Iride Bicycles is a brand of bicycles manufactured at the Gemmati Velocipedi factory, near the city of Venice, in the town of Teglio Veneto in northern Italy. It was established in 1919. The trademark was originated by Umberto Gemmati and continues to be produced by his grandson, Carlo Gemmati. The word iride refers to the spectrum of colors in the champion flag, and is pronounced like the root of the word iridescent.
History
Iride had a race winning heyday during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Victories on road courses and velodromes were made by notable racers including Nino Florean. The office of the factory displays many trophies. The nearby Mecchia velodrome, in Portogruaro, is featured in historical photos of the racers.[1]
The company is best known for producing hand-brazed lugged steel frame bikes using primarily Columbus tubing, also Oria tubing; and mainly utilizing Miche components because of the high performance[2] and the fact that they are close by in San Vendemiano.