by for a professional service.
Berliner Fahrradschau
We will be at the Berliner Fahrradschau again this year. On March 22 and 23 you can find us in the vintage steel corner at the Station Berlin.
More infos here.
New Cycling Caps in Store
We got new cycling caps in the shop. This time we’ve chosen pink as base color accentuated with italian stripes. Also have a look at the black caps.
A Supersonico Pista in Midnight Blue and white
Custom built for another discerning customer, a Supersonico track frameset in a fetching dark metallic blue with white accents. We assembled this beauty with nothing but the best! Campagnolo Record Pista crank and bottom bracket, Record front brake, Record threaded headset, Chorus seatpost topped off with a white Flite, 3ttt bars and stem, etc. etc.
The Supersonico, our top flight frameset, is made of Columbus Life tubing, with our own custom made lugs featuring our crown motif.
Basso Astra road bike build
We’ve just built up this neat little 48cm Basso Astra steel road frameset into a sweet bike. We assembled it with a nice 8 speed Campagnolo groupset, and Record hubs laced to new-old-stock Mavic grey anodised eyeletted rims. The red main tubes were matched with red handlebar tape and red cables. It sports a black Flite saddle and Schwalbe Lugano tyres with red accents. We finished it off with some Look pedals.
The Webshop is here
Almost a decade on from the establishment of our Berlin bike store, we’re expanding our business to include online shopping. At long last you can buy our top quality new and used cycling goods and apparel from the comfort of your home, regardless of your location or time zone. To start with we’re offering a fine selection of new and used frames, and a small range of components, accessories, clothing and publications. In future we hope to expand our online product pallette to include complete bicycles and bespoke framebuilding, but as of now these items still entail personal consultation, so you’ll have to come to our store in person, or contact us by phone or email.
The inside line, from Freddy Maertens
Some stories Freddy Maertens shared with me when we met at the Retro Ronde in 2012.
Back in 1976, shortly before the World Championships, Freddy was given a new pair of cycling shorts by Martin Meyer, then boss of sportswear manufacturer ASSOS. They were the very first cycling shorts with Lycra in the fabric. Freddy wore them, won in them, and ASSOS began mass production. Itchy wool made way for the stretchy new wonder fabric.
Freddy went on to win the Worlds again in 1981, and shortly thereafter signed his most lucrative professional contract for a quarter of a million Belgian Francs a month! He continued to race professionally until 1986.
During his pro years Freddy rode bikes by DeRosa and then GIOS. He confided in me that his DeRosa frames were delivered to the Flandria factory where they were painted in Flandria team colours and built up to Freddy’s specifications, all without the knowledge or consent of the big boss! He was grinning when he told me the boss never found out.
Freddy’s proudest moment was leading the Peleton of the 1981 Tour de France into Belgium whilst wearing the coveted Maillot Jaune.
What was the secret of Freddy’s phenomenal career? Well, way back when, he was a paperboy, so that makes him a former bike messenger!
PS We have two or three more Freddy Maertens cycling caps in store, with red side panels, world champion stripes across the top, and adorned with two photos of the man himself…
A Supersonico Strada build with Nuovo Record
We just bade farewell to another of our custom built Supersonico Strada framesets, which we built up around a Campagnolo Nuovo Record groupset. The gleaming metallic paintwork in Gentian Blue is offset with Traffic Yellow graphics and detailed lugwork, featuring Cicli Berlinetta crown emblems on the fork top, seat stays and brake bridge, a crown cut-out beneath the bottom bracket, and engraved front and rear drop-outs.
The hubs are laced to FIR EL20 rims, and wear Panasonic tyres. A Selle Royal ‘Contour’ saddle is matched with 3TTT backswept touring handlebars and matching stem, for a comfortable upright riding position. Brake cable outers in a contrasting yellow make for a distinctive build.
