Welcome home to the roots of Cycling

Italian road bicycles have a mystique and an appeal that is undeniable. They are as much moving works of art as they are mechanical masterpieces, built by artisans that pour passion and desire into their frames unlike other builders. An Italian road bicycle is extension of one’s personality, a rare sought after piece of art. It is a cyclist’s dream to own a custom carbon, hand made Italian bicycle. One can find the big Italian brands in most bicycle shops around the country, however many of these frames are mass-produced in Asia and are not custom fitted to an individual.

Formigli is a custom Italian bicycle frame manufacturer that is returning the rich heritage of the old masters to bicycle framebuilding, using the latest in modern technology.
Originally, bicycles were built by hand, customized for each rider, based on their unique geometry. The job of the frame builder was to understand the physics of a bicycle and match the geometry and handling characteristics to the owner. Apprentices spent years learning from the master frame builder and in time, they were able to design and build frames that were truly remarkable.

Today 95% of bicycles are made in Asia with lower quality materials and without the hard won wisdom of the original bicycle builders. These mass produced machines are pretty and have big companies promoting them with huge marketing budgets, but they have very limited sizes and because so many bikes are built this way today, people have grown to expect that this is the only way to get a bike. Bike shops now advertise themselves as "fitters" and attempt to provide the consumer with a bike that really fits, but more often than not this is not done well.

Formigli believes the way bicycle building and bicycle fitting used to be is the way it should always be. Renzo Formigli is one of the last of a dying breed of frame building masters who learned from one of the greatest frame builders of all, Cino Cinelli.  For 20 years Renzo has perfected the wisdom of bicycle building handed down to him from Cinelli. Just as every art has it secrets, building a bicycle with geometry for top performance has its secrets, and Renzo knows them well. The twist is, Renzo is able to take advantage of current technology and blend it with the knowledge of frame design that was perfected over decades.

At Formigli our goal is to take you back in time to the day when an experienced bike builder would measure you and build a frame that was perfect for you, then bring in modern technology and materials to give you a frame of today’s highest standards.

Made in Italy means made in Italy to us. At Formigli we promise that 100% of the materials and labor are completed in Italy by Italy’s top professional builders. This means that your frame is not made in a factory with low quality cheap materials, stamped out, and assembled by a worker who does not have decades of experience in the art of bicycle building.

We take pride in telling you exactly what our frames are made of and where they are made. This is because we do not cut costs when it comes to selecting the highest quality carbon, steel, aluminum, and alloy available on the market. Our carbon is layered and stratified; 4-5 layers for some of our carbon frames and 6 layers for the Asiel and Asiel RF. Many other carbon frames on the market are monolayer or single layer of carbon. This gives the frame a lightweight quality that is incorrectly perceived as a valuable asset.
The lightest bicycle frame is not the best solution, as many bike manufacturers would imply. There is a balance between weight and strength, between stiffness and compliance, that defines the spectacular bicycle frame. At Formigli, we know this distinction and once you ride a bike that is "right", you will know as well.

In a highly competitive industry, we stand out with our commitment to excellence, making frames in the tradition learned from the masters: 100% custom geometry for each frame, highest quality material available, handmade by a frame builder with years of experience who intimately knows the dynamics and geometries of a superb bicycle. To top it off, our creations are made 100% in the country of their true origin, Italy.

We welcome you back to the roots of cycling. Thank you for becoming part of the Formigli family; welcome home!