GREGARIO PRESENTS VERA
THE FIRST TRULY BESPOKE MONOCOQUE CARBON FRAME
- Patented technology: covered by several patents, allowing the frame to be customised to the millimetre;
- Innovation – 100% Made in Italy: from design to production, everything takes place in Italy;
- VERA AR is Gregario’s first aero-road bike model. Yesterday it was just a concept, today it is a reality that can be ordered;
- Created by a team of engineers with vision, experience, and cross-functional skills.
At the Italian Bike Festival in Misano (RM), the most important Italian cycling event, Gregario is launching a global innovation onto the market: VERA, the first monocoque frame, which is truly custom-made for the customer.
The project, which was previewed as a concept at EUROBIKE 2023, is now finally a reality. The complete bicycle, VERA AR, or the VERA frame kit can be ordered from the website www.gregariocycling.com
THE STORY BEHIND VERA
Gregario was born as a start-up, or, as they prefer to define themselves within the company, a bike-tech company. Created in 2019 from the intuition of Salvatore Botrugno and Paolo Baldissera, it aims to revolutionise the custom bicycle sector, combining Italian craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies. The idea started in 2016 from a real need: to overcome the limitations of standard carbon frame sizes, which are often a compromise for cyclists, especially with the increasing integration of components and handlebars. The solution? A bespoke integral monocoque frame, created using a variable mould.
From 2017, with the first international patents, until 2023, Gregario built a solid technical foundation and B2B collaborations that culminated in the presentation of the project concept at EUROBIKE 2023 in Frankfurt. From that moment, and deliberately, Gregario chose not to accelerate the development process, prioritising quality, uniqueness, and consistency with its values, and today, with the arrival of the bike and frame on the market, it marks its official debut.
VERA AR: THE ULTIMATE BESPOKE BIKE
VERA AR is Gregario’s first complete bike model. Its frame is made with the innovative, patented variable geometry mould technology, which allows for the creation of a truly bespoke integral monocoque, without joints or compromises. Produced in a single lamination and autoclaved polymerisation process, VERA represents the excellence of Made in Italy design and engineering.
With VERA, Gregario goes beyond the concept of “size” by introducing a total custom-made philosophy: the frame is designed around the contact points between the cyclist and the bike, customisable to the millimetre in angles and lengths. The cockpit is also custom-made, including the handlebar and stem, which are adjustable for angle, length, and height.
It is a unique experience that the consumer can follow step by step, or rather, millimetre by millimetre: in fact, the first phase of purchasing VERA is sizing, followed by fitting. Sizing, which is the definition of the frame’s dimensions based on the cyclist’s biomechanical parameters, can take place either in collaboration with the customer’s trusted bike fitter or remotely via a web app developed by Gregario.
An innovation within the innovation, the web app Digital Sizing by Gregario is based on neural networks and computer vision and offers a precise solution accessible from a smartphone. After this initial phase, the final fitting completes the bespoke experience: it customises the position on the saddle and the fine-tuning of the components based on the cyclist’s biomechanics and goals. This step can be carried out at a trusted bike fitter or at one of the centres collaborating with Gregario.
The VERA AR bike is designed to adapt over time: the adjustable stem allows for angle variations from −3° to +10° (relative to the road plane) to manage changes in position during the season, while the integrated seat post offers ±30 mm of vertical adjustment. Everything is designed to guarantee an evolved and perfectly personalised riding experience.
VERA AR is an “aero-road” bike, which means it is designed for speed. It is the result of a careful aerodynamic study where nothing is left to chance: every choice is born from an in-depth analysis of the interactions between the frame, components, and the cyclist in motion, thanks to Gregario’s experience in the field of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). This numerical simulation technique analyses how a fluid moves around an object and is a fundamental tool for designing aerodynamic bicycles and components because it allows for the simulation of how air flows around the cyclist and the bike during the ride.
Finally, the VERA frame fork integrates perfectly with the frame, improving the aerodynamics of the head tube and down tube. It has flat mount brake support plates or dedicated calipers and is a monobloc, without gluing, with integrated TA12 seats and a carbon crown race directly from the mould.
