Grupetto Italia showcases a line up with a wide range of road bikes spanning from juniors’ bikes to retro-inspired lugged steel beauties, with carbon road racing bikes in between. Owned by brothers Nick and Dom O’Brien, Grupetto Italia was founded to bring classic Italian craftsmanship and cycling heritage back to the UK, the way they remembered it as kids. Having both raced as juniors, part of their offering includes high-quality small bikes designed with young riders in mind, so hop past the break to take a closer look at how you get get your kid ready to ride…
For adults, Grupetto offers the carbon Mottarone SL & Mergozzo SL, as well as the steel Maggiore Corsa & Maggiore Pista (more on the latter two in a second). The top-shelf Mottarone (left) is “carbon retro” and combines classic styling cues and traditional geometry with a modern monocoque carbon construction. Offered with either Shimano or Campagnolo drivetrains, it is available with an integrated seat mast option or with a traditional seatpost. The Mergozzo similarly utilizes a monocoque construction, but has more modern road geometry with a sloping top tube, but no seat mast option. At the top of the Grupetto line, the Mottarone SL sells for £1920 as a frameset, with complete bikes starting at £2500, while the Mergozzo SL is a bit more modest £985/£1550 for frame/complete options.
For those who eschew carbon, the Maggiore line employs traditional lugged steel frames and forks to recreate the iconic Italian bikes of old, harkening back to the frames the O’Brien brothers ogled as kids (and then raced on themselves.) Offered in Corsa (road) or Pista (track/fixie) forms, the Maggiore line is built of Columbus tubing and features race-oriented geometry. Though shown with integrated shifters, the Corsa does also have downtube shifter bosses for those looking to build a true retro themed bike. Frames start at £975 and complete bikes from £1250.
In addition to bikes for adult riders, Grupetto also offers the PrimaVera line aimed at up and coming juniors. Intended to be used for racing as well as just riding for fun, the PrimaVera touts child-specific frame design, gearing, and crank lengths, rather than just a scaled down adult bike. Accordingly, the PrimaVera is offered in three wheel/frame sizes, 22″, 24″ & 26″ with each size having a corresponding crank length suited to the height of the rider: 22″ wheeled bikes come with 145mm crank arms, 24″ wheels get 151mm cranks, and 26″ use standard 170mm arms. Gearing on the PrimaVeras adhere to the gear inch limits set forth by British Cycling, so your grom will be good to compete. Pricing begins at £550 for the 22”, while the 24” and 26″ versions are£575 and £590, respectively, plus another £45 shipping. Knowing that kids can rapidly outgrow their bikes, Grupetto even offers a trade-in program for those who need to size up.
