How we first met #1: Anton’s Vigorelli
Anton Kuznetzov aka @antonbentframe is a young Russian ramen chef living in St Petersburg.
Earlier this year a video of him executing a “fish and chips” underneath the security barrier of a car park – that is sliding his bicycle and torso in a 360° rotation, what he calls a “normal trick” – became a viral sensation, evoking the ultimate, original, dream of urban track bike riding i.e. the ability to seamlessly adapt in motion to any obstacle whatsoever with perfect composure.
The bike ridden by Anton in this video was a 2016 Cinelli Vigorelli Alu. We called up Anton to ask him more about himself and how Vigorelli and him first met.
I started cycling in 2014. My first bike was a track bike Fuji steel track frame. I started riding because I wanted to do tricks and track bikes were popular in St Petersburg.
I immediately got hooked on riding track and for two years I even became a full time messenger.
The first time I saw a Cinelli trackbike was also in 2014, on a video on the internet.
In 2020 I finally bought my own Cinelli Vigorelli through a friend who got it on the blackmarket in Europe and brought it back to Russia.
In Russia it’s hard to buy Cinelli, it was hard then, even harder now… but I wanted the Vigorelli because of its history, its design and the geometry which for me was perfect.
I was so excited to finally own it!
I have taken this bike around Russia racing alleycats in different cities, people always comment on the frame.
In the whole of St Petersburg there are about 25 Cinelli bikes.
Often all the owners meet up and ride together… St Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia and today has maybe the biggest track bike scene.
My guess is that there are about 500 people on the streets currently riding track bikes.
My usual set up for the Vigorelli is 43×15 gearing (I just switched from 48×17) with Enve carbon riser bars (15mm rise, 680mm wide) and Vans cult grips for everyday use.
I love these bars and set ups for everyday riding, alleycats and tricks; I’m comfortable, have maximum control of the bike and can achieve a good fit. That said I am now looking to buy some 40mm carbon drop bars for short drag races where an aerodynamic position is advantageous.
When I have to ride mudguards I used a rollable from Mudguard company. Seatpost and stem are Thomson.
Wheelset is cheap because tricks often break bearings or rims.
Other interesting parts: Zodiak moscon chainring and cog, Izumi-Mash chain and a titanium top cap from Oh Sweet Ghetto… drop bars for racing.
