Cicli Faggin (pronounced Fah-JEEN) was established in 1945 and, for the past 70-odd years, has been producing some of Italy’s finest road racing bicycles. Their new Mule model, however, shows a willingness to get off-road and, dare we say it, a bit rowdy.
Apart from a cursory excursion into the mountain biking category during the 80s, Faggin have specialized in road and track racing bicycles with a vast success, and their cyclocross palmares are also substantial.
Being a family-owned and run business for over seventy years has allowed them to flow with the market. For instance, they were recently able to introduce a series of bike polo frames for the strong Italian scene. Their city bikes are also something to behold.
The new Mule frame draws from that vast experience, and has interpreted it for a new school of riders — one that isn’t so much interested in racing as they are in riding, whether it’s exploring trails that extend beyond the asphalt or touring acoss borders.
There’s a few new variations in the Mule series, there’s a fine stainless version, built with Reynolds 921, and this rugged model, constructed from Columbus LIFE tubes. Both use a carbon fork and incorporate that massive tapered headtube.
The most amazing thing about the Mule, and every Faggin frame, is that these days, they’re all made by hand at their factory in Padua, Italy — where they have been located since 1953 — by members of the Faggin family and, primarily, by Cristina, daughter of the founder, Marcello Faggin.
Cristina must surely be one of the unsung heroines of the framebuilding industry, tirelessly producing work at the same quality as the most celebrated male builders — although her husband, Massimo, also contributes to the design and fabrication process.
The work of Massimo, Cristina, and her other sisters, Cicli Faggin is an Italian family dynasty of the Italian framebuilding industry, and the Mule is an important and fun-loving addition to their model lineage.
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