Carrera by Podium Tubing Identification

[vxchtx]

Hi folks,


I have nice Carrera by Podium frame at home. To me it looks very much like a Columbus EL Tubeset, especially the fork.

However there are no Columbus decals on the frame or the fork just some Carrera decals I have never see before stating: Nivalight "Tubi Alleggeriti A Sezione Variabile"

maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

thanks in advance

cheers

[sw3759]

i think all that phrase means is that is has butted tubing

[vxchtx]

thanks for the swift reply. it seems you are right. i just searched for the term without the words carrera & nivalight attached and it seems this sentence can be found on decals of the tubing manufacturers Dedacciai.

hm. could it be a tubeset from Dedacciai and not Columbus?

[acorn_user]

Not sure. My Carrera has a Columbus sticker, but it's a bit newer than your mid-90's frame. Lovely bike though. Those Gipiemme wheels are the definitely in keeping

[ultraman6970]

Looks EL-OS to me.

[sw3759]

Originally Posted by vxchtx

thanks for the swift reply. it seems you are right. i just searched for the term without the words carrera & nivalight attached and it seems this sentence can be found on decals of the tubing manufacturers Dedacciai.

hm. could it be a tubeset from Dedacciai and not Columbus?

not sure either but could be either deda zero or el-os but it definitely looks like one of their top end framesets

[Spaghetti Legs]

My mid 90’s is Columbus EL - called “Carrera Custom” but looks like EL-OS. Bottom bracket and seat cluster is different from yours but I’m getting a 90’s feel from yours. Very cool bike! I think mine might be my favorite.

Well, apparently, you can only upload a photo once here, so here’s the thread I recently posted in

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=251828

[Dino Suegiù]

I believe "Niva Light" was a specially drawn (for Carrera in this case, as the proprietary seat tube decal,“CARRERA NIVA LIGHT, LIGHTENED TUBING, VARIABLE SECTION (aka butted)”, attests) Columbus Nivacrom variant, an excellent lightweight steel racing tubing.

In the Nivacrom family in the late 1980s/early 1990s, in addition to standard and lighter iterations, Columbus also produced "Niva OR" (Off Road, heavier duty) and "Niva OR Oversize", as well as "Genius" (1991, for TIG), and then "Nemo" (1996, Nivacrom version of EL/OS) and “Zona”.

Eventually Columbus replaced Nivacrom with the Thermacrom family in ~1999, and then later on Niobium (“Life”, “Spirit”).

[vxchtx]

thanks for all those replies didn't expect such a number of answers.

i also believe it is either EL or EL-OS.

should make for a nice race bike either way :-)

thanks again for your help