SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Ben Serotta will build a custom bike for the highest bidder in an auction to benefit CycleKids, a program that teaches kids to ride bikes along with other life skills.
Serotta, whose frame building business shut down in 2013, is building a handful of frames under the Ben Serotta Amodomio brand, working with longtime industry builder Frank Wadelton's shop (a modo mio means "in my way" in Italian).
The C17 model bike being auctioned is valued at $10,000 and will be custon fitted and built with Campagnolo components and Fizik and Deda Elementi parts. The frame is made with steel tubing made exclusively for Serotta by Columbus SpA.
Serotta said last fall he witnessed the launch of a CycleKids program in a school in the Bronx. "Watching as children’s lives begin a transformation before my eyes was simply an overwhelming experience. I just had to help. As an artist, making something with my own hands is the best way I know how to show my support.”
He said the CycleKids project drew him back to his roots and inspired the launch of a venture to build a handful of frames, "Simply for the love of the craft." Modomio frames and bikes will also be available from a handful of retailers, including Cyclologic in Arizona.
More information on the auction at handbid.com.
