mtb-timeline

Bottecchia

Teodoro Carnielli of Cavazare, Italy¹⁾, opened a local bike shop 1909. In 1926 Teodoro convinced Ottavio Bottecchia to lend his name to a new bike brand, after Ottavio became the first Italian to win the Tour de France²⁾. Bottecchia Cicli S.r.l., the very first champion branded bicycle model, started by making high end road racing bikes and exactly 100 years later continues to do so: https://www.bottecchia.com/en/pages/cento-anni-di-bottecchia.

It's likely Bottecchia branded MTBs started to appear in 1985, but no solid pics before 1986 are easily found. Bottecchia catalogs do not show MTBs until 1990. Most of their MTBs used low to mid-range components, with either terribly welded or nicely lugged frames, suggesting that many frames were cheaply sourced from Asia. Meanwhile, their road bikes were top notch quality, with Columbus tubing and Campagnolo components, reflecting the Italian cultural disdain for proletarian mountain bikes.

The Carnielli family sold Bottecchia Cicli to a group of investors in 1995, and is now part of Fantic Motor Spa. Carnielli continue to market their own Carnielli branded bicycles: https://www.carnielli.com/about/.

Reources:

Ottavio biting his tubular tire off of his rim during the 1924 Tour de France. It's not possible to patch a sew-up nor replace an inner tube on the road. Instead, riders carried spare tires around their shoulders which they would glue to their rims. landevi.no

Teodoro on far left, with team riders, 1970. facebook

Ottavio gravel riding up the Col d'Izoard.
1924 Tour de France. landevi.no

1986 Sherpa

Sachs Huret Rider v2 group set (1984-5), TIG welded frame. Possibly a 1985, yet 1985s usually had a different paint scheme.

1986 Sherpa subito.it

1988 MTB

SunTour XCD 6000 groupset (1988-89), Modolo Rocky cantilever brakes and stem, lugged frame

1988 MTB ebay.it

1989 Yeti

SunTour XCD 6000 groupset (1988-89), Modolo Rocky cantilever brakes and handlebars, Columbus Off Road Aelle lugged frame, Miche headset, Modolo Rocky handlebars.

1989 Yeti youtube

1990 Sunkiss

Suntour XCM (1989-90), “calibrated hi-ten steel” frame with drippy toothpaste welds, Miche hubs, Ofmega? cranks.

1990 MTB vinted.it

1991 Mountain Bike

Shimano Deore LX (1990-92), upper u-brakes rear, cantis front, lugged frame. Possibly made with Columbus Max OR elliptical tubing.

1991 Mountain Bike ebay.it

1992 MTB

Shimano Deore LX (1990-92), newer V-Brakes (>2000), aluminum frame.

1992 MTB ebay.it

1993 Tempest 883R

New-Old-Stock example on ebay.it, minty fresh. Shimano Altus A20 (1993) gruppo, 3×7 gearing.

1993 MTB ebay.it

1994 Taiga

Shimano Alivio derailleurs (1994, thus), Megaframe Carbon Steel welded frame.

1994 Taiga subito.it

¹⁾

Some sources suggest the initial location was Serravalle di Vittorio Veneto, Italy.

²⁾

Ottavio is one of only three riders to have worn the leader's yellow race jersey on every single day of the Tour de France. See TdF stats at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France. And, interestingly, Ottavio was likely assassinated by the fascists in 1927. See: https://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2006/05/mysterious-death-of-ottavio-bottechia.html.

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