I got the below email from Billato about a year ago. When I shared this with some listmembers they thought it was bunk. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
>From a Billato rep:
"I can't really go into who we build for a great deal as we have to respect client confidentiality, but over the years Billato has built a great number of frames for a whole host of well known names. You mentioned Lemond, when he won the 1989 Tour, his time trial bike was built by Billato, so that should lead to another brand! The guy who won the year before, rode a Billato-built frame, as did the guy the year before. In 1990, Lemond won again, riding steel frames built from Excell tubes that Billato helped develop. Some of these were TIG-welded, which hadn't been seen on a road frame before. Others took the credit for introducing this a year later.
There was the big Dutch team in the 80's, they rode Billato built frames. More recently, in 1999, five of the teams riding the Tour rode Billato-built frames. Last year 'only' three. Perhaps the best one \u2014 for me anyway, is that shortly after Silvio Billato started the company, he was supplying great rivals Coppi AND Bartali - at the same time! Some of the early US Masi's were Billato. Also Cinelli Super Corsa. They're no longer built so it's OK for the public domain as it were!
BTW, I spotted a Vicini on Classic Rendezvous a couple of weeks back. That one too :)