Jean Jacques Sempé (known simply as Sempé) was a French illustrator born in ’32 whom we love very much for its extraordinary strokes and for his gentle sense of humor.
By ink or by watercolor, his drawings bring your nose an inch from the page not to miss any detail, and every time you find yourself with a smirk for perceiving that little detail from the master …
In his watercolors we cross many bicycles, perhaps because in his youth he delivered wine by bike, or perhaps simply because he has always been a superior mind and therefore also a supporter of the bicycle culture. ;-) At the end of the page you will find a cartoon on sustainable mobility which is pretty impressive … especially because goes back to 1962.
Well, we dedicate this singlespeed bike to Sempé, because we love him and we are grateful to him.

“Sempé” is the singlespeed we made for our friend Giancarlo, and we thank him because he left us the helm all the time.
Vintage singlespeed bike “Sempé”
Tech sheet:
- Columbus tubing vintage frame
- Campagnolo Super Record Strada crankset
- Saddle: Selle Ideale No 90 Competition speciale
- Cotton cloth tape
- Campagnolo Gran Sport hubs, high flange
- Italian stem and drops by 3ttt
- NOS Campagnolo rims, for tubular
- Vittoria tubulars
- Universal brakes and levers
- Creative concept: Biascagne Cicli

Selle Ideale No 90 Competition Speciale. Two great illustrators meet on this saddle. Sempé and…? ;-)
Brève histoire de la mobilité (Sempé, 1962) (Short history of sustainable mobility)
In 1962 the message was already obvious. Why do we refuse to consider it and act consequently?
The comic stip goes hand in hand with the words recently uttered by Gustavo Petro, mayor of the city of Bogotá: “A developed Country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation and bicycles”
I suggest you these books by Sempé:
- Un po’ di Parigi
- Sempé a New York
- Il segreto di Monsieur Taburin
- and in general all his books.
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Tags: Bici vintage @en, Conversione @en, Singlespeed @en


























