Velocità e Bellezza

December 2015

Formigli FGR

Formigli is a bicycle frame brand that some of us have heard of, a few of us have seen, even fewer of us have ridden, and the fortunate have owned. I consider myself very lucky as I’ve recently been able to build up my new Formigli FGR. After a dozen or so rides I have some impressions on this unique and special brand.

Like many, my love for cycling developed into a passion for racing. For the 13 years or so that I have been riding and competing I have been fortunate to have had some great Europe- an bicycles to pass the miles, suffering, and accomplishments with. Some of these include, but are not limited to, Colnago, Cyfac, Wilier, Sarto, Look, Fondriest, and De Rosa. I still own and enjoy riding a couple of these brands, but I also didn’t mind seeing some of them go. A couple of the better ones I have even considered purchasing again.

Not knowing anyone that rides a Formigli, I can’t recall how I first found out about the brand. However, from the moment I started looking into them I was impressed with what I saw and read. Upon communicating with them I was impressed even more. I was impressed not only with the candor of their responses, but with the willingness to answer any minor or insignifi- cant question I had. Again, not knowing anyone that was riding a Formigli this was very im- portant. There was no pressure or hype that so many other manufacturers and distributors have resorted to in an attempt to gain market share.

Once I decided on which model I wanted things could not have gone more smoothly. After my measurements were sent to Formigli, along with my style of riding and requirements/ desires, the frame started to be built. I was provided with updates and sometimes pictures during the process. Customer service at Formigli is superb. Upon completion the frameset was then sent directly to my house from Italy. The next step was to build it up. I assemble all of my bikes myself. Call it paranoia if you like, but I don’t trust anyone else to do this. To me it’s one thing to have a wheel trued or chain installed at a shop, but a totally different thing to have a bike completely assembled by someone else. Too often I have witnessed the disastrous results, and injuries, of over- torqueing and over-looking from bike shops.

I am very familiar with all of the components I used to build up this bike because I have used the same setup on many previous bikes of mine, and I trust them. Therefore I find it beneficial when an- alyzing the characteristics of a new frame because there is no confusing something like a stiffer bar/stem combo for a more rigid head tube, or vice-versa.

This bike was built with aluminum Ritchey WCS bar, stem and seat post. I have always found Ritchey components to be well made, good looking, and the aluminum stem and bar plenty rigid. Like with other bikes, I mounted a Selle Italia SLR saddle for this build. The drivetrain, like with all of my other bikes, is Campagnolo. For me nothing can compare to Campagnolo. I used different wheelsets while getting the first impressions and rides on the FGR. All of which I have been riding for some time now on other bikes and I am very familiar with them. I have narrowed down what wheels I will want as the “regular” wheels for this bike, but I have not made my final decision on what that might be.

The one component on this build that is somewhat new to me is the new 4-arm style Campagno- lo crank. Campagnolo claims that this new style increases ri- gidity (as well as other benefits). I have never found fault with Campagnolo cranksets in any aspect and so I can’t attribute any differences in this area with certainty. Like a work of art that belongs in a gallery as much as on the road.

The frameset is absolutely beautiful. I opted for a semi- custom paint scheme and it came out perfectly. Until my frame arrived I had only seen pictures of other Formigli frames and read about how nice the finish was. Pictures cannot do it justice. It is a work of art and the attention to detail is fantastic. I think that if it wouldn’t have added weight to the frame they would have painted/finished the in- side of the tubes as well – it’s that nice. In my opinion the large round tubing of the FGR is classic, muscular, and eye- catching in today’s aero-crazed cycling world. There is cer- tainly nothing wrong with maximizing your aerodynamics on a bike, but for non-time trialing applications I prefer a more traditional frame. Maybe with some aero wheels.

During my decision process I was informed that the FGR was not the lightest frame that Formigli produced, but the final build weight of mine is plenty light. With pedals, but no water bottle, it weighs barely over 15 lbs. with race wheels and 16 lbs. with training wheels. Ride qualities of a bike are inherently subjective. What one might describe as a lively ride another might describe as lethargic or heavy. Love is subjective too. So if you like a bike to perform the way I do, you will love riding a Formigli FGR. Obviously some of this has to do with the custom fitting process not available with the majority of other frame manufacturers. The rest of it boils down to the superb design, craftsmanship, and talent at Formigli.

I found the FGR to have predict- able and sharp handling without the twitchiness of some other “high performance” bikes. I’m not the kind of rider that takes my hands off the bars when de- scending a mountain, but this bike that gives one that kind of confidence.

The FGR is a rigid frame that I found to respond very well to power increases whether seated or out of the saddle, and whether climbing or on the flats. Even so, I did not find it uncomfortable after long rides, rough roads, or both. I’ve experienced far worse rides when it comes to rough roads from frames that also felt like a wet noodle when sprinting. The FGR is the antithesis of this. Almost instantly I was posting new personal rec- ords on climbs and sprint sections I have ridden countless times and returning home feeling quite refreshed. Of course the Campagnolo components performed flawlessly.

This FGR is a really fun and rewarding to ride. I found the more I put into it the more it re- warded me. I mention this because I have had bikes that seem to get to a point where no matter how much more effort I put into them I get nothing more back in return. Almost as if they are mocking me for my effort. The Formigli FGR is not this way. The efficiency of this frame is superb and it will reward you for your effort, even those last few ounces.

As I mentioned before, but it can’t be overstated, the finish and paint quality is absolutely amazing. My intention when I started looking into getting a new frame was for a race bike that I would primarily do crits with. I also wanted something that was per- sonalized both in fit and look. The way Formigli has designed and built this FGR it is very much a worthy candidate for crit racing, among other things, but this bike is so nice and looks so good that I’m hesitant to do so. I could make comparisons to any of my previous bikes and say how the Formigli betters or differs from them. I could also make statements like “The FGR has the build quality of a Cyfac with the performance of a Wilier.” However comparisons and statements like this simply don’t do the Formigli justice because whereas there might be one single aspect that one of these other brands can somewhat compare to the Formigli, they will fall well short of the FGR in most, if not all, other aspects. The fact is that in my experience the build quali- ty of the Formigli FGR is superior to anything I have owned (or seen) before and the perfor- mance of the FGR is superior to anything I have ridden before based on my needs, de- sires, and abilities. I consider this even more impressive by the fact that Formigli markets this frame as a more affordable option in their lineup. Some of the other brands of Europe- an bikes I have owned and raced were marketed as top of the line offerings, with a price tag to match, but they can’t come close to comparing to the Formigli FGR.

In conclusion my experiences have been top notch with my Formigli FGR from the begin- ning. I anticipate and look forward to many miles and years riding this fast, fun, and beauti- ful example of Italian craftsmanship. Towards the beginning of this review I noted some of the frames I have owned, and I wrote that a couple of them I would consider purchasing again. Well, that would be very difficult to do now having experienced and owning a Formi- gli. Returning to anything else like what I have experienced before the FGR would be a step backwards. Hopefully in the not-too-distant future I will be able to purchase another Formigli when the need arises.

* Please note that I pay for all of my equipment. The nice people at Formigli have not provided me with one bit of a discount or free product. All they have done is provide amazing customer service and a phenomenal product.