The Campag Kid on building retro masterpieces, trickle-down tech, and getting hit by a car you helped design

The road.cc Podcast

It’s something of a nostalgia fest on the 60th episode of the road.cc Podcast this week, as we’re joined by retro bike restorer extraordinaire and leading proponent of the lost art of ‘drillium’, the Campag Kid, for a fascinating discussion about the roots of his obsession for classic bikes and illustrious Italian components, the lengths to which he’ll go to satiate that 50-year-long obsession, and how his real-life career in the automotive industry can often butt up against – literally – his love for cycling.
The Campag Kid is a cycling enthusiast and former racer who has acquired a cult online following restoring and building Campagnolo-equipped bikes. He’s also one of the few devotees keeping alive the retro art of drillium, the practice of hand drilling holes in components for aesthetic and weight purposes pioneered by Eddy Merckx for his Hour Record attempt in Mexico in 1972 and picked up by British time trialling great Alf Engers.
During his chat with Jack, Jamie, and Jo, he chats about his introduction to the sport as an inquisitive 12-year-old, how he earned his lifelong nickname, his favourite projects, why he spent 18 months sourcing a chain, how he balances his enthusiasm for cycling with his work designing cars and motorbikes, and why cycling’s love of retro will continue to live on.