RIP Roland della santa

2/25/2019

RIP Roland Della Santa

Roland at NAHBS

I've been reeling from the news of Roland Della Santa's passing. For decades he has been something of a legend in Reno and beyond due to his skills as one of the finest bicycle frame builders in the country. His notoriety as the builder of frames for a young Greg LeMond didn't hurt his standing in the bike community. The World Champion stripes you see on his bike frames were earned.

Roland was a character. He was also a storyteller. Anybody who talked to him or visited his shop, was regaled with stories about the Navy or other bicycle industry types that he'd interacted over his many years in the industry, from racing to building and sponsoring young talented riders. He wasn't one to hold his tongue or even be particularly politically correct in his opinions either.

Roland had specific ideas about the way a good racing bike should look and ride. His frames and process were dialed and in an age of increasing micro niches of types of bikes in the industry, his frames were generally simple, elegant, and very clean looking in terms of features. Beautiful lugged road frames with a ride quality that rivaled the best in the world.

As a cyclist who moved to Reno you couldn't help but notice the many Della Santa bikes being ridden. Whether it was subtle color or a more bold paint job, they were all stunners. I dreamed of owning one. And when I inherited a small amount of money when my grandmother Lola passed away, I could think of no better way to honor her memory, than to buy something that was beautiful and that I would use and enjoy for decades. I promptly ordered a custom frame from Roland and I still think of my grandmother when I ride it.

My first Della Santa

Roland won the best road bike framebuilder a few years back at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. It was much deserved. Yet as much as he was revered it was the generosity of the man that I'll remember. He patiently walked me through lug options when I went back to his shop years later and was in the process of ordering a second frame from him.

Roland in his shop

And when another local framebuilder passed away suddenly with an unfinished bike order in the stand, he and others stepped in to make sure that bike got built. Those are the little things that demonstrate the character of a man who loves what he does and cares about the craft of building bike frames.

Reno Rambler Cycling Club dinner from December 2016...held at Beaujolais Bistro

I'll miss Roland. I'll miss his company at the annual Reno Rambler Bicycle Club dinners. I'll miss the fact I can no longer dream of placing an order for another Della Santa. But mostly I'll miss the occasional sighting, even in his later years, of him on one of his own bikes, riding the roads around Reno. Chapeaux, Roland!

Addendum

Over the years I've written quite a few posts about my experiences with Roland and his bikes. Here's a link to check them out.

A few year's back Roland was interviewed for the Outspoken Cyclist Podcast. Worth a listen.

If you look closely you'll see some footage of Roland racing at the Nevada City Criterium here.

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