Racer Rosa Bicycles, London

I journeyed to the northern tip of the Victoria Line this afternoon to visit Racer Rosa Bicycles in Walthamstow. I only came across Racer Rosa about a week ago via Twitter – and the business itself has only been going for three months – but I was so taken with the spirit of the company that I really wanted to pay a visit. I’m very glad I did.

Racer Rosa was established by Diego Lombardi – who I met today – and his wife. Diego’s Italian (as you might have guessed) but has been living and working in London for the past six years. He’s passionate about cycling – his interest was sparked as a child by his father, Piero. There’s a lovely picture of Diego’s dad on the wall in the studio. It was taken in 1949 and he’s standing by his road bike on the side of a picturesque Italian mountain. (Some brands spend tens of thousands of pounds trying to create the illusion of authenticity, but when it’s real, it’s real!)

Racer Rosa positions itself as an ethical bike company. The most obvious manifestation of that is the fact that they will happily take an old steel bike and completely refurbish it; using as many of its original parts as possible and using ‘new old’ bits and second-hand where things need replacing.

But the ethical stance goes much further than that. Racer Rosa can build you a custom steel frame, handmade in Italy. The craftsmanship is outstanding. The frames are steel because it’s more environmentally friendly than producing bikes in aluminium and even when you have a new frame made, they’ll build it up with ‘new old’ and refurbished bits. Nothing is air freighted between Italy and London either. It’s about as green as a bike gets.

Most of the bikes Racer Rosa creates, however, are blue. It’s a colour that Diego created and therefore carries his name: Lombardi Blue. They’ll happily do any colour you like, but I think it shows how immediately people are connecting to the brand that most go for the house colour.

In the pictures here (and excuse the quality – the only camera I had with me was the one on my phone!) you can see an old white frame. Diego’s refurbishing it for a friend in Italy who was given the bike by his own father. The frame’s a Berma, manufactured in 1967 in Padova, Diego’s hometown. Honestly, the place – tiny as it is – is just dripping in cycling romance!

I’ve got an old Viscount steel bike which I’m going to try and get down to Diego when I’m next in town with a view to Racer Rosa refurbishing it for me. I had been thinking I’d get it painted in Véloiste green, but now I’ve met Diego, I really can’t see past Lombardi Blue! See what I mean..?

Honestly, it’s well worth a trip up to Walthamstow for a visit and chat with Diego. He makes a very decent cup of coffee too. Racer Rosa deserves every success.