Remembering the stunning Carrera Phibra (not that Carrera), one of the finest Italian bikes of the 2010s

Tonight we're reminiscing about one of my favourite bikes of all time, to look at at least. The not conventionally beautiful, and not available in the UK, Carrera Phibra. 

The Phibra was for at least a decade a stalwart of the Italian brand Carrera’s bike range. The Italian Carrera is not to be confused with the UK version, which is one of Halford’s in-house bike brands. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but (I think) Halfords own the licence to the Carrera name in the UK for bikes, which is why if you ever wanted a Phibra, it was a case of going to Italy to buy one and bringing it back. 

Going to take some pics of the latest Phibra in all its curvy cartoonish glory in Hall A1 (the Italian hall) was always one of those Eurobike rituals for us. I’ve always been a sucker for the all-in-one top tube wrapping morphing in to the seat stays. The very first version of the Specialized Tarmac did the same, and even better the very earliest one of those had a split top tube, like a Corratec mountain bike.

I digress... what made the Phibra so aesthetically different was the combination of that curve with the fat downtube, which particularly on earlier versions looked like someone had pumped it up. Over the years that got progressively slimmer and the Phibra’s looks become more 'conventional'. 

Those two things weren’t the sum to the Phibra’s aesthetic and technical charms. Added to that was that all the bike designing stylistic/technical tics of the day got a look in too. Integrated seatpost? Check. Weirdly flattened seatstays? Check. Rear wheel cutout (augmented on the Phibra by a compensating bulge on the other side)? Check. Deep section fork? Yep, bung it on. 

The idea behind the Phibra design was that the main triangle provided a super-stiff and efficient platform to harness as much of your pedalling input as possible, while the rear added in the comfort. Carrera promised a responsive, comfortable ride and  a “stylish bicycle that will not be out performed”... well, it would if I was riding it, but that wouldn’t matter because I know it would always put a smile on my face.

So, what happened to Carrera? Unfortunately its website appears to be down at the time of writing, but as late as 2022 Carrera was posting on its social media pages promoting framesets and full bikes for sale. The brand is also distributed in the USA by Red Rose Imports, who specialise in distributing "Europe's finest cycling products". 

Red Rose posted on its Facebook page last week that it had a single Phibra Evo frameset left in a red/white/blue colourway, offering special prices for complete bikes with a groupset of your choice. We've asked for more information on the whereabouts of the Carrera website and its continuation of the brand Europe... but for now, you may have to be quick to secure the only Phibra left in Pennsylvania, and budget some extra for shipping if you live outside of the USA!