Enrico ‘Kiko’ Bellé tells Cyclist why simplicity is best… except when it comes to paintjobs
Words Paddy Maddison Photography Patrik Lundin
Me and my bike LEADOUT
On the outskirts of Barcelona, not far from the cycling mecca of Girona, Enrico ‘Kiko’ Bellé’s workshop is perfectly placed to develop, build and test high-end bicycles. After getting a taste for metal while working as a farrier in the Italian Army, Bellé dabbled in artistic fabrication, precision welding and forging before deciding to combine his knack for metalwork with his love of bikes.
Since 2016, Bellé has been creating and selling bikes through his namesake brand, garnering attention from all around the world. His creations are stocked by some of Europe’s coolest boutique retailers, and his keep-it-simple approach to frame design ensures they remain elegant and relevant across the years.
‘For me, the bicycle is a simple tool,’ Bellé tells Cyclist. ‘My philosophy as a builder is that if something is not absolutely essential, I don’t include it in the design. The goal is to make the bicycle simple and easy to use.’
Bellé grew up riding BMX, mountain bikes and anything else that took his two-wheeled escapades away from the road. But later in life he developed a need for speed that can be seen in the racy angles of his beautifully crafted steel frames.
‘I would say that off-road cycling was my very first love,’ says Bellé. ‘Then I discovered the speed of road riding. These days I’m between gravel and road, but my bikes are always sporty. I mean, my gravel bike is not all that different to my road bike – it’s just adapted for bigger tyres.’
Bellé’s frames haven’t always been super-aggressive and race-ready. Before the Italian set up his own operation, he was building urban commuter bikes for a Spanish brand. He built his first prototype frame in 2010 and still has it hanging up on his wall. Being his framebuilding debut, the resulting bike was sadly unrideable, but it serves as a daily reminder to Bellé of the mistakes he made early on and how to avoid them. His second attempt was more successful – ‘the person who tested it is still alive today,’ he laughs – and since then he has been building frames and honing his skills every day.
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