Market: The Giro d'Italia is coming to an end, but reason enough for us to dedicate ourselves to one of the biggest names in Italian cycling and cycling history: Cinelli. The company has changed since it was founded, but without losing sight of what's important: the love of bicycles.
Cinelli: The Beginnings
The name Cinelli stands like no other for cycling, for tradition and for that indescribable feeling that we all know and love. But Cinelli also shows that tradition and progress, retro and modern do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. In 1947, could company founder Cino Cinelli have dreamed of the importance his name would have more than half a century later? Hardly likely. Cinelli himself was on the bike as a professional for more than 15 years, celebrating victories in Milan - San Remo 1943, at the Giro d'Italia in 1938 and 1939 and at the Giro di Lombardia.
Three years after hanging up his cycling shoes, he started Cinelli, one of the most important companies in the development of modern racing bikes. None other than cycling legend Fausto Coppi was one of the first pros to race on a Cinelli bike. But not only bicycles, but also components were manufactured in their own factory very close to Milan and it was these that brought the company its world fame. The first aluminum racing handlebars came from northern Italy, just like a plastic saddle shell was used here for the first time. This spirit of innovation has continued to this day: in 1987, the Cinelli Cork Ribbon was the first handlebar tape made of cork, and in 2009 the Mystic Rats brought the fixie trend from the west coast of the USA to Europe.
Cinelli: change of course and style icons
In 1978, another Italian cycling legend, Antonio Colombo, took over the reins at Cinelli: Colombo was and is the owner of Columbus, probably the most renowned supplier of tube sets in the world. With Colombo, a new component was introduced to the traditional Cinelli brand, which it has helped to shape to this day, namely art. The "Design made by Cinelli" seal, which is now known far beyond the borders of Europe, also dates back to the early 80s.
Art exhibitions with bicycles were unhinged, and the artists themselves helped design the bikes from then on. In these years lies the cradle of the bicycle as a design object, as a statement regarding one's own style. Since those days, Cinelli bicycles and components have become coveted collector's items, even in a specially created Database be registered worldwide.
Cinelli: A modern traditional company
Up until 2016, Cinelli produced bikes and components for a wide range of applications: Whether classic steel racers, noble carbon racers, robust crossers, stylish urban bikes or uncompromising fixie: the portfolio of frames and bikes is huge - the right components are available. The fact that the Cinelli Supercorsa, which first appeared almost 50 years ago, is still produced almost unchanged shows that the company is still aware of its beginnings and still honors them.
Compared to the early days, however, top cycling has withdrawn somewhat, but has found another niche or created it itself: Among fixie athletes, fans and enthusiasts there is hardly any other brand that enjoys a similar reputation as cinelli. It is no coincidence that since 2010 they have also been the official sponsor of the Red Hook Criterium, one of the biggest events in the fixie scene. From these roots also grew the collaboration with MASH, a San Francisco-based fixie-crazy collective that includes pro athletes, artists, mechanics and bike messengers. The MASH frame sets also emerged from this collaboration.
But even if you are no longer at the top of the cycling circuit, the traditional company still supports various teams and athletes from different areas of road cycling. These include, for example, the Japanese professional cycling team Cinelli-Ritchey, the Gran Fondo Team Cinelli Santini, the triathlon team Team Sassari and the Criterion Team Cinelli Chrome.
The Cinelli road bikes 2016
Cinelli's own portfolio speaks the clearest language about the diversity of Cinelli: We have taken a close look at the racing bikes for this season, which are available in Germany via Traffic Distribution.
The Cinelli Laser Mia is the spearhead of the carbon bikes in the traditional company's portfolio. Made to measure by hand in Italy and with a sensationally low weight of less than 900g, the Laser is great cinema. The bottom bracket area shows that Cinelli also thinks about the riders and the use in practice: not only do they rely on proven BSA screw bearings, but an aluminum cap under the bottom bracket allows access to the internally routed cables and makes their routing considerably easier.
