Modolo - burning brighter, but for a shorter time.

In an age when steel was real, and tour victories were measured in hours not seconds, Italian Modolo brakes were the advanced alternative to the venerable Campagnolo Record.

Over a period of 20 years, one could argue that Modolo was responsible for far more innovation than most component manufacturers – especially in road brakes and handlebars.


Since starting business in 1952, Modolo had become well known for bicycle brakes and brake levers by the late 80s. By the 90s their focus had switched over to bars and stems. The list of accomplishments was impressive, through a very complicated range of products.

It all started in the late 1970s, when Modolo introduced the “PROFESSIONAL” series brakes and self-lubricating Teflon brake housing – a technical first. A year later several lower cost models had been produced, and a wide choice of colours were also available. In 1980, the company introduced the first carbon road brake levers with internal cable routing. A year later the accompanying KRONOS centrepull brakes were introduced, also carbon. They didn’t work very well, were only produced in limited numbers, and are highly sought after now for novelty value alone

Technological innovation ensued, with technology trickling down to lesser priced brakes (all the while with a myriad of colours and names – SPEEDY, CORSA, SPORTING and CROSS.... Modolo introduced anatomical brake hoods first in 1982.

In 1983 Greg Lemond won the World Championship on a set of Modolo MASTER PRO brakes with anthracite hard anodized calipers, white levers, and sinterized brake pads. These were ridden that year by some of the greatest - the Renault-Elf-Gitane team (containing Hinault, Fignon and Lemond). The team tested Modolo KRONOTECH Carbon disc wheels – the first to market.

Modolo sinterized brake blocks were great when it came to wet stopping, however the fact that they used Asbestos, eventually filed away your rim sidewalls and squealed like a pig, limited their appeal.

Things got really freaky in 1985 when the KRONOTECH bicycle was introduced, though it was never seen in competition. Bottechia was a key collaborator.

The Japanese onslaught began in the mid 80s, and Modolo brakes started to look a little old fashioned compared to the high quality and superior stoppers from Dia-Compe and Shimano. Their focus changed to the cockpit. In 1986 the first anatomic handlebars were produced – removing the smooth circular bend and replacing it with 6 bends (and some flat sections). The 6 bend bar added a bend on each side of the traditional drop bar in the downward curve. This added bend created a short, straight section that is “more comfortable to the palm and knuckle line than the traditional round bend”. It wasn’t and still isn’t.

Handlebar manufacturers scrambled to licence the patent, and round bends bars went out of fashion until their recent revival!

In the late 80s, there were further innovations in stems using multi piece clamping mechanisms (they often broke) and another 8 bend anatomical bar.

Then things went quiet. I suppose all the licensing revenue was enough.

However in 1998, Modolo released an utter failure, the MORPHOS brake and gear shifting lever to compete with Shimano STI and Campagnolo Ergopower. It was highly complicated, but claimed to work with Campanolo and Shimano systems. It didn’t really. The installation manual was 44 pages long.

From this point forward, Modolo stuck with handlebars – offering lots of innovative (if unsuccessful) new shapes, and claim to have created the first carbon MTB bar, bizarrely named “CROW”. The company still operates, rebadging product sourced for Asia, and making some product in Italy.