In a world shaped by marginal gains and wind-tunnel testing, many modern bikes are designed by spreadsheet rather than sensibility. Those who grew up admiring the work of the Italian masters might argue that the bicycle has lost its soul, but in the mind of Gregario’s Salvatore Botrugno, artistry and science don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Botrugno describes the bicycles he revered as a youngster as ‘works of art on two wheels’, and their makers as maestros and master craftsmen. At the same time, the company he co-founded with fellow Italian engineer Paolo Baldissera focusses on technology to create completely bespoke, tailored-to-the millimetre, carbon monocoque aero road bikes.