The Heart of Handmade

The story of Sarto starts with Antonio Sarto, who, together with his brothers Mario and Giovanni, began working in the bicycle business in the early 50s. In 1960, they founded Cicli Mariella, where production reached 200 bikes a day at its peak. Among the various models, the brothers developed a promising line of racing bicycles, driven by the strong growth of the market, in turn, supported by the public’s passion for the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the great champions, protagonists and epic battles of the day.

In 1983, Antonio sought a new path, departing Cicli Mariella to begin a new era as Sarto Antonio, a company focused on designing and building racing bikes under license for the most famous brands in the sector.

Happily, for Antonio, in 1992, his son Enrico joined the business. With fresh ideas and a growing interest in ‘custom made, Enrico complemented his father’s vast experience in bicycle design, geometry, and craft to build a foundation that would see the fledgling brand become a world leader in specialist carbon fibre bicycle production.

In 2003, the duo’s long years of research and materials development led to the creation of Sarto’s first carbon frame. The new material marked a revolution in the world of bicycles and, for Sarto, represented a milestone in the company’s history. Proprietary technology and unique methodologies developed by Sarto allowed the creation of custom carbon fibre frames tailored to each rider’s measurements, form, goals, and physical attributes. It was an approach that took customisation to a new level, far exceeding the frame’s geometry.

As carbon fibre matured, Sarto stayed at the forefront of composites innovation, iterating, and innovating an exclusive process that set Sarto apart as a rarified maker of ‘beyond-bespoke’ handmade carbon fibre bikes.

And riders responded...

The value of a custom-made approach gave Enrico the confidence to focus exclusively on producing Sarto-branded bicycles, abandoning the creation of frames for other companies.

Today, a Sarto represents a commitment to timeless Italian craftsmanship, the artisanal tradition, excellence in materials and methodology, and the absolute value of a bespoke approach.

Or, to put it another way, Sarto create bikes that ride like a dream.

Come dream with us.

The Handmade Process

A Sarto bicycle represents the pursuit of perfection, a product of boundless innovation and material excellence. A high-precision work of art brought to life with a singular vision to create the ultimate custom carbon fibre racing bike.

Here’s how Sarto do it.

Design

A custom Sarto begins with the creation of a personalised frame schematic, informed by bike fit data, your current ride, fitness, physiology, personal goals and more. It is a holistic process that blends analysis, an experienced eye, and objective measurements to create and assess a virtual render of your frame.

Form

Expect no shortcuts. Every Sarto frame starts life with freshly cut sheets of carbon fibre sourced from Sarto's regional partners. Sarto make each tube by hand, forming each section in service of the client’s needs.

Bond

Formed and now finished tubes come together through an exacting tube-to-tube technique that guarantees flawless precision and rigid adherence to custom dimensions. It is not a fast process, nor should it be, but creating a custom frame demands nothing less.

Laminate

A frame is a fixed structure, but curiously, it is also alive to the rider and the various amounts of comfort, responsiveness, strength, and stiffness it’s designed to exhibit. To bridge this duality, we set the tubes with a proprietary technique that guarantees the mesmeric, elemental feel for which Sarto frames are renowned.

Wrap

The wrapping process further enhances the frame’s established qualities. Sarto apply layer after layer of additional carbon fibre across the frame, each piece chosen for a specific characteristic to complete the raw production process.

Paint

A stunning finish demands the finest paint and an experienced eye. Sarto's in-house paint shop brings your frame closer to the road, rendering your pre-approved custom artwork or stock paint scheme with perfect fidelity.

Components

From handmade wheels to the latest and greatest groupset, Sarto and Northern Ride's brand offering includes parts and components from the best in cycling. Whether you have a set idea of your kit list or need some guidance to sort through the many available options, we are here to help every step of the way.

Assembly

With a clean workbench, a completed frame, and a selection of finely crafted components at hand, our mechanics bring your dream bike to life. Their unrivalled experience and keen-eyed attention to detail ensure an immaculate build.

Assess
Sarto's in-house manufacturing process guarantees precise, repeatable quality from the first fibre to the final finish. Before your bike departs, Sarto meticulously inspect every element to ensure it meets the Sarto standard.

Sarto Frames | Premium UK Sarto Bikes Stockist

Sarto Antonio, finest handmade custom bicycles since 1950. Superior Italian craftsmanship: this is the defining element of the company founded by Antonio and his son Enrico, who are proud to represent, both at home and abroad, the pride and tenacity of a nation so rich in creativity and enthusiasm. Northern Ride is a proud authorised retailer of Sarto Antonio in the UK. The 100% Handmade in Italy trademark is the strength they both believe in and the means that has allowed them to establish their name and gain market share over the years. More than 2500 frames are produced each year thanks to a team of specialists, starting with the design of the frame, to the cutting and laminating of the tubes up to the painting and testing. Sarto Antonio are available to purchase in the UK as framesets from £4799 or complete builds. The frame can be built in a standard geometry size or can be tailor made to your specific needs. If you would like to discuss your custom build or book an appointment to for measuring please contact us at [email protected] or call 01653 699070

Sarto Antonio | Custom Geometry

Just as a tailor would measure his client up for their clothes we will need to take some of your measurements to enable us to design your frame. When visiting us at Northern Ride we will take your measurements and discuss your current and future cycling aspirations. Sarto have over 50 years’ experience of building custom geometry frames. We also have experience in completing the process at a distance with our international customers, contact us for more details. Once we have your key measurements and some other simple data we will supply you with your own custom, scale frame design. Once this is approved the average time required to build your frame is 6 to 8 weeks. Painting your frame then takes from one to four weeks depending on the complexity of your design. Custom geometry is supplied at no additional cost. Please note Sarto are an artisan company and timescales can vary.

Geometry Design: Three design proposals are included in the RRP with any additional proposals/revisions charged at £50.

Reinforcements and modifications: Sarto optimise the structure of each custom frame as they deem necessary. Any additional modifications requested (e.g. additional stiffness, cosmetic change or attachment points for carriers) will be subject to additional charges from £180.

Sarto Antonio | Custom Colours

Sarto Collection: Standard graphic placement and masking as per the Sarto Bikes website, but the choice of any standard colours (RAL code required). Included in RRP.

Fully Custom Colour: A fully custom option designed either by the customer, or designed by Sarto with the customer's mood board. Upcharge starts at £220 for simple designs and up to £1200 for extremely complex designs. Most custom paint work is around £650. Please note, the more complex the design, the more weight is added with paint. In some cases as much as 250g for complex designs.

Graphic Design: Three design proposals are included in the RRP with any additional proposals/revisions charged at £120.

Sarto Antonio | Ordering Process

Deposit: all orders require a 50% deposit at the point of order to start the project. Once the deposit is received work on custom geometry and custom colours will commence.

Timescale: the standard timescale is 12-16 weeks depending on the time of year and capacity at Sarto. Spring/Summer is the most popular time for orders and this timescale can increase at this time of year. The timescale is also dependent on signing off custom geometry and custom colours. Please note Sarto are an artisan company and timescales can vary.

Sarto Antonio | Complete Bike Builds

We can custom build a Sarto to your specification. At Northern Ride you can either purchase a frameset or a complete bike, we will discuss the options and prices available to ensure you get the correct equipment for your Sarto frameset.

Ordering: We offer competitive pricing, complimentary bike fits and quality servicing. Contact us or visit the 'Order Process' page for more details.

Customisation: Contact us with your upgrade or component alterations, we will endeavour to create your desired specification at purchase whilst maintaining a competitive price.

Availability: E: [email protected] | T: 01653 699070 | Chat live now!