50.5cm Paratella Vintage Italian Steel Road Bike Frame Set

✓ Original vintage frame - built in the 1980s
✓ Suitable for historic cycling events such as L'Eroica
✓ Thoroughly checked over & photographed in detail
✓ Worldwide shipping

Though less well known than fellow Turin-based frame-builder Gios, Paratella has a very highly regarded reputation amongst those in the know. Corrado Paratella was a contemporary of Tulio Campagnolo but left the world of racing to pick up a torch in the 1940s. He focused on making a small number of high-quality bikes rather than expanding his brand and is estimated to have built about 20 bikes per year up until the mid-1980s. Whilst there are only a small number of Paratellas left, each is exquisitely crafted, often with individual details tailored to the customer's requirements.

This lovely blue Paratella frame is built with Reynolds 531 tubing and hand-cut lugs. The twin-plate fork crown, picked out with chrome edges, is a Paratella mainstay. With drilled rear dropouts and a neat brazed-on chain catcher on the chainstay that we have not seen before, this is a unique and highly individual frame.

If you're taking part in L'Eroica or a similar vintage event, this frame is of the correct age, so you won't be disqualified for being a rule breaker!

The frame's been carefully checked by one of our mechanics to confirm the alignment's correct and there's no damage to the threads. If there are any minor issues worth noting we will do so in the overview section below. Please take a good look at the detailed photos so you can see the cosmetic condition of the frame before you buy.

OVERVIEW


Era - 1980s
Country - Italian
Frame Material - Steel
Tubing - Reynolds
Weight - 2.575 kg
Stock Code - U-F-R102V

SIZING


Size Guide* - Small (Approx 29 1/2" Inside Leg)
Seat Tube (ctc) - 50.5 cm
Top Tube (ctc) - 53 cm
Head Tube - 96 mm
Chainstay Length - 41 cm
Wheelbase - 100 cm

*This is just a guide, not a guarantee the frame will fit as every rider is different. If you're unsure of your size we'd always recommend trying out a bike with similar frame dimensions first.

TECHNICAL INFO


Rear Spacing - 126 mm
Front Spacing - 101 mm
Seatpost Diameter - 27.2 mm
Wheel Size - 700c/28"
Brake Fixing - External Hex Nut
Front Brake Drop - 46 mm
Rear Brake Drop - 49 mm
Bottom Bracket Thread - Italian Thread
Headset Thread - Standard ISO (24 TPI - British/Italian)
Headset Stack Height - 40 mm
Fork Crown Race - 26.4 mm (ISO)
Shifter Fittings - Downtube Braze-On
Headtube Internal Diameter - 30.2 mm
Steerer Internal Diameter - 22.2 mm (Standard)

SHIPPING, TAXES & RETURNS

We've been safely sending orders around the world since 2010. There's a handy shipping calculator on the shopping cart page so you can see the cost of postage as soon as you've added it to your basket. Your order will be carefully packed and sent with tracking & insurance, we despatch most orders within 2-3 days but larger items and orders placed before the weekend can take an extra day or two to process.

We accept returns, please notify us within 14 days and ensure the item arrives back with us no later than 30 days after the order was received.

We don't charge VAT, however, if buying from outside of the UK please remember that there may be import fees to pay directly to the delivery company before receiving the order. Unfortunately we can’t advise on the exact costs as it varies from country to country, so please check your national rates before purchasing.

HELP SECTION

Seat Tube (ctc) - we measure from the centre of the bottom bracket shell up to the centre line of the top tube to give a consistent measurement regardless of frame design (ctc means centre to centre).

Top Tube (ctc) - this is measured from the centre of the head tube to the centre of the seat tube, along the centre of the top tube.

Chainstay Length - measured from the centre of the bottom bracket shell to the centre point of the rear dropout.

Wheelbase - measured from the centre of the front fork dropout to the centre point of the rear dropout.

Front & Rear Spacing - measured from the inside of one dropout to the other. The dropouts on steel frames can be stretched or squeezed a few mm but it's always best to avoid this if possible, aluminium or carbon frames should never be stretched.

Brake Drop - measured using wheels of the relevant size for the frame, as stated in the technical info section.

Headset Threads - although it's generally recommended to match threaded parts exactly, with headsets you can technically mix and match, unless you have French or the obscure old Raleigh threads, in which case you need to stick to that type.