A source in the bike industry sent along these photos of Electra’s new “Ticino” line of bikes.
Slated to come out in 2010, the bike struck me as being very similar in look/style to some of the city bikes made by local builders right here in Portland (especially from builders like Mitch Pryor of MAP Bicycles, Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles, and Ira Ryan of Ira Ryan Cycles).
According our source, every part (except drivetrain components) on the Ticinos have been custom made by Electra and will be available aftermarket. The bikes will come in 1, 7, 8, 16, and 20-speed versions and will retail from $500 – $2,000. Availability in the U.S. is expected by late October/early November.
Here’s a little blurb I found on the Eurobike website:
“Ticino pays homage to the handbuilt bicycles off in the 50s and 60s, but does so with the design precision and integrity of today’s materials and manufacturing processes. Period-piece components, not produced in decades – were re-examined: retro-style hubs, cranksets, chainrings, tourist handlebars, brake levers, forks, pedals and rims – Ticino’s retooled parts retain the aesthetics of the originals, but apply highest performance.”
It seems clear that Electra wasn’t just paying attention to the bikes of the ’50s and ’60s when they designed this. The influence from modern-day custom builders is unmistakable…
I wonder how/if this bike might in turn influence local small builders. As I get ready to attend Interbike (America’s largest bike industry trade show) in Las Vegas next month, I’ll be taking a closer look at next year’s bike offerings.
I also might be getting one of these Ticinos to review. Stay tuned.