Zanella Biciclette - Pordenone, Italy
Dino Zanella is a renowned Italian master frame builder who made his mark in cycling history primarily as a key employee and frame builder for the legendary Colnago brand. His work epitomizes the pinnacle of Italian craftsmanship in the era of steel racing bikes. Dino Zanella started out as a young and exceptionally talented builder in Ernesto Colnago’s workshop. During the 1970s and 1980s, he rose to become one of the master craftsmen who hand-welded and built top-notch racing frames for professional riders and special limited editions. Vintage bike collectors say that if you own an original Colnago racing bike from this golden era, it’s very likely that Zanella physically built the frame for it. He “earned” a high position as the only employee, and Ernesto Colnago once allowed him to brand his steel-made frames with the letter “Z”.
After leaving the Colnago factory, Dino Zanella opened his own independent workshop in the northern Italian city of Pordenone. Here he began to produce exclusive custom frames and complete road bikes under his own name.
In the 1990s, the entire bicycle market was hit by a crisis, cheap frames from Asia began to be imported, and the era of carbon and modern materials began. The business was taken over by Dino Zanella's son and later by his grandson. The hand-made custom production of racing specials was discontinued and the business refocused more on city and utility bikes, transport tricycles and machines for handicapped and disabled citizens. In 2026, both the production and the store were closed.
Contact Cicli Zanella Pordenone: https://www.ciclizanellapordenone.com
Address: Via Udine 4, 33080 Zoppola, Pordenone, Italy
Zanella Biciclette - Pordenone
Production and bikes Zanella was known for:
- Working with premium materials: He used legendary Italian tubes such as Columbus SL, SLX or special Air series.
- Technical sophistication: Zanella specialized in structurally complex elements such as curved tubes, time trial specials (Crono TT), track wheels and frames with triangular geometry (equilateral).
- Aesthetic details: The bikes bore the typical engraved "Dino Zanella" signatures, elaborate internal cable routing and precise paintwork (including chrome-velato finishes).
