Gios 1948-2013: Celebrate 65 Years in Business
Today Gios, Turin’s home grown, handmade bike frame company, celebrates 65 years in business. To mark the occasion, they have invited Roger de Vlaeminck, Belgian former professional racing cyclist and winner on the legendary Blu Gios, to their showroom in Volpiano where the celebrations are taking place.
Gios have designed and produced handmade bike frames in Italy for three generations. Their first workshop, opened by Tolmino Gios in Corso Matteotti, was testament to a lifelong passion for cycling that became a much loved job. In the 1950s, Gios moved to via Foligno, where they started to manufacture the high quality bikes their name has become synonymous with, that have supplied some of the greatest names in cycling. As demand grew, they moved to via Cogne, where in just fifteen years they had tripled production.
In the meantime, Tolmino’s sons, Alfredo, Adriano and Aldo, joined the company; Alfredo and Adriano, working on the management side and Aldo in R&D and the manufacturing of their famous frames.
During the 1970s, Gios expanded into foreign markets and launched their ‘Easy Rider’ model which was inspired by the 1969 film of the same name. This was the bike that caught the attention of Giorgio Perfetti, owner of the Brooklyn chewing gum brand, who immediately ordered some to be given as prizes in the Lucky Draw competition organised by his company.
This collaboration paved the way for the foundation of the Brooklyn cycling team, one of the most famous teams in cycling history, which supplied its riders with Gios bikes and opened the doors for the development and launch of the legendary Blu Gios.
In recent years, Gios has invested much into the research of new materials for bike frames such as carbon, titanium and aluminium, as well as the traditional steel frame that is, for so many, an iconic symbol of the Italian made frames.
Gios’, most recent showroom is at Volpiano. Enjoy the party!