Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Pogliaghi Pista

Pogliaghi Pista

While this could be one of the finest restorations of a Pogliaghi you could lay eyes on, it’s not a patch on one of Sante’s competition tandems. But as you won’t find a tandem that’s been photographed so finely, this Pista will have to do. Dan Hale from Melbourne’s ShifterBikes did an amazing job of bringing this frame back to its former glory. If you follow his work or his collaborations with Andy ‘Fyxomatosis’ White, you’ll be aware of his uber-professional ethos, and this Pog is no exception.

Pogliaghi Pista

Pogliaghi began building frames when he was 11, under the tutelage of his Uncle Brambilla. When Brambilla died in 1947, Sante began branding the frames with his own name. Sante passed away in the year 2000, and had previously sold the right to brand frames with his name during the 80s, first to Rossin and then the Basso brothers. Frames that were manufactured under Sante’s supervision were stamped with ‘PSM’ on the seat lug, and a serial number on the seat or head tube lug.

Pogliaghi Pista

I’m sure Sante would approve of the final result—there’s not a bolt nor component out of place, while the frame has been sympathetically resprayed by the more than capable Star Enamel in Sydney. One of my favorite photo galleries on Fyxomatosis is called ‘Steady Hands’ and portrays Dan and a helpful assistant in a ‘doctor and nurse’ guise—it’s an apt representation of Dan’s approach to his work. The Pog was given the ‘treatment’, and Andy applied his creative flair to the crank set, with matched paint on the scallops. If you’ve got a project that deserves the same meticulous attention, contact Dan through his website.

Pogliaghi Pista
Pogliaghi Pista
Pogliaghi Pista
Pogliaghi Pista
Pogliaghi Pista
Pogliaghi Pista