£6,122 (as pictured), poshbikes.com
It might not be the first name that springs to mind when you think of veteran Italian bicycle brands, but with origins traceable back to 1893, Olympia is actually the second-oldest bicycle maker in Italy after Bianchi (1885), and by our reckoning the third-oldest in the world (Raleigh was founded in 1888). However, with the disc-brake Leader, Olympia is not resting on its vintage laurels.
‘Adding disc brakes to a “conventional” bike only has one benefit – better brakes,’ says Olympia distributor Andy Wallis. ‘The Leader has been designed from the ground up, which allowed Olympia freedom to think beyond the restrictions that regular brake callipers enforce.’
By that, Wallis specifically means stiffness. According to Olympia, rim calliper brakes dictate that the fork crown and seatstays…