We received an email that deeply moved us. Mikko wrote to us from Finland. But this story begins in Tuscany, more than thirty years ago.
Mikko was a young Erasmus student, attending the University of Pisa. He decided that warm Tuscany was the perfect place to get into cycling. And so, in a small village at the foot of Monte Pisano, Calci, he bought his first road bike: a Daccordi. But not just any bike.
The bike belonged to a local mechanic, a true enthusiast who had it custom-built by us. He requested lightweight tubing and sharper-than-usual angles, specifically designed for climbing. The first owner was a true mountain lover, and living near the Monti Pisani was ideal to fuel his passion. It was a bike made for climbing. Thoughtfully designed, and lovingly ridden.
Parting with it wasn’t easy. But he did it. Because he was no longer young enough to tackle those climbs, and he knew Mikko would take care of it. Every Sunday, that elderly man would drive up the mountain to watch cyclists climb. And whenever he saw Mikko struggling uphill with “his” Daccordi, he would shed a few tears of emotion.
Today, Mikko lives in Helsinki. And that bike has been with him for thirty years, becoming his everyday means of transport. Until just a few days ago, when the rear dropout broke. He wrote to us asking for help. It’s not an easy repair. Those frames used very thin tubing, and welding them correctly requires great skill. But Mikko doesn’t want to give up. He wants to give his bike a few more years of life.
Yes, it’s a complicated, expensive, perhaps uneconomical job. But that’s not the point. Because the value of certain old bikes goes far beyond what can be measured in money. They are pieces of life.
We’ll do our best to bring it back to life. Because putting that bike back on the road isn’t just a repair — it’s an act of respect for a beautiful story.
And what about you? Do you have a bike you wouldn’t trade for anything else?
