Dario Pegoretti wasn’t just a framebuilder. He was an artist, a rebel, and a legend in the cycling world. Pegoretti hand-built steel bikes that rode like nothing else on the road. If you’ve ever ridden one, you know…it’s more than a bike.
At Lakeside Bicycles, we carry his frames because we recognize them as true pieces of art: hand-built, unique creations that stand out in both performance and aesthetics. As a local, family‑owned shop, we value craftsmanship and quality above all. Pegoretti fits that ethos perfectly, offering riders something rare, beautiful, and extraordinarily well-made. Read on to learn more about Pegoretti and about finding the Pegoretti frame that fits your needs and wants.
ABOUT DARIO PEGORETTI
Dario Pegoretti began his career as a master bicycle frame builder and designer apprenticing to Luigino Milani in the late 1970s. During the 1980s he provided frames under contract to many of the top professional riders. In the late 80’s and into the 2000s he was sought after to provide custom frames under their sponsor’s colors to the likes of 5 time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain, six time green jersey winner Erik Zabel, Tony Rominger, Stephen Roche and four time Paris-Roubaix winner Tom Boonen ,
Dissatisfied with the current state of the art, in 1990 Dario established a factory under his own name where he was free to develop what became an internationally recognized style combining progressive engineering, visual art, and musical inspiration. During his career Dario advanced the use of TIG welding and the use of custom drawn tube sets from the likes of Excel, Dedaccia, and Columbus in bicycle frame manufacturing. Working primarily in TIG welded steel he also developed signature designs in aluminum as well as two spectacular lugged steel designs the Luigino and the Day-Is-Done.
Recognition came quickly. At the 2008 NAHBS in Portland he was named Frame Builder of the year (his nearly four foot tall trophy can be seen at Lakeside Bicycles). In addition there were invitations to lecture on the art and design of bicycle frames, and to collaborate with other internationally known builders including Richard Sachs and Sacha White, American bicycle headset manufacturer Chris King, and Australian lug designer Darrell McCulloch. Meanwhile he developed close friendships (and provided frames to) the likes of Robin Williams, Michael Ward and guitarist Ben Harper.
On his passing in 2018 he was generally recognized as being preeminent among bicycle frame designers and manufacturers. To this day his work can be found in various museums of art and engineering.
Since Dario’s death his apprentice and collaborator Pietro Pietricola has managed the factory floor under the skilled general management of family friend Cristina Würdig. Other key figures have remained with the Bottega including mentee and fabricator Gianmaria Citron as well as Andrea Meggiorini.
LAKESIDE BICYCLES AND PEGORETTI
Lakeside Bicycles has been honored to deal in Pegoretti frames since 2000. We have been delighted to witness the Bottega maintain Dario’s vision of individual, honest works of cycling art built with precision, quality, and a timeless style.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR PEGORETTI
Once you have selected your Pegoretti model, Lakeside Bicycles will be delighted to help you resolve the issues of sizing and geometry. Lakeside Bicycles and the Bottega have been collaborating for over 20 years in helping customers achieve a perfect fit on their new frame, if you have any doubt regarding your correct size please contact us by email, or by phone W-F 10-7, Sat 10-6 or Sun 12-5 at 503-699-8665.
ART + INSPIRATION
Take your time selecting graphics for your new frame. There are dozens of current and historic designs available at no additional cost as well as a multitude of extra cost Ciavete frames (means “Whatever I darned well please…“) that can be applied to for inspiration. If something a bit more temperate is your cup of tea, the Bottega will gladly and beautifully paint your frame in the solid color of your choice. When selecting colors, the Bottega references the RAL color wheel. We strongly encourage you to match your choice to an RAL code.
As ever, we would be happy to discuss your frame’s finish in detail. Please forward us your ideas.
LEAD TIME
Typical lead times from confirmation of your order are six months for TIG frames and twelve months for lugged models. Orders that overlap August can take a bit longer as it is vacation month in Italy. Please contact us if you have any questions.
. 
. 
