Built through the Racing Experience

Formigli frames are not just another carbon bicycle.  These frames were built for racing.  When a frame is designed to withstand the racing experience, a very different product is realized.  A racing frame is more rigid as it must have the durability to withstand the stresses of a race as well as reduce the stresses on the cyclist.  To create these qualities in a frame, Formigli uses the highest grade carbon on the market, manufactured in Italy specifically for Formigli tubing.  The resulting frame is slightly heavier than typical carbon frames. 

If you are led to believe through marketing that your bike was handmade in Italy, when it was actually mass-produced in a Chinese factory, would you buy that bike and be willing to pay a premium?

Many well known companies in American, Italy, and Germany  have many of their frames mass-produced in Asia, where the materials and manufacturing are inexpensive. Typically, the carbon that is purchased for the fabrication of these frames is monolayer (1 layer of carbon).   This type of carbon weighs very little, but cannot compare to higher quality carbon which gives performance through its rigidity. In fact, when a carbon frame weighs little, it is not a sign of quality, instead it may denote monolayer carbon.  In contrast, Formigli’s carbon frames are hand made and hand sanded from a 4-6 layer carbon. This type of carbon used by Formigli is 2-3x more expensive than monolayer carbon.