Villa Cambio Corsa Classic Bicycle 1950

Let us imagine to go back in time and to be catapulted to the year 1928. Precisely, we are in beautiful Bologna, Italy. Near the Two Towers - symbols of this Emilian city - there is a bicycle shop named “The Bicycle Paradise”– whose owner is the master framebuilder Amleto Villa. We are in front of what would have been a reference point for Italian cyclists for over seventy years. In that period Italy was giving birth to its greatest cycling champions and Villa did not miss that opportunity to prove his great skill and passion by constructing their bicycle frames.
The facts proved him right. Only four years after he had opened his shop, the Italian team won the team pursuit at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games. Part of that victory: a Villa bike.
Since then, the five Olympic circles of the Villa brand became famous in the world of cycling.

Our bike is a good example of the refined craftsmanship which made the machines of this bolognese brand so outstanding.
Our Villa Cambio Corsa Bike from 1949/1950 has a clever geometry, mixing a short top tube with an unusually long stem, thus providing a stiff main triangle.
The rear triangel is specifically shaped for the usage of Campagnolo's first shifter - the rod operated Cambio Corsa.
The disadvantages of this system like reaching to the rear while pedalling backwards were countered by a chain being under strong tension and thus being less prone to jump of the chainset. The latter was a huge plus in races on rough roads with cobbles and potholes. This chain tension was partly responsible for Fausto Coppi's Parix-Roubaix victory (though with an improved version of this shifting). And with a bit of training, some riders mastered the Cambio Corsa to a degree, where changing gears looked absolutely flawless.
Gino Bartali for example famously won his second Tour de France with this shifter.

But back to the frame. We have to mention the lugs. Look at the beautifully filed lugs which perfectly underline the elegant character of the whole construct!
The chromed stays are just a little extra icing on this cake.

We tested the bike and it rides like a dream, thus it is not only suitable for a collection but can as well be used to impress your friends with some surprising shifting skills.
If you are daring you could as well ride this Villa at historic bicycle events like L'Eroica.