Bella Ciao city bikes are now available in the UK through online retailers bikesales4u and we reckon they’re going to appeal to the style-conscious as well as those after some good, old-fashioned practicality. All the bikes in the range have classic looks, feature frames that are handbuilt in northern Italy, and are assembled in Germany.
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The lugged steel Corvo Citta is about as traditional-looking as you can get – and that’s really saying something at time when there are so many retro-styled bikes out there in the marketplace. The frame is available in both men’s (Uomo) and women’s (Donna) versions, and you can opt for either a singlespeed setup (£599) or go for a Shimano Nexus 3-speed internal hub (£699).
Time-honoured features include a fully enclosed steel chainguard that’s painted to match the frame, along with full mudguards, a Brooks B17 leather saddle and leather grips. The manufacturers give the weight of the men’s version at just over 30lb (14kg) – not light, but we’re guessing most prospective customers are going to be after reliability rather than speed.
![](/sites/default/files/images/Ciao%20Bella%20Neorealista.preview_500.jpeg)
The Neorealistica is a more high-end version of the step-through Corvo Citta Donna featuring, for example, a Stronglight crankset, polished stainless steel mudguards, and MKS Sylvan Stream pedals. The singlespeed model comes in at £799, although you can go for a Nexus 3-speed build for £899.
£1,199 gets you the top-level Veloce version of the Neorealistica – ‘Veloce’ meaning ‘fast’ in Italian, rather than referring to the Campagnolo groupset of the same name. You actually get a Nexus 7-speed hub here and a Columbus Cromo tubing version of the frame.
![](/sites/default/files/images/Ciao%20Bella%20Ingegnere%202.preview_500.jpeg)
Finally, for the time being, there’s the Ingegnere which is built around a double butted Columbus Cromo frame. At 24.2lb (11kg), it’s the lightest bike in the Bella Ciao lineup. Prices start at £799 for the basic singlespeed version and rise to £949 for the 3-speed Nexus model. There’s also an Alfine 8-speed internal hub model (£1199) and even one featuring Schlumpf-Getriebe gearing (£1399).
For more info on the Bella Ciao range go to bikesales4u.com.
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