Masi Main

Italy

Updated 12.11.2012 Click on images to see larger version

Faliero Masi, and now his son Alberto, are an intrinsic part of the Italian romance with racing bicycles. Although never the sponsor of a major Pro team, Masi has been whispered to be the preferred builder for many stars in the Pro peloton. In the original workshop beneath the famous Vigorelli velodrome, the Masi family has produced sought after bicycles for 50 years. At the Vigorelli, Faliero's torch was Dicimo Merlo, who worked from the beginning of the marque in 1946 until his death in the mid-1960s. Masi would finish the frames made at the Vigorelli that Dicimo brazed. Later, many contractors supplied their services, but the design and quality control remained under the strict oversight of the Masi men.
In the early 1970s, Masi USA was established as a production facility that trained or involved many craftsmen, including Mario Confente, Brian Baylis, Jim Cunningham (CyclArt), Rob Robeson, Dave Moulton, Mike Howard, David Tesch and the Medici marque, among others. Around that same time frame, business dealings transferred the "world wide" rights to the use of the Masi name to the USA. Alberto continues to produce bicycles in Milan, which have been imported to the USA under the "Milano" nameplate.

Faliero Masi
passes away January 2000

Faliero Masi

      Renowned bicycle artisan, Faliero Masi passed away on Tuesday, January 4th. His world-famous atelier under the curve of Milano's Vigorelli Velodrome had created some of the greatest racing bikes of the 20th Century. Masi built bikes for many of cycling greatest champions. Masi was predominantly a "servizio corse", building less than 1000 frames per year, mostly for trade teams and racers.
       Notable Masi bikes were the Superias ridden by Rik Van Looy's "Red Guard" in the '50's and '60's and the Faema bikes Eddy Merckx rode from 1969-1972.
     With the worldwide bike boom of the '70's, Masi's creations like the elegant Gran Criterium became famous around the globe. Eventually, Faliero Masi sold the rights to his name to an American company, who made Masi bikes in Southern California.
       One of Masi's important contributions to bicycle design was his early use of oversize tubes in his early '80's Volumetrica design. The steel bikes, which were light for the time had innovative internal lugs. Masi Volumetrica's were used successfully in many international races by the Leningrad Lokomotiv / USSR team of Alexender Kuznetsov.

Bob Hovey's Masi Italia bicycle registry

Rex Gephart's award winning Masi track machine. Specifications