Erakle
Origin
Carrera Podium was founded in 1989 in Calcinato, near Lake Garda, by Davide Boifava — a former professional racer and directeur sportif who ran the legendary Carrera pro team. That team carried Stephen Roche, Claudio Chiappucci and a young Marco Pantani, and the workshop's whole ethos grew out of building race frames tested directly by those riders. Carrera claims a string of manufacturing firsts: the first frame joining aluminium to carbon, and the first custom, made-to-size carbon frame produced in Italy. The Erakle sits at the top of that lineage — its name is the Italianised form of Hercules (Ercole), a deliberate nod to strength. It is not a catalogue bike you wheel out of a shop complete; it is a bespoke frameset ordered to a rider's size and build, in the old Italian tradition of the framebuilder rather than the mass manufacturer. Note this is an entirely different company from the Halfords-owned Carrera budget brand sold in the UK — same name, unrelated maker.
Specifications
- Frame
- High-modulus carbon monocoque (Air: T800 pre-preg carbon, 1K finish); ~1050-1100g frame
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Frameset-only — built to order (commonly Campagnolo, Shimano Ultegra/Dura-Ace or SRAM)
- Brakes
- Rim (direct-mount or caliper) on early frames; disc-brake version (Erakle Air Disc, thru-axle) added later
- Wheels
- Frameset-only — buyer's choice; typically deep carbon clinchers
The verdict
- Genuine Italian pedigree and craftsmanship with real pro-team heritage
- Stiff, responsive, quick-handling race frame (clean internal routing, massive BB area)
- Frameset/custom model lets you build exactly the bike you want, in your geometry
- Sold as a frameset — expensive once you add a full build, and no cheap complete-bike option
- Rare and boutique: little dealer support or spares outside Italy, easily confused with Halfords Carrera
- Race geometry is aggressive and less forgiving for casual/endurance riders
Generations
Erakle TS (early era)
- Entry into the range: cheaper, simpler, standard seatpost
- Frame
- Asian monocoque high-mod carbon
- Brakes
- Rim
Erakle / Erakle (integrated)
- Top-tier Italian build, made-to-size
- Frame
- Italian tube-to-tube, custom geometry
- Brakes
- Rim/direct-mount
Erakle Air (2018+)
- Modern aero flagship; disc variant later
- Frame
- T800 1K aero carbon, ~1050g
- Brakes
- Rim, then disc/thru-axle added
Versions & builds
Every official build side by side — differences highlighted.
| Spec | Erakle TS | Erakle (integrated) | CurrentErakle Air | CurrentErakle Air Disc | Erakle EPS "Jekyll" |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2012 | 2014 | 2018 | 2019 | 2016 |
| Frame | Asian-built high-modulus carbon monocoque, ~1100g | Italian tube-to-tube carbon, custom geometry | T800 pre-preg carbon, 1K finish, aero profile, ~1050-1100g | T800 pre-preg carbon, aero profile | Custom Italian carbon, special edition |
| Drivetrain | — | — | — | — | Campagnolo EPS electronic |
| Brakes | Rim caliper | Rim caliper / direct-mount | Rim (direct-mount) | Flat-mount disc, thru-axle | Rim caliper |
| Purpose | Value | Flagship | Flagship | Flagship | Flagship |
Tags
Related models
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