PRICE: 4950 EURO

After five years of searching we finally got our hands on a Corima Puma Bicycle for our collection – and this little bike has a fascinating story.

I acquired the bicycle here in Belgium, but it is an original team issue model made for the climber Genaro Prego who raced for the Spanish Kelme cycling team in the early 1990s. What makes it especially rare is it’s small 26″ front wheel – this design was eventually banned from competition by the UCI.

But how on earth did it end up here in Flanders? Well according to Bart, the now elderly owner, he was competing at a criterium race in Dendermonde towards the end of the 1993 season. Kelme was also at the race with six of its riders.

After the finish Prego was admiring the Eddy Merckx bicycle of Bart and offered to swap it for his Corima. It seemed like a pretty good deal, as the Corima was considered cutting edge technology of the time. And here in Belgium it has remained for the past three decades.

Corima is a French bicycle brand that has been a leading name in the cycling industry for half a century. Founded in 1973, the company is renowned for developing innovative and high-performance frames and wheels which are handcrafted in their workshops in Loriol-sur-Drôme, France.

Kelme Cycling Team was a Spanish professional cycling team that operated between 1980 and 2006. Founded by Vicente Belda, it quickly became one of the most successful teams in Spain and played a significant role in Spanish cycling history.

The team was known for its distinctive green jersey and its success in mountain stages, where its riders excelled. Kelme won 3 Grand Tour titles, including the 1995 Vuelta a España, and numerous other prestigious races.