Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Pinarello Montello SL

Pinarello Montello SL

If you know your x-heights from your em dashes, there’s a possibility you’ll recognize the name of the owner of this Pinarello Montello SL. His name is Abi Huynh—a typographer and designer of exceptional skill. A browse through his portfolio demonstrates his acute ability to drop words on a page using the most legible layouts, so it’s no surprise that his pristine Pinny shares the same respect for clean lines and white space.

Abi now resides and works in Vancouver, after a stint in NYC and an education in Amsterdam. He acquired his Montello from a fellow Vancouverite who is also a Pinarello aficionado. “According to the previous owner this was a custom ordered frame by a team but never painted. The geometry is slightly different than a ‘standard’ Montello, slightly longer wheelbase overall. Instead of Columbus SLX, this Montello was built with Columbus SL.

“When I saw the frame I fell in love and wanted to build it up with one of my favorite group sets, Dura-Ace 7700. Although some would object to Shimano components on an Italian frame, I just loved the way the polished 7700 group set looks with the frame. The Pinarello pantographed stem was a lucky find but the 3ttt 25.4 clamp diameter limited my handlebar choices. Luckily, I have found the Nitto B105 is incredibly comfortable.”

It would be interesting to hear Abi’s thoughts on the evolution of Giovanni Pinarello’s branding, from the iconic serif face that has been the envy of riders since the Miguel Indurain era, to the modern logotype gracing the Dogma frames that have won the last two Tour de France events. Special thanks to Abi for the photography.

Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL
Pinarello Montello SL