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EB13: Italian Builder Caam Corse’s Unique Disc Brake Road Bike w/ Single Leg Carbon Fork

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Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

Italian brand Caam Corse is only about two years old, but their designs are sure to bring attention to them. Based in the Emilia region of Italy, they handcraft each tube in their own facility, using 3K woven carbon that’s pressurized into shape in a two step process. Each frame is custom built for the end user using tube-to-tube construction.

The GA8.2 RR road bike has a unique frame and fork designed to balance weight from left to right. And while that’s the standout feature that drew us in, there’s a lot more going on. Things like an intricately shaped seat tube, integrated bottle cage and sleek disc brake placement.

But first, the fork…

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

The one-sided fork is called Lamé, loosely translating to Blade.

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

It uses an indented carbon steerer (1-1/8″ to 1-1/2″) and airfoil shaped leg with internal cable routing. Like Cannondale’s Lefty, it’s disc brake only.

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

A sliding top clamp lets it fit any size headtube.

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

For now, they’re having custom wheels built by Gipiemme since the axle is not the same as the Lefty. The design allows for ultra quick tire changes, but full wheel changes will require that you loosen the brake mounts from the base of the fork until it’ll slide over the bolts to the right.

My Italian’s rusty to the point of being useless, so there was a bit of a challenge in communication getting weights and whether it’s available separately.

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

Now, back to the bike. The seat tube is shaped to hide the leading edge of the rear tire from the wind. It continues upward into a custom aero seatpost. The seatstays are flat, likely for better compliance.

Caam Corse GA82 carbon fiber disc brake road bike

Not everyone uses the second bottle cage mount, but most of us use at least one bottle on a ride, so they integrated it right into the frame.

A medium frame comes in at a claimed 1085g.

There’s also a GA8.2 R road bike with traditional fork and rim brakes, and several other models they make are offered with or without disc brakes. They also make steel road bikes, and a range of mountain bikes. Their top model, which is the green one in the background of the top photo, uses flattened seat- and chainstays to get up to 30mm of rear axle vertical movement.

Check them out at CammCorse.it.

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Steve M
Steve M
10 years ago

Seems like closing out the section on the disc brake mount screws would add about 5 grams and about 200% more piece of mind.

eliflap
10 years ago

the fork is the GAS VENTINOVE Lame http://www.gasventinove.com/lame/

john neff
john neff
10 years ago

Web link is wrong.. should be http://www.caamcorse.it/

Castor/Pollux
Castor/Pollux
10 years ago

That Lamé fork is same fork that GasVentivove (29er MTB company):

http://www.gasventinove.com/

has in their lineup for two years now, so yes, it can be bought separately.

Weight: 590 grams
Price: 900 €URO

shortnstocky
shortnstocky
10 years ago

They called it Lame? Really? it looks so cool but with a name like that…it is a non starter.

JasonK
JasonK
10 years ago

Steve, the disc brake bracket is machined that way not to save weight but so you can disengage the caliper from the disc without fully unscrewing the brake bracket bolts. This makes changing the front wheel (or using a fork-mount roof rack) much easier. They left plenty of meat in the bracket to deal with braking forces.

uglyyeti
uglyyeti
10 years ago

I thought Lamé was the metallic fabric they used to make gold dinner jackets.

Dr. Monkeypants
Dr. Monkeypants
10 years ago

The fork is kinda stupid, but I still kinda really like it.

Pete
Pete
10 years ago

Please tell me again what’s wrong with a post-mount caliper hanger?

Pete
Pete
10 years ago

i meant a regular built-in post mount, without an adapter.

Chris
Chris
10 years ago

Reminds me of Chris Boardman’s Lotus track bike. Kinda cool looking but also seems like the answer to a question nobody was asking.

The built in bottle cage is dumb. If your bike falls over or crashes instead of just bending or breaking a cage you’ll potentially ruin your entire frame.

CMSF
CMSF
10 years ago

Yeah, like how could you even mount a fender on that fork? Useless.

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

Great idea, but make it Lefty hub compatible.

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

@CMSF: There are many fender adapters for Lefty forks.

Alex
Alex
10 years ago

As a tall strong rider this fork scares the hell out of me. Especially the way the crowns are relieved.

Jason K
Jason K
10 years ago

Pete:

In order to remove the front wheel with a “pure” post-mount caliper (i.e., without an adaptor), you’d need to unthread both bolts completely, removing the caliper and thereby freeing up the wheel (which needs to slide away to the right…remember, the axle is part of the fork).

That would require re-installing (and re-adjusting) the brake caliper. This design allows you to loosen the bolts at the fork, slide the adaptor off and thereby free the wheel.

Since the adaptor has zero adjustability, you can re-install the wheel and brake caliper without having to readjust the brake.

This is all essentially true for the Lefty as well, and it has a similar caliper mounting system. Regardless of the merits of this design, the didn’t design the brake mount just to vex you 🙂

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

@Alex: Dual crown is an inherently stronger and stiffer design.

PaulM
PaulM
10 years ago

Alex – check out Castor/Pollux’s link.
That fork is used on mountain bikes, should be fine on a road bike I’d have thought.

Rob
Rob
10 years ago

Yes the dual crown, being in double sheer, should be inherently stronger than a traditional fork which is single sheer. That leaves the lefty type axle in single sheer. One problem solved another created. Sure the big fat axle may not flex much, but all up it is not an elegant solution esp with respect to roadside maintenance. I suppose this thing is not about practicality but show boating.

And Lame is a cool name. Who remembers Ritchey Logic Super Tubing, Tange Prestige Tubing or Columbus Max Tubing. Then there was the coolest tubing name for double butted section ever, Ibis had the Moron Bar.

Laurens
10 years ago

Thanks for covering the crazy Italian rigid carbon Lefty.
I took some pics of it at Eurobike but had forgotten to write down the name of the product.
Thanks to Bikerumor and the people commenting here, I now have all the details. Sweet.

Daver
Daver
10 years ago

@ Rob – “but all up it is not an elegant solution esp with respect to roadside maintenance.”

Why’s that then? you don’t need to take the front wheel off to change a tyre or a tube…

halr75
halr75
10 years ago

@ Shortnstocky

Italians and their naming slip ups, the (perhaps apocryphal) tale was that the Fiat Panda Turbo Diesel was marketed as the Panda TurD in Italy, which obviously didn’t transfer well English speaking markets…

quickgeezer
quickgeezer
10 years ago

CMSF just maybe, possibly, might’ve been kidding about the fender.

Rob
Rob
10 years ago

@Daver. I should clarify the “not elegant”. I have a lefty on a single speed and compared to changing a tire on a traditional forked bike it’s a hunced over affair or if you need to manipulate the rim then the rest of the bike is attached. Thirty years ago I wouldn’t have given it a second thought but as I get older…

Noel
Noel
10 years ago

I’m riding a gasventinove with a LAME fork since time ago…

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/9371264188_337da5e823_b.jpg

It is amazing….

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