Fiets in de kijker: Venturelli Corso

The racing bike in the spotlight was a popular model in Flanders in the 1980s and 1990s. It was a racing bike that had a very good price-quality ratio, which meant that a lot were sold in that period.

This racing bike from the Venturelli brand dates back to the 1980s, which can be seen by the components mounted on it and by the brake cables that still come out of the brake levers from above.

Venturelli was and still is the trademark of the Belgian company Ventura, a bicycle manufacturer that still exists but specializes in the sale of ordinary bicycles and, in recent years, mainly electric bicycles.

Racing bikes are still offered but no longer under the name Venturelli but Scatto.

The name Venturelli comes from the founder Bonaventure who, by analogy with many other Belgian and Dutch bicycle manufacturers, gave his bicycles an Italian-sounding name. This was a commercial move because Italian bikes were fashionable and a step up in terms of aesthetics and quality.

The frames were made on site in the factory in Hooglede for a long time and then equipped with the necessary components, usually Shimano, Simplex, Mafac, Sunrace or another medium to cheaper group. So far I have not come across a Venturelli Corso assembled with Campagnolo.

The name of the model Corso is also a bit strange because the Italian word for race is Corsa and not Corso. Chosen wrong?

Below is the list of the components with more photos. Pay particular attention to Sunrace's rear derailleur which is an imitation of the popular Shimano 600 Arabesque.