Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Pelagro PB1 Superleggera

Pelagro PB1 XC

Superleggera is translated from the Italian as ‘super light’, but it’s also a licensed trademark of Carrozzeria Touring. Touring is an automobile coachbuilder established in 1926 who pioneered the method of bodywork construction using small-diameter tubes to form the frame, realised in bicycle form by the visionary Peter Laibacher of Germany’s Pelagro.

Pelagro PB1 XC

Peter is a Ducatista, so it’s easy to see the references employed by his trellis bicycle frames. He formed Pelagro to manufacture his popular PB design, of which the example seen today is the latest. Earlier PB1s were commissions, this one was built as the ultimate expression of its namesake: a sub-10kg XC mountainbike.

Pelagro PB1 XC

The frame is an improved design which is 500 grams lighter than the earlier iterations and has a new, lightweight rear triangle — the head and down tubes have also been reimagined to shave weight. It was built as a race machine, and performed successfully at its maiden voyage, a local German hill climbing event.

Pelagro PB1 XC

The low weight was achieved by a selection of top shelf parts as well: the tubular carbon DT Swiss wheel set is shod with a pair of the Dutch handmade Dugast tyres, tipping the scales at 1100 grams. The same combination won Nino Schurter the MTB World Cup and the World Championship title in 2012 and 2013.

Pelagro PB1 XC

DT Swiss continue the patronage up front with the fork. The featherweight stem and seatpost were supplied by the German company Tune, FSA provided the road cranks and chainrings, Velo and Prologo the saddle and grips, the gold chain by KMC and a carbon handlebar by Answer.

Kudos to Peter for breaking free of the diamond frame mold — you won’t ever see too many of these at your club races. What do you think of it? Special thanks to Richard Becker for the photos.

Pelagro PB1 XC