Pietro Del Po (1916 - 1995), Switzerland

Pietro Del Po was born in 1916 in Switzerland as a son of italian parents.

In 1933 Pietro started his apprenticeship as a bicycle mechanic and frame builder at Elsener company in Seefeld/Zurich.

From 1940 on Pietro worked for the Fries company in Wallisellen where well known Rico-Wheels where produced.

1943 Pietro married his wife Alin and they got together their daughter Silvia the same year.

1948 Pietro and Alin founded a bicycle shop at the Jaegerstrasse in Zurich where they offered bicycles and Pietro built frames and stems for road bikes.

1951 they moved to the Militaerstrasse/Zurich with the focus on building and offering special frames and road bikes.

1952 Del Po Cycles signed on the first amateur racer Helmut Fitze. Many other followed on Del Po road bikes like swiss champion Kurt Rechsteiner and professionals like Hans Wenger, Hans Gubler and Max With who won the "Blue Ribbon of Zurich" in front of Fausto Coppi. Well known champions like Carlo Clerici, Rolf Graf and Ferdi Kuebler brought their bikes for service.

1960 change to Bauhallengasse/Zurich. Manufacturing of professional team frames and bikes for bicycle wholesales and companies.

1962 start of sponsoring bicycle club VMC Hirslanden which made several times swiss team champions and over 25 winnings on Del Po road bikes.

1963 building of pro road bike # 96033 presented in the Speedbicycles virtual museum.

1964/65 Hans Luethy from VMC Hirslanden reached two times swiss road champion on Del Po Cycles.

1978 Pietro and Alin celebrated the 30 anniversary of Del Po Cycles which closed his doors in 1983.

In 1995 Pietro Del Po passed away.



Thank you very much to Alin Del Po who gave us this information in July of 2003
© Speedbicycles Switzerland 2019