This is an undoubtedly special bicycle: made by Marco Bonfanti, owner of the company C4, specifically for Marco Pantani. Unlike other bicycles used by the Pirate up to that point, this one, made of monocoque carbon, required first the creation of a model and a mold for production. Moreover, the stratification and directionality of the fibers were studied to offer the Pirate a frame with the best ratio between weight and performance. As many enthusiasts in the field know, Marco Bonfanti was a pioneer in the production of monocoque carbon frames. In fact, the company C4 was founded back in 1986, when bicycle frames were mostly made of welded steel tubes, and aluminum was used only by a few companies. However, Bonfanti had already realized that this composite material had enormous potential, although the industry audience was not very receptive to this novelty, perhaps because it was too ahead of its time. During the 2002 season, only Marco Pantani rode a Wilier Karbon 2, a beautiful and innovative frame for the time, while all his other teammates pedaled on Wilier Izoard frames made of aluminum. Ironically, Marco Bonfanti, before starting his own business, was an employee at Bianchi, a brand closely associated with Pantani, especially after his Giro/Tour double win in 1998 and the years that followed, which turned out to be the most memorable for the Pirate. It should be noted that Marco Pantani had previously tested another frame produced by C4, thanks to his friendship with Oscar Pelliccioli. Oscar, when he was with Team Polti in 1994, rode a Fausto Coppi Lugano 53 bike, frames born from Bonfanti's brilliant mind. During this test and comparing with his friend Oscar, Marco was convinced of the goodness and efficiency of carbon frames, which were much more responsive than the competition and also allowed for a much smoother ride. Returning to the bike Marco used during his penultimate season, it derived from a model that the company C4 already had in its catalog at the end of the 1990s, its name was EGO, it had innovative features for the time, with a shape that we could define as modern (we are in 2023). It is curious how Marco Bonfanti became a third party for the F.lli Gastaldello (owners of the Wilier brand at the time) regarding the supply of carbon frames, not only for the Pirate but also for the entire production line. It happened that, during a weekend in the early months of 2000, Mr. Gastaldello, while on a bike ride, came to the aid of a cyclist who had fallen into a ditch, and lifting the bike from the ground, he realized how innovative it was: the bike in question was indeed a C4 EGO. Obviously, the bike made for Pantani, although very similar, differs from the product made for the public, both in terms of geometry and especially in terms of weight, which we can estimate to be about 25% less. Pantani immediately fell in love with the bike, which seemed to be made for pros: responsive, agile, and capable of absorbing vibrations thanks to the monocoque structure. Despite the markedly sloping geometries and compact dimensions, the bike is comfortable and not stressful to ride. It's worth noting the advanced and strongly inclined seat tube (70°) and moved forward a few centimeters from the bottom bracket shell, which allows, by varying the type of seatpost, greater adaptability while riding. The rear triangle has a length of only 390 mm, resulting in a very compact frame, making the bike very responsive and suitable for climbing. Moreover, the Karbon 2 frame should be the first carbon frame marketed by Wilier, concluded with the DeLuxe version in 2004. In Wilier's catalog, there was also a Replica version of the bike used by the Pirate, sold at Wilier dealers for almost five thousand euros, although the components installed were not the same as those Pantani used during the season. In fact, as can be seen, on Pantani's bikes from the 2002 season, a Shimano Dura-Ace 7700 25th group was installed, despite being a group presented in 1998. From a preliminary search, it seems that Wilier had procured a certain number of complete commemorative groups (these kits were sold directly by Shimano complete with a suitcase) to offer to their customers, but the demand proved to be below expectations, also due to the not-so-contained price. They thus found themselves with some groups still in stock and chose to install them on Pantani's bikes, because besides being beautiful, with the use of titanium for many more parts than the standard 7700, it was also lighter than the original.
GALLERY