Gerbi Cambio Corsa Collectible Bike 1949

Givanni Gerbi was one of the most popular Italian cyclists of the pre World War era with a career spreading from 1902 to 1932. He was famously known under his nickname "il diavolo rosso" - the red devil. He earned this name through his relentless and daring racing style.

Gerbi was also one of the first riders to set up a bicycle manufacture and to turn this into a profitable business. His bikes were extremely well made for their time, sometimes real masterpieces - just like this one we had the lucky to come across.

This Gerbi is a super sportster of its era. Not only is the frame made of light and strong butted steel tubes, the fork also shows a beautiful internally soldered crown. Being a Gerbi bike, the frame can show no other colour than a distinctive dark blood red with original decals. The saddle is an original old Gerbi, too!

Re components, two things really catch the observers eyes. Firstly, the first generation Simplex Competition front derailleur with a half-step crankset and, seondly, the Campagnolo Cambio Corsa rear derailleur - a two-rod-operated masterpiece that combines special dropouts with a quick release and the actual derailleur. This was the power house that helped Gino Bartali win his epic Tour de France in 1948. Combine these two derailleurs on one bike, must have been the idea of a very advanced cyclist. Usually the Cambio Corsa was just used with a Single chainring in the front.

The great setup, many original parts and the original frame make this bike a desirable object for any collector. This Gerbi weighs in at just 9.9kg. For all of those who think classic bikes are heavy irons...