Legend #1 Mario Confente

In the world of vintage bicycles, there’s beautifully crafted, and there’s rare, and then there’s Confente. A name lesser known in the general cycling community but one that elicits a special reverence from collectors and enthusiasts.

Confentes are the type of bikes that people tend to wax poetic about. They’ll call Confente the “Holy Grail” of vintage bicycles, and draw comparisons to the likes of Stradivari. Perhaps all a bit hyperbolic but, among the hoards of vintage bicycles, Confente frames are truly the rarest of the rare. 

Their builder, Mario Confente, died at the young age of 34, having produced only 135 frames bearing his name. They command a high price, the combination of rarity, excellent craftsmanship, and perhaps also the drama and tragedy surrounding Mario Confente’s work and death all working together to drive the value for his frames higher with time.