DeSalvo Custom Cycles hails from Ashland, Oregon, and offers a full lineup of steel and titanium frames: Road, mountain, cyclocross and more. Mike DeSalvo, the company's founder and builder, is well a well-known name in the industry. He teaches two to three fall and winter classes on welding at the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland. Rock Lobster’s Paul Sadoff calls DeSalvo as the best welder he knows. (DeSalvo, humbly deflecting the compliment, claimed that Eriksen Cycles has the best welder.)
In 2012 at NAHBS, DeSalvo had his cyclocross bikes on display, and reported that gravel bikes were one of the largest growing segments of his business.
At NAHBS 2015 in Louisville, DeSalvo Custom Cycles showcased two gravel bikes, each of which had a new thru axle fork, one from TRP and the other from ENVE, the latter being also equipped with a Chris King thru axle road disc prototype 12mm hub.
The company offers stock geometry frames, $1575 for a Columbus Zona steel frame, $2550 for a “classic” titanium cyclocross frame. DeSalvo also does custom geometry for $175 more. The typical wait time is around four to six months.
DeSalvo likes the Syntace X-12 thru axle dropout. It offers a stiff derailleur hanger but uses a breakaway bolt to protect the derailleur. It also has an eccentric threaded insert that allows frame builders to be extremely precise in aligning the rear wheel to be perfectly centered.
More info: desalvocycles.com, and be sure to check out more cyclocross and gravel eye candy from NAHBS 2015, such as the award-winning No.22 Broken Arrow cyclocross bike.
DeSalvo Custom Cycles’ gravel bike with the prototype ENVE GRD gravel fork. NAHBS 2015. © Cyclocross Magazine
