Pinarello's Founder
Giovanni Pinarello was born in 1922, the eighth of 12 brothers from the rural Italian region of Veneto. In his youth, Pinarello was an avid and successful bike racer. He first built bicycles when he worked in the Paglianti factory at the age of 15.
The Beginnings of Pinarello Bikes
In 1952 Pinarello retired from professional bike racing and opened his very successful bicycle store in Treviso, Italy.
First Sponsorships
In 1957 the first Pinarello bicycle was raced in national competition. This marked the beginnings of Pinarello's sponsorships of teams and riders.
Pinarello's Many Wins
Pinarello bikes have many times won the Giro d' Italia and the Tour de France. In 1980 Alexi Grewal won the Olympic gold medal in the road race on a Pinarello.
Famous Riders
Some of the most famous riders of Pinarello bikes are Tour de France winners Miguel Indurain, Bjarne Riis, and Jan Ullrich. The famous and flashy sprinter Mario Cipollini was also known to race on Pinarellos.
Construction, Then and Now
Originally all Pinarello bikes were handmade of high quality steel tubing. As times changed and technology advanced, aluminum and magnesium frames were added to the lineup. Now the top-of-the-line bikes are made of carbon fiber.
