Italian boutique brand Pegoretti – founded by the late master craftsman Dario Pegoretti who died in 2018 – has launched a new version of its longstanding Duende model – the Duende Rock and Roll (RR) – that it says “blends the all-terrain chops of the CX with the spirit of Pegoretti’s road frames and takes off for pastures new with the versatility to ride on any surface.”
The Duende was previously available either as a traditional road bike or in a cyclo-cross version with cantilever brakes, but Pegoretti’s Cristina Würdig explains in the press release: “For the past few seasons, our clients have been requesting a modern version of the [Duende] CX, so we took the opportunity to think about how we could reinterpret the CX platform and, at the same time, create a frame with versatility at its core, able to ride on the road, city and trail, and respond with the same feel and responsiveness that Pegoretti is known for.”
Dario Pegoretti famously reinvented the steel frame for the 21st century and was a pioneer of the new handmade bicycle movement, especially revered by the artisan builders in the USA during the 2000s and 2010s. Although as a telaista he made frames for superstars of the 1990s like Indurain and Pantani, he was never stuck in the past and claimed to be the first Italian framebuilder to use lugless TIG welding and oversized tubing, which upped the stiffness of steel frames to rival carbon.
The Columbus XCR stainless steel tubing used for the Duende RR ups the stiffness even further and ought to reduce weight, too – though no frame weight is available at the moment.
The Duende RR keeps Pegoretti's signature features such as the extended head tube and horizontal top tube designed to keep the main triangle smaller without resorting to compact geometry, while his burly cowled dropouts are still present and correct – overseen by Dario's long-time partner Pietro Pietricola, who is head of production.
There’s a new Piron carbon-fibre fork debuted with the Duende RR, which has clearance for up to 40mm tyres and has a eyecatching design: a horseshoe shaped crown sweeps underneath the head tube in a continuous curve. It’s a radically different design from the brand’s more traditional Falz fork, and has a 50mm rake that, combined with the relaxed 72° head angle, is designed for front-end stability in keeping with the all-surface brief.
Pegoretti offers standard or custom geometry, mechanical or electronic groupset compatibility and customers can opt for mudguard mounts and/or rack mounts so that the bike could fulfil both bikepacking and commuting duties.
Dario Pegoretti’s vibrant, sometimes off-the-wall custom paint schemes – always done in his workshop in Caldonazzo – were a highlight in an era of anonymous black carbon. In keeping with his much-loved zaniness, and continuing his legacy, Pegoretti is launching the Duende RR with a spaghetti theme. The brand explains that "it’s a tongue-in-cheek design inspired by that most sacred Italian practice: the preparing of the pasta. And as we all know, pasta comes in a lot of varieties.” Custom paint (Pegoretti's freeform Ciavete artwork), graphics and panel finishes will be offered as usual to Duende customers.
It looks like a bike worthy of the great man’s name – and is fatti con le mani in Verona, Italy at Pegoretti's Bottega. Contact Officina Pegoretti for pricing and options.
