I’d never heard of Serotta until a couple of years ago. Relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic and in the ranks of the professional peloton, the boutique American manufacturer has something of a following in its local market. Probably because of the ridiculously high price tag it slaps on its frames, Serotta has the reputation of being the kind of bike that dentists and lawyers who are new to the sport and have more money than sense, end up buying.

The Sunday Times this weekend had a piece on AIG executive Joseph Cassano, whom it says was largely responsible for some of the massive losses incurred by the insurance group that necessitated a bailout from the US government. Illustrating the piece is a photo of Cassano leaving his London home with his bike. Not surprisingly, he’s got a Serotta.