Frame material: carbon
Frame set weight: from 1.270g
Frame set price: €4.599,99
The Cinelli Very Best Of (VBO) is a thoroughbred carbon racer that was developed for use at the highest level. During development, special attention was paid to driver comfort: The result is the visually striking area where the seat stays meet the main frame. These were decoupled from the seat tube and instead merge into the top tube - so the vibrations from the road don't end up on the rider, but are distributed evenly over the frame and are thus dampened.
Frame material: carbon
Frame set weight: 1.405g
Frame set price: €2.899,99
The Strato got a completely new frame for this season, which should not only make it lighter, but above all faster: hence the new suffix FASTER. For this purpose, some adjustments were made to the geometry, for example the wheelbase shrunk and the steering and seat angles became somewhat steeper. This means that the new Strato feels particularly at home with criteria.
Frame material: carbon
Frame set weight: 1.330g
Frame set price: €2.699,99
The aim of the Cinelli Saetta Radical Plus is to appeal to ambitious amateur drivers and price-conscious buyers. The 1150g light carbon frame comes with partly external, partly internal cable routing, but is also prepared for electronic shifting. In order to keep the weight as low as possible, depending on size and loads, the wall thicknesses are individual for each frame size. The complete bike with Shimano 105 group is quite attractively priced at just over €2.500.
Frame material: carbon
Frame set weight: 1.530g
Frame set price: €1.649,99
Price complete bike: €2.599,99
The aluminum frame of the Cinelli Experience is lightweight thanks to the light Columbus Airplane tube set, but it doesn't have to hide from its carbon counterparts in terms of stiffness. In the rear there is space for tires up to 28mm wide, making the frame interesting for those who want a little more flexibility. In the "Speciale" variant, the aluminum frame is combined with a Columbus FEL monocoque fork.
Frame set weight: 1750g
Frame material: aluminum
Frame set price: €749,99
Frame set weight: 1.765g
Frame material: aluminum
Price complete bike: €1.899,99
The Cinelli Experience complete bike comes with a 105 group from Shimano, attachments from our own company and a Cinelli carbon fork with an aluminum shaft.
The only crosser in the Italian portfolio, the Cinelli Zydeco has an aluminum frame made from the robust Columbus Zonal tube set and a carbon fork at the front. The complete bike comes either with the tried-and-tested 105 group or with the slightly cheaper Tiagra equipment.
Frame set weight: 2.110g
Frame material: aluminum
Price complete bike 105: €2.299,99
Price complete bike Tiagra: €1.999,99
The Cinelli XCR is the showpiece in the portfolio: made of steel, of course, with modern race geometry and a frame weight of 1430g, which is sensational for steel. This means that you can even compete with aluminum counterparts, but as a driver you can enjoy the unique driving properties of the traditional material. The Columbus XCr Hinox tube set is hand-married to the frame in Italy - on request also with desired geometry.
Frame set weight: 1.780g
Frame material: steel
Frame set price: €3.999,99
The Cinelli Nemo Tig, whose Columbus Spirit tube set is formed into the bicycle frame using the TIG welding process, is a little cheaper than the noble XCR. The Nemo Tig comes in five colors (Purple Haze, Yellow Moon, Silver Bullet, Black Dog and Cherry Bomb) and comes with a Columbus FEL monocoque carbon fork.
Frame set weight: 2.150g
Frame material: steel
Frame set price: €1.999,99
Tradition and modernity meet in the Cinelli Supercorsa: The frame has been in the Italian range for over 40 years and has always remained true to itself over the decades, be it with the classic look or the traditional geometry. But of course Cinelli has also implemented some technological advances in the Supercorsa: the Columbus niobium tubing keeps the weight low and the chrome finish will hopefully preserve this steel gem for many more decades to come.
Frame set weight: 2.455g
Frame material: steel
Frame set price: €2.399,99
Alex says
Worst product ever. Frame broken a month after purchase! Crap!