When in 1961 Alberto Pedrazzani had the opportunity to work with a tricycle company in Milan that was looking for a welder to help them with production, no one could have imagined that this job would change his life and that of his family members completely.

At that time, Alberto worked in a small mechanical workshop in Castelnuovo d’Asola, Italy, and he did not hesitate for a moment to embark on this new adventure. He began by welding the handlebars of the tricycles sold by the Milanese brand and, months later, would end up taking charge of the entire frame.

Over the years, he learned a lot, and little by little he mastered the technique. In addition, the company also grew as family members joined Alberto. During the 90s, the company reached record annual numbers, manufacturing one million frames (mostly BMX and mountain bikes) and positioning itself among the largest manufacturers in Europe. In 1995, the company was renamed TITICI looking for an abbreviated version of its original name, Tecno Telai Ciclo, which they used since 1985.

A decade later, Alberto’s children, inspired by his father’s passion, decided to embark on the manufacture of carbon frames, thus beginning a new path for the Italian brand in which quality and innovation were part of its DNA.

In 2017, the brand became part of the Trerè Innovation group and, to this day, 62 years later, part of the Pedrazzani family is still closely linked to what we know today as Titici.

Innovation and customization

What has characterized Titici during all this time is its passion, effort, dedication and ability to innovate within a traditional industry. Historically, the brand has always tried to anticipate changes and look for new ways of working, which has brought them where they are today.

During its trajectory, Titici has reached several important milestones, such as the production volume it hit during the 90s when the company used to manufacture bikes for others. They were also one of the first Italian brands to launch, in 2007, a mountain bike with 29-inch wheels, and its revolutionary and very characteristic PAT system (Plate Absorbe Technology) PAT (Plate Absorbe Technology) is now present in most of the bikes they produce.

This system has become part of the brand’s identity, and not only for its aesthetics but also for the improvements it brings. The PAT is a technology applied to the horizontal tube, allowing Titici to build it in a special shape and make the part that connects with the vertical tube narrow in such a way that it ends up becoming a single sheet of carbon of about 10 mm.

With this, they manage to reduce vibrations by up to 18%, providing greater comfort and safety, without losing the stiffness required to maintain that reactivity and high performance for the highest level competition.

In addition to the improvements that Titici introduces to its frames, we also find a high degree of customization in terms of geometries, colors, and designs, to achieve high-quality builds that are always aligned with the taste of its customers.

Nowadays, the brand has a wide range of bicycles covering disciplines like road, gravel, and mountain biking, as well as some e-bike models.

Racing point of view

For The Traka 2023, we had the opportunity to share a few days with the guys from Titici as they prepared for their participation in the event. The Italian firm currently supports several riders on the gravel scene, including the Sartoria Ciclistica Gravel Team, representing the famous cycling cafeteria located on the shores of Lake Como, in Italy.

In addition to having other passionate adventure and long-distance runners, they also count on a relevant individual like the British, Sam William Andrews, who has recently achieved great results and is one of those in charge of squeezing the bikes that the brand puts at his disposal.

We had the opportunity to chat with Sam for a few minutes and learn more about his bike, a fully customized version of the Titici Relli.

“Italian bikes are an unrivaled delight in life, and Titici has been crafting the finest among them for decades. When it comes to racing on the unforgiving terrain of gravel, a multitude of perils loom, making the possession of a perfectly suited steed an absolute necessity. With PAT technology, it allows me to effortlessly glide over rough terrain and helps reduce stress in the lower back, allowing me to push my limits. It’s a game changer!”

Sam began collaborating with the brand in 2022 when he had the honor of testing a Relli prototype from a more competitive point of view. The development team made some adjustments to the frame based on feedback from the rider, until a final version was released. Months later, they began working on an exclusive design for him.

“We embarked on creating a captivating design. Opting for a frosted purple fading into silver, the final product is an attention-grabbing masterpiece.”

Near future

During our meeting in Girona, we spoke at length with Titici’s brand manager, Roberto Sambinelli, who explained to us the trajectory of the brand, from the beginnings of Alberto, the founder, and the transfer of the profession to his children, until the acquisition of the brand by the Trerè group, in addition to the most immediate future plans.

The main vision of the brand is to continue working hard to grow in the European market. Currently, the countries where they have the greatest presence are Germany and Austria, especially with their gravel model. They also have points of sale in other corners of the continent but, all the same, Roberto confirms that they have a plan to improve their positioning in important countries of the European Union, including Spain, which they consider a very important and strategic market.

Within the catalog, we can find several different bike models, disciplines and materials. Despite focusing on carbon as the raw material for most of their frames, they do not give up offering also options in aluminum or steel. Their main technology advancements, including PAT, are also implemented to different degrees.

Gravel and competition is being their preferred way to reach potential customers and demonstrate the quality and performance of their bicycles. Visibility is a key point for them and, for this reason, they are putting in a strong effort to continue growing.

Before finishing our chat with Roberto, he revealed that little by little they are introducing the brand in the United States via Elia Redini, son of Marco Redini (Trerè owner). He explains that today they are still in a very preliminary phase, but he predicts a promising future in North America. We will closely follow the process.



Read the full article here: https://www.rawcyclingmag.com/titici-heritage-and-innovation-from-italy/