Vinny's FiftyOne

This week’s Bike of the Week is a made-to-measure road bike from FiftyOne that takes custom paint to a new level. Not only did its owner, Vinny, have very specific performance expectations on performance but he also wanted to include the words and symbols that hold special meaning for him in the bike’s artwork.

Vinny came to Signature Cycles as a referral from another great client who had already entrusted us with a couple of custom projects. As we all know, riding with beautiful bikes at your local group encourages others to dream about what their own might look like, and Vinny decided it was time.

As with all bikes we sell, everything starts with the proper bike fit. Vinny had a 10-year-old Specialized Tarmac that had served him well, but with its race geometry it was a bit too low and too forward for his needs. We spent a lot of time finding the perfect frame for him and, after reviewing many options from the best custom carbon manufacturers, our partner from Ireland, FiftyOne Bikes, was the perfect match.

Performance, weight and comfort were very important for Vinny: he loves to ride in Italy and wanted to make sure his bike performed perfectly up the sustained climbs of the Dolomites as well as enabling him to descend off them like a pro.

Vinny is a very spiritual person and this project had a very special meaning for him. After our initial interview during the fitting session, we knew that FiftyOne was perhaps the only manufacturer that would comply with Vinny's expectations not only on performance but also on paint. Vinny has Italian heritage and he wanted to integrate the Italian flag into his scheme; he also wanted to include various logos that have a special significance, such as a tree that represents the constant growth of the planet.

There is a circle on the downtube that has the initials of his grandchildren and family members in it – a tribute he wanted to share with them and also so that he could keep them in mind during his long bike adventures. On the downtube is Vinny's name in italian, "Il Vincenzo". Most custom manufacturers are very specific about name placement, but for FiftyOne the satisfaction of the client comes above having its own logo in the most prominent place.

If you look closely at the images here, you can see some of those names and symbols Vinny has chosen. We could explain all of them here, but instead we encourage you to look for Vinny and his beautiful bike out on the road and ask him directly: just watch a smile spread across his face and he will be more than happy to tell you in his own words.

Thank you Vinny for letting us be part of your special dream bike, we are extremely proud of the results but most of all we’re proud that you’re out there enjoying this masterpiece created by FiftyOne!