This bike was given to me by a friend (who acknowledged it was special, but he had no room in his new living space, and had too much going on in his life to prepare it for sale... so he simply bequeathed it to me). That was 5 years ago. It finally came up in my project queue, and I am in the process of freshening it up. I have replaced the original tubular rims with a set of NOS Wolber clinchers (apologies to the purists). I am trying to identify exactly what I have... (by the way, I will be selling this on behalf of my friend, who is battling cancer. I will donate 100% of the proceeds to The American Cancer Society in his honor)... stay tuned, I will list on the Marketplace very soon.
The Carrera name seems to have gone through several incarnations. This particular bike pretty closely matches one that I found on the The Pro's Closet website (recently sold for $1400)... except for a few subtle differences: Mine just "feels" like it was built in the 90s, from the 8-speed Chorus group to the overall wear and tear... whereas the Pro's Closet version claims to be a 2007 (and has updated Record carbon crank and 10-speed drivetrain)... ???? Mine CANNOT be that new... Another subtle difference is the 2007 version has the Carrera bird stamp at the seat post lug; mine has no such stamp. The paint jobs, while the same pattern, have slight differences.. mine has sprayover onto the seat tube; the 2007 does not. The head badges appear to be similar (if not the same), but the 2007 has white background, and mine is gold (or the white has completely worn off?) IS it possible that Carrera made a replica (in 2007) of a previous original version? Or was this so-called "2007 version" actually the original, except updated with new components? Could mine be an original? It's fairly confusing due to the similarities, YET I can see there are obvious differences! I can't seem to find any information online...
Any insights would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Carrrera with Campagnolo Chorus (8-speed) group, appears to be from the early 90s??
One of the decals on the frame indicates "Carrera by Podium"; others read "Carrera Biciclette"
Head badge appears to have a gold background, or did some background color wear off?
Overspray onto the lugs; 2007 version doesn't seem to have this; and there's NO sign of the Carrera bird stamp on the lug (which does appear on the 2007).
Chrome fork with Carrera lettering on the crown