about

Thanks for visiting the website and checking out Caletti Cycles. I'm John Caletti and I handcraft custom bicycles in Santa Cruz, California. I truly enjoy the challenge, reward, and process of building bicycles.

I have long loved to ride - both pavement and dirt, as well as build and create, particularly with metal, so the move into framebuilding was a natural progression for me. I built my first frame in 2003 under the instruction of framebuilder Jim Kish. I had been working in bike shops for several years, initially doing sales and fittings, then as a mechanic. Growing up I had learned to weld, braze, and do some machining from my Dad. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to have access to the tooling as well as the instruction. Along the way I have benefitted from the local knowledge of Santa Cruz builders Paul Sadoff and Rick Hunter, as well as tap into the brain pool of some builders out of the area, particularly Carl Strong.

I appreciate the richness and depth of the cycling experience, that it can take us to some amazing places, teach us things, help us grow, provide reward, challenge, and a low impact and fun way to travel around. I usually bike rather than drive places, and it is rewarding to provide others with bikes that inspire them to ride more often. Beyond that I look for other ways to reduce the impact of my bike making business. I recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, metal cut-offs and scraps, reuse packing material, ship by ground (not air), use natural light in the workshop, and produce durable and recyclable bike frames. In addition Caletti Cycles is a member of 1% for the Planet - donating 1% of sales to groups working to preserve and protect our environment.

Thank you for visiting the website. Please feel free to call, ask questions, and discuss ideas about your next bike.

Happy Trails,
John Caletti

VIDEO on Vimeo: A window into Caletti Cycles

Dirt Rag
Dirt Rag's coverage of NAHBS 2009 included a Caletti Belt drive one speed mountain bike.