BESPOKE HITS THE BIKE SCENE

SURE to cut a swathe through the usual gaggle of bikers hurtling off as the lights change are these stylish, high quality bespoke bikes from Pitango.

Pitango was born in North London this summer,  the result of three young entrepreneurs coming together to bring some excitement to the biking scene. Fed up with the uniformity of most cycles, the team concentrated upon creating carefully crafted designs in bright colours.

As the London bike culture continues to grow, boosted by on-going sporting success as well as environmental and economic factors, it was clear that there was a market for some rather more distinctive styling. Pitango has stepped into the limelight with quite some of the brightest bikes – pillar box red, canary yellow and powder blue are sample colours that not only look great but might just be a safety factor, as they are extremely visible.

The basis is a high quality steel frame that either has the classic road bike construction or the step-through ‘ladies’ style favoured by the Dutch. The bespoke  factor comes through in that customers may specify the handlebar style they require and their choice of colour combinations for the bike’s tyres, rims, wheels, chainset, seat and bar tape. The end result is an original tailored to the individual.

The bikes are streamlined but sturdy, with Chromo steel lugged forks and thick 28mm tyres for a balanced ride, and a choice of one or three gears. Prices start at £375. Find on www.pitangobikes.com . Make sure to buy a security chain too!

RETURN OF THE MODS

Luxury cars, luxury bikes – and now the luxury scooter. That icon of 1960s Mod transport, the Vespa has been relaunched in handcrafted quality with state-of-the-art technology.

The Vespa 946 is available in a limited edition for the UK market, and should have appeal to the growing band of bike riders in London and beyond.  It retains some of the Italian va-va-vroom that made it such a desirable stead for Mod stylists, with the addition of a 125 cc four-stroke engine, three valved and with air-cooling. This means it is eco-friendly, giving dramatically reduced fuel consumption and gas emissions.

Fleets of Mods on Vespas, and also Lambrettas, would head for coastal resorts in the ‘60s, for famous dust-ups with their Rocker rivals, who arrived on motor bikes. Mods were distinguished by their smart dressing, favouring Italian-style suits off their scooters, topped by parkas when on. As the Mod craze waned in the late 70s, the Vespa largely disappeared too, but came back in the 80s, and now there is an enthusiastic market for classic old models, restored and returned to original style.

This new one is available to order now, in white or black, price £7,740. Go to www.vespa.com/en/946