Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Cino Cinelli

Image courtesy of David Beck. It lists the major victories of Cino Cinelli. Of the ones listed the latest one was Milan-Sanremo in 1943 which helps date this item.

Click on photo to enlarge.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Cino Cinelli and Family


This image from a 1939 publication comes courtesy of Dave Beck. The lower photo, taken in 1917, shows Cino Cinelli in the arms of his mother. Cino's older brother, Giotto Cinelli, is in the middle next to their grandmother. All the Cinelli siblings are named.

The article also mentions that Giotto Cinelli owned a plastics factory at the time.


Click on photo to enlarge.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

1990 Cinelli Rampichino Advertisement

1990 Cinelli Rampichino advertisement.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Cinelli Laser Fanini










A very interesting 1983 Fanini "Record", serial number 20, made by Cinelli presumably. I asked the owner, Stefan of speedbicycles.ch, and he said "As far as I know it is Laser with a special Fanini finish." It does appear very similar to the Cinelli Laser pictured here that was on a display.

If anyone has more information about the Cinelli-Fanini tie-in please write in.

Thanks to Stefan for use of the photos more of which can be seen here.

Click on images to enlarge.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Cinelli Speciale Corsa Leggerissimo, 2559






"From approximately 1976, serial number 2559, Brügelmann Cinelli Speciale Corsa Leggerissimo. The repainting in the 90s is a good quality-job; unfortunately, the painter let out the red part at the middle seat tube-section. The decals are reproductions and new from Australia. BB-Lug: G. Fischer (Switzerland)."

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Cinelli "CX", Part II







These appear to be the same frameset we mentioned previously which Cinelli said they did not make, see here. If anyone has details to the contrary please contact me. Since these are better photos I've posted them.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Friday, February 10, 2012

Laser, "Fully Aerodynamic Bicycle"


Undated photo courtesy of reader Jan.


I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Celebrating Cino Cinelli's Birthday

Cino Cinelli was born on this date in 1916. Reader Chris write's today of riding his Cinelli Super Corsa Leggerissimo:


"Now I Understand.

For many years I have admired the Cinelli Speciale Corsa. The lines and eometry have always seemed right to me, and the few brief rides that I had on SCs belonging to friends made me want one.

After finding and restoring my own, I have begun riding it. So far the miles have confirmed and expanded my view that these bicycles are something very special.

I now understand why the same basic frame has been in production for over 50 years. This frame was not designed with a computer, probably not even a slide rule.

It was designed by a man who was a cyclist and racer first. He fortunately had the skill to translate his experience into metal, and he created a form that influenced everything that followed. Cino Cinelli had the intuitive knowledge and practical experience of what worked well, and what helped maximize performance while maintaining comfort.

Maybe these frames are not right for everyone. Certainly all riders are unique, and we all have our preferences. But for those of us who fit this bike, Cino got it right."


I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Cinelli Super Corsa 4359












My thanks to Peter for terrific close-up photographs of Cinelli SC 4359.

Lack of holes in lugs, old-style Special Corsa decal on seat tube, fender eyelets, and no derailleur cable guides on top of bottom bracket suggests this bike is pre-1970, likely late 60s.

Description:
Seat tube c-to-c 58.5cm, c-to-top 60.0cm
Top tube c-to-c 58.5cm
Seat post 26.2mm
Stem c-to-c 12.5mm
Bars 40cm
Crank 170mm no date stamp
Chainrings 52/45
Freewheel 5 speed 13-15-17-19-22
Toe clips 60mm (I can't remember if this is L or XL)
Missing cables, chain, and brake caliper barrel adjusters.
No dents, no wrinkled paint.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Monday, February 6, 2012

1950s Cinelli at L'Eroica

My grateful thanks to CasbahCicloClub for permission for story and photos:


"While sitting outside our van at Eroica, waiting for the night to come, sipping our cold beer, we suddenly had this apparition. An elegant man riding a really old Cinelli just came across and disappeared in the parking lot, we stood there like four garden dwarfs for a while. Then the man came back and stopped right in front of us. In two seconds we were all around him jumping and screaming like a bunch of school girls.

As many of the Eroica participants he was more than happy to tell us something about his ride, on the other side we were so euphoric that we forgot to ask his name. Very impolite. Anyway he was looking for somebody he couldn’t find so he spent ten minutes recalling the story of this bike.

The frame was built for his cousin in the early 50′s, considering that Cino Cinelli started his business as a frame builder in 1948 this must be one of the first bikes produced. At that time Cinelli was an exclusive brand, it was the brand for the rich people, the top rated bike around. The guy omitted the way his cousin became rich during the war and was a little upset because he had to wait until his cousin death to ride this jewel.



Some clues could help us dating the frame. First the seatstay are in a “traditional” position, as all of us know Cinelli lately redesigned the seat collar, bring the seatstays in behind the lug rather that along side it, but this modification was brought around the 1953 apparently.


Second clue is the rear derailleur. Is a very rare Cambio Paris Roubaix produced by Campagnolo from the 1950 to the 1955. This derailleur was extremely innovative since it allows the rider to change gear by using only one lever, instead of the two normally used those days (one for moving the chain one one for release the wheel). We were astonished by the way this derailleurs works, but the guy with peacefulness in his eyes told us that during the day he had no problem shifting the gear more than 20 times over a 40 km tour. Only 20 times in the hills surrounding Gaiole in Chianti? This man came from another, and better, conception of cycling."




I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Cinelli Grammo Titanium "Art" Stem








Another Cinelli Grammo Titanium stem from the "Art" series; this onew has the bolt cover.

I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Known Knowns, Known Unknowns, Unknown Unknowns

I receive many questions, many of which I share with some Cinelli very knowledgeable/expert friends to obtain feedback. Sometimes it's difficult to arrive at a satisfactory answer.

As I said to a friend regarding Cinelli, borrowing a quote:

"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know.

We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.

But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don't know"



I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Thursday, February 2, 2012

1960 Kitching Everything Cycling Catalog, Part III







This is Part III and last; Part I is here, and Part II is here. Click on photos to enlarge.

Thanks again to Peter B. for the catalog scans. I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.

Thanks for stopping by.

I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com