Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

GION Italia

GION Italia

Very little information can be found online about the Italian GION marque. Giovanni Pelizzoli, a venerable godfather of the artisan Italian racing bicycle, sold the Ciöcc brand in 1980, but he couldn’t be kept out of the game for long, and the Gion name was born.

Ciöcc garnered a huge following Claudio Corti’s victory in the 1977 U23 Worlds at San Cristobal, Venezuela. The signature frame was named ‘San Cristobal’ after this and, along with the ‘Mockba 1980’ (named after their presence at the Moscow Olympics), became their most famous models.

Luigi Conti, a building contractor from Bergamo, bought Ciöcc, leaving Giovanni to build frames under the Gion banner. Around 130-140 frames were ever produced, but this particular frame, built with the revered French steel tubes of Excell, is one of the only few with the delightful crimps.

GION Italia
GION Italia
GION Italia
GION Italia
GION Italia
GION Italia
GION Italia

The whole Pelizzoli familia is in the last photo. From left: Samuel (the son), Giovanni (Papà), Mario (the Uncle), Cesare (Simona’s husband) and Billy. Alessandro Caccia is behind the camera. Giovanni established Pelizzoli World to focus on building bikes again, but they also offer a comprehensive restoration service of any steel Italian racing frame. You can contact them through their website.

GION Italia