Guerciotti Eclipse Plus

The first thing that really grabbed me when the Guerciotti rolled through the office door was the price. Indeed, being half of many people’s annual take home pay, it’s fair to say that it overshadowed the entire test. And it got me thinking. What is it that makes an object become desirable? So desirable that people are prepared to spend the absolute top dollar on it? What makes someone choose an Aston Martin over say, a Barina? A DeLonghi over a Breville? A flat in Toorak over a house in Eltham? A pair of Testoni shoes over, say, a pair of Colorados? And in this case, what makes someone want to spend seventeen grand on this bike over say, six grand on another? What is it that makes my friend Kurt say, “Oh man, that is seriously pimped!” when he sees this Guerciotti?

And I’ve decided it’s the combination of a number of things. Firstly, heritage. There has to be some kind of pedigree for a brand to be successful in this way. Secondly, style. A brand has to have a certain form, which is pleasing to the eye, yet still be fully functional. Thirdly, immediate status. It must be instantly recognisable as the genuine article. Would anyone really drive a Rolls Royce if it wasn’t such a status symbol? And does anyone care about Rolex watches anymore? Lastly, scarcity. A brand must be only available in limited quantities. The extension therefore is that you must be someone special to own one. Interestingly, the Guerciotti fulfils every one of these requirements.

Heritage

The Guerciotti company began life in 1964 courtesy of founder Paolo Guerciotti, a successful cyclocross racer. Paolo’s first premises are legendary, a 20 square metre store-cum-workshop on the Via Petrella near Milano railway station. Paolo soon became one of the famed ‘Milano Frame Builders’, moving to a larger premises near Bergamo before returning to Milan’s northern suburbs between the city centre and Monza. The company sponsored a number of famous teams including Fiorella, Magniflex, and Dromedario. Despite being a comparatively small concern, they still supply bikes today for the Continental outfit Team

Miche-Guerciotti and the women’s squad Gauss RDZ Ormu Unico 1. Their R and D test riders include Gilberto Simoni and Michele Scarponi, so you could say there’s street cred and heritage in spades.

Style

There’s no getting around the fact that Italian designers have a certain flair. Despite being immediately christened ‘The Love Bug’ in our office after it’s Herbie-esque stem and bar decals, this bike is a seriously bling piece of kit. Guerciotti have embarked on a project they call ‘No Limit Carbon Technology’. Working with aerospace and Formula One designers they are constantly pushing the limits of what carbon can do. Instead of using a monocoque moulding process Guerciotti employ a wrapping technique, which the company say allows for ‘no working marks’ while still providing the ultimate efficiency. The carbon fibre used is a blend of Toray, Hexcel and Advanced M46J and true to form, this frame is absolutely smooth and seamless, with the exception of the top tube where the join is visible. Combined with Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS groupset and Bora Ultra Two wheels this bike is style on a stick!

There’s more happening here than just good looks. A close look at the chainstays reveals a stiffening brace along the inside to give better power transfer. Additionally there’s a funky dropout and derailleur hanger combination on the rear end. The dropouts themselves are carbon fibre and are made during the moulding process, not added later. But they’re also strengthened with an aluminium plate (and hanger on the drive side), which is attached on both the inside and outside of the dropout. Nice.

This frame weighs in at 950g for the medium size. Guerciotti say that the initial version of this frame weighed 820g but they felt that some tubes needed to be modified for extra strength and reliability. Still, it wasn’t that long ago that any frame under a kilogram was considered an engineering marvel.

Immediate Status