Q&A: Martone Cycling Co. x Peroni
Karina Gubanova & Lee Dahlberg
Miami Beach – June 19, 2018 – Martone Cycling Company is a fashion–and design–driven bike company. Martone is known for creating bikes with bold statement of personal style: city bikes, created with passion, their signature red chain,and integrated handlebar basket to carry the weight of your every day necessities while bringing style back to commuting. World Red Eye seized the opportunity to capture Martone’s founder Lorenzo Martone, in honor of his newest collaboration with Italian beer brand Peroni. The limited edition Martone for Peroni bikes debuted last month and retail for $895. There are just 12 of them available for purchase, and WRE was lucky enough to take a spin on the stylish bike. If you’re looking for a way to get around this summer, World Red Eye has you covered. Read all about Lorenzo Martone and his vision behind a new world of cycling that suits your style.
Lorenzo Martone
WRE: You’re the founder of Martone Cycling Co., what made you decide to launch a career in the bicycle industry?
LM: It started out of the desire to create a bike for myself that would live well in my one bedroom apartment – among furniture and other objects. My taste navigates in the mid-century waters so my first idea was to make an all gold bike mimicking brass. It started with a visit to a factory, which ended up being the birth of 5 bikes. I showed the pictures to Anna Wintour in 2011 and she asked to send the bikes to Vogue to be photographed. I felt then I had something special in hands.
WRE: Martone bikes have a distinct signature style. Tell us about the unique design features?
LM: We are known for our integrated handlebar basket, as well as the red chain. The bikes are made of an alloy combination of steel and aluminum, very resistant yet somewhat light. Our 2018 V3 edition of the bikes come with 3 gears and a few novelty painting techniques such as, an Ombre style called Broadway. The Broadway style goes from black to white with a few shades of gray.
WRE: Where and how are the bikes made?
LM: They are designed in our studio in New York but the parts are manufactured in Taiwan with many destains being handmade. It takes us about 90 days to create a new batch of bikes each time.
Martone Cycling Co. is a niche brand and we target people that are innovative, creative, fans of color, and movement. Biking itself is a category that seems to be so optimistic: its good for the environment, its good for your personal health, its easy and cool.
Lorenzo Martone
Karina Gubanova & Lee Dahlberg
WRE: Martone recently collaborated with Peroni to create the Martone for Peroni bike. How did the partnership come about?
LM: I met someone from their team in 2015 who helped me at the time design uniforms for my team. We were doing a charity bike ride from San Francisco to LA called Aids life cycle. The ride lasted 1 week (545 miles – I will never forget that) so we needed lots of uniforms. This gentleman named Sebastiano later joined the Peroni team and told the corporate offices about the bikes. When we met and felt in love, we shared numerous values about quality, about being effortless and of course the european heritage. We decided to design samples and see if more people would like the idea and it was a success, so we made 1000 units for their partners! They will be all over the U.S. and its design is very elegant and fun at the same time, its one of the designs I’m most proud of.
WRE: Martone has quickly become a favorite amongst luxury and boutique hotels. What current hotel partnerships are MCC bikes partnered with?
LM: We are at the W South Beach, the Chiltern Fire House in London, and the Palace in New York. But some of The Gates Hotels (including the one in Miami and Fort Lauderdale also have our bike program). We hope to expand this category since hotel guests love it!
Karina Gubanova
Karina Gubanova & Lee Dahlberg
WRE: Where are Martone bikes available to purchase?
LM: Our focus is online at martonecycling.com where we have the entire collection available however, some of our partners in retail world are Saks Fifth Ave and Ron Robinson.
WRE: If you could describe Martone in one word what would it be?
LM: If I could describe Martone in one word it would be joy!
WRE: Your brand has only been around for 5 years. In just four years has MCC became so successful?
LM: I guess it depends how you define success. We are a niche brand and we target people that are innovative, creative, fans of color, and movement. Biking itself is a category that seems to be so optimistic: its good for the environment, its good for your personal health, its easy and cool. Not to say it tones your legs like no other exercise. I guess we do what we love so it doesn’t seem like work so much. And if enjoying life is considered success – then yes – we are super successful!