The entire VERA project is conceived, developed, and manufactured in Italy. The result is a truly exclusive product for the most demanding cyclists: technologically advanced, and completely customisable, including the final set-up and paintwork.
THE GREGARIO TEAM: ENGINEERING AND PASSION FOR BIKES
Gregario was born from the meeting of the skills and passion of Salvatore Botrugno and Paolo Baldissera, two engineers with complementary backgrounds and a long-standing friendship that began at university. United by a strong vocation for technology applied to cycling, the two co-founders represent the technical and visionary heart of the Gregario project.
Salvatore Botrugno grew up among bicycles: a family workshop and amateur racing fuelled a passion that accompanied him until his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino, with a thesis on a bicycle fork for Gruppo (Cinelli-Columbus). After a brief experience in the aeronautical sector with Alenia, he returned to the cycling industry, working at 3T Cycling, where he was involved in R&D, design, and industrialisation, travelling frequently to Asia. In 2016, he moved to Taiwan and in 2017, he started his freelance business, offering consultancy to brands in the sector. Thanks to his field experience and network of contacts, he acquired an in-depth knowledge of the supply chain and the international bicycle market.
Paolo Baldissera, a mechanical engineer with a biomedical specialisation and a PhD in Machine Design and Construction, was a researcher at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS) of the Politecnico di Torino from 2004 to 2019. He is the founder and technical coordinator of Policumbent, a student team that has brought a world-class level to the World Human Powered Speed Challenge, designing and building over 10 experimental vehicles. The author of patents and co-author of the book “Cycling: Physics and Physiology”, he has in-depth expertise on the man-machine interaction applied to cycling. Between 2018 and 2019, together with Salvatore, he was selected by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) as an international expert for a project dedicated to innovation in the Indian cycling sector.
Together, Botrugno and Baldissera have given life to a project that fuses craftsmanship, engineering, and innovation, with the aim of redefining the concept of a bespoke bicycle through proprietary technologies and a radically quality-oriented approach.
“Once, the excellence of a bespoke bicycle was entrusted to Italian craftsmanship. With Gregario, we wanted to recapture that value, bringing it into the future: not by cutting, gluing, or wrapping carbon tubes in a more or less evolved way, but by creating a true custom-made carbon fibre monocoque frame. Our variable mould is a modern transposition of the traditional jig of artisanal custom-making. Our vision? To combine tradition and innovation to give shape to the perfect bike, unique for every cyclist.”
— Salvatore Botrugno and Paolo Baldissera, Co-founders of Gregario
VERA AR IN SHORT
Frame: flat mount disc, TA12, BB T47, max 700x32mm, weight 840* g
Fork: flat mount disc, TA12, 1-⅛ 1-¼, max 700×32 mm, weight 360* g
Cockpit: integrated, bespoke width and length, adjustable angle, internal cable routing
Groupset: wireless or mechanical compatibility, personalised choice
Wheelset: personalised choice
Saddle: personalised choice
Paintwork: a selection of elegant layouts or full customisation
Basic frame kit (frame + fork + seat post): from €6,000**
Complete kit (including cockpit): from €7,100**
Complete bike “Italian Flagship”: from €12,300**
*The weight depends on the size, any personalised layup and the paintwork scheme.
**Excluding VAT and shipping; weight varies depending on the configuration.
VERA and VERA AR can be ordered from www.gregariocycling.com
Find out more about VERA AR: https://www.gregariocycling.com/vera/
ABOUT GREGARIO
Based in Mondovì (Cuneo, Italy), Gregario is an Italian start-up founded in 2019 by engineers Salvatore Botrugno and Paolo Baldissera. It operates on two fronts: engineering consultancy for brands in the sector (B2B) and personalised products for the demanding cyclist (B2C). The core of its philosophy is total customisation, made possible by a proprietary technology unique on the market, which allows not only the bespoke creation of frames and components like the handlebar but also the perfect integration between all parts of the bike. VERA is the brand’s first frame model and VERA AR is Gregario’s first complete bike. With this product, Gregario aims to redefine the concept of the bespoke bicycle, making it modern and radically personalised, while keeping the tradition of Italian artisanal excellence alive.
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