Carnielli Graziella Classic Vintage Tandem Folding Bike Barn Find Winter Project

Condition: Functional project bike but tires not holding air so will need new tubes. This bike is a beautiful gem but needs someone to give it the clean-up it deserves.  I have ridden it many times but not for a few years now.  I had the sturmey archer 3 speed serviced many years ago so that should all work fine but neither of the tires are holding air right now so they will need new tubes.  Folding action works perfectly and so this should fit into the boot of your car. Collection only from Bethnal Green.The Graziella Bicicletta was originally designed in 1963 by Italian designer Rinaldo Donzelli and manufactured by Teodoro Carnielli & Co. in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. It entered the market in 1964. Carnielli, founded in 1908, was well known for producing bicycles and “Cyclette” home fitness equipment. Although the first model was built under the Bottecchia name, it was rebranded as the Graziella by the time it launched in 1964. The original Graziella was a single-speed folding bicycle equipped with 16″ wheels, a dynamo-powered headlight, a bell, a front handbrake, and a rear coaster brake. The concept for a compact, small-wheeled folding bike that could fit in a car came from Teodoro Carnielli’s son, Guido, whose name appears as the inventor on the Italian patent filed on January 7, 1964. Over the years, the Graziella saw modest updates, including variations in headlights, baskets, and other accessories. By the mid-1970s, an optional 3-speed hub gear was introduced. Carnielli also released the Flor—or “Flower”—model, decorated with floral decals inspired by the era’s hippie “flower power” movement. A version with 22″ wheels appeared in the late 1970s. The Graziella played a major role in popularizing folding bicycles, contributing to the surge of interest in the 1970s. It was produced in large numbers and heavily advertised, most notably through a print campaign featuring Brigitte Bardot. Exported worldwide, the Graziella became known as a symbol of Italian chic and fashionable urban mobility. Its simple U-frame layout was widely imitated, influencing countless vintage folding bike designs throughout the 1970s—and elements of its design continue to appear in modern folding bicycles. Carnielli themselves continued using the U-frame concept in folding bikes sold under several other brand names during the ’70s, including Amica, Annabella, Bottecchia, and Roma-Sport. Production of the original Graziella ended in the late 1980s, but Bottecchia revived the name in 2012 with a modernized model. In 2014, the brand celebrated its 50th anniversary, marked by the release of a special edition Graziella featuring a 24-carat gold-plated frame. As proof of the Graziella’s status as a cultural icon, numerous fan sites still honor the bike’s legacy. Many original Graziella bicycles have been passed down through generations, continuing to be cherished and enjoyed decades after their debut.

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*Originally listed on Ebay. Imported by the Almost Finished Team.*