CINELLI REGISTRY LINKS To List YOUR Cinelli here, email register@cinelliregistry.org with the words “CINELLI Registry” in the subject line.register@cinelliregistry.org with the words “CINELLI Registry” in the subject line. The highest SB frame number is approximately somewhere in the. Cinelli Cast Bottom Bracket Shell Differences My TI-Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston.

Cino Cinelli was a successful bicycle racer in Italy, winning Milan-San Remo in 1943. He started using some of the ideas he had created in his head during those year s of racing, when he began building frames after Word War II.

Cinelli thought that frames needed to be stiffer and that the geometry was to relaxed on most of the models of that era. He created a fork crown that had sloping shoulders and internal lugs.

This allowed the blades to be shorter and created a stiffer fork. Cinelli also redesigned the seat collar, bring the seatstays in behind the lug rather that along side it. Fausto Coppi was one of the first to use these new features when he raced on a Cinelli frame in 1947. In Italy the professional racers have a special attachment to Cino Cinelli. The relationship developed between Cino, Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. Cino was the foundation of the Italian Professional Cycling Association for professional riders.

The idea was to represent the riders interest in the Italian Bicycling Federation, as well as the Italian Sports Federation (CONI). Cino was the president of the association for 24 years. His book on training for cycling remains a classic to this day.Cinelli serial numbers do not run in sequence. Only in the post - 1981 timeframe (corresponding to the sale of the company to A.L.

Columbo) do the serial numbers indicate the date. Some frames may have sat unsold for years in the shop, others may have been built by subcontractors.The key to dating a Cinelli is the lugs (3 holes or no hole) and the bottom bracket oil port. The presence or absence of these features will help to establish the manufacturing date of a Cinelli frame. The BB port disappeared in about 1965.

The 3 holes in the lugs appeared in about 1968. The Special Corsa ('A' model) is distinguished by its sloping fork crown, where the 'B' model has a conventional flat fork crown. 'Among the most sought-after of all vintage lightweights.

A few heretics claim they are over rated. I say take a closer look and get a clue - or buy a Cannondale. Many Cinelli frames show exquisite mitering, smooth and even brazing, and lots of lug thinning. This is even true for many examples from the early 50's!

Sure they have deep ugly file marks too - but that is only the surface! Add to the equation that many ride pretty close to perfection - at least as some would define it.

Cinelli frames are also a visual feast with Italian style that just won't quit. In Japan, appreciation for Cinelli products is near cult-like. A Cinelli is an icon of cycling tradition. Sure, a few Cinelli frames have some lapses here and there - but don't miss the point. Cinelli frames defined the paradigm of a quality racing bike for decades. Note: photo of 1957 Cinelli). Around 1978 Cinelli was sold to the Columbo family.

There are bikes with either the new or old logo's from this period. Until about 1980, while the graphics could go either way, the brake bridges and bottom bracket shells had new Cinelli logs making these bikes recognizable. From around 1980 until perhaps 1981 or 1982, Cinelli bikes with the new logo using a 26.2 seatpost and the lugs with 3 holes in each were very nice. Many do not consider these to be 'real' Cinelli bikes, but they are at least as good as many of the earlier ones. Apparently either some very good builders from the previous period continued on, or work was contracted to outside builders of considerable talent.

These bikes from this period deserve to be classics in their own right. Their geometry is upright, yet the ride is comfortable. These are bikes designed for the fast short distance riding so common in the United States. They, nonetheless, will handle mountain descents with ease as well!

Note: 2 photos of a 1982 Cinelli:)Sometime around 1983 it all ended. The 26.2 sleeved seat lug was replaced wit a different cast model that used a 27.2 post. The familiar 3 hole lugs were gone as well.

Quality during the following years took a pretty heavy hit as well. Many examples didn't even have chrome lugs. By the late 80's quality improved and chrome lugs returned. It just, however, isn't the same. '1980s-2008 Cinelli Supercorsa builders:I have collected some details regarding the builders of the Cinelli Supercorsa frames from the 1980s to 2008. The following information, unconfirmed, is from two sources:1.'

Thru the 90's until this past year, Cinelli's steel bikes, including Supercorsa, were made in the shop of Giovanni Losa on the outskirts of Milan as Cinelli's official 'house' builder. Losa retired after a serious heart attack or stroke last year (2008) and although his employees appeared to have carried on for a time, it appears that his business is now closed. I do not know who,if anyone, Cinelli has chosen to produce post-Losa Supercorsa's as well as the new stainless steel Xcr. In all probability,Losa-produced Supercorsa inventories would very likely have carried on thru this past year.' It is my understanding from a source in Italy that in the 1980's the Cinelli Supercorsa was made by an experienced Milanese framebuilder by the name of Mario Camilotto. The workmanship on these models is quite beautiful perhaps even nicer than earlier models. I do not know why Signor Camilotto stopped building for Cinelli and why later frames were made by Losa, also in Milan.'

MODERN STEEL CINELLI'S. This year, 2008, Supertouch posted the first pictures of the production sample of Barry McGee's track bike that is made in collaboration with RVCA & Italian cycle makers Cinelli. It is part of the company's upcoming collaborative 'Pressure' art exhibition featuring an array of Cinelli bikes built and designed by such modern artists as Barry McGee, Ashley Macomber, Clare Rojas, C.R. Stecyk III, Dan Murphy, DMOTE, Jesse Geller, Josh Lazcano, KAWS, Madsaki, Phil Frost, RVCA founder PM Tenore and Stephen Powers, the show debuted at RVCA's flagship store in San Francisco on Thursday, June 19th and will be followed by a second September showing in Austin, Texas at cycling legend LANCE ARMSTRONG's new bike shop, Mellow Johnny's. The Track Bike is limited to 50 pieces worldwide and available in three frame sizes (54, 56 or 58), the Barry McGee signature cycle will be available as 25 complete bikes and 25 frame-only kits with pricetags of $3,700.00 and $2,100.00 respectively, and will be available for sale only through RVCA and Mellow Johnny's. 'Few bicycle racers rank as champions; even fewer parts manufacturers stand out as genuine innovators. Master frame designers can be counted on one hand.

Seldom does one encounter a legendary figure with a legitimate claim to all three titles. Yet as I approached a modest villa in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, on one unforgettable fall afternoon in 1986, I would have an opportunity to do just that. The day's resplendent sunshine only added to the near-mystical aura surrounding my visit with Cino Cinelli. Now seventy years of age, and still fit and vigorous, he lives quietly with his wife and young daughter. He acknowledges a certain lingering interest in the bicycle world, even admitting to an occasional jaunt himself.

However, his main activity these days, he insists, is to tend to his olive trees. Ever since he retired, almost a decade ago, severing all ties with the company which still bears his name, bicycles are no longer an important part of his life. Or so he cautions the cycling devotees who occasionally drop by on some sort of pilgrimage. Cino's introduction to the bicycle came at an early age, when he and his two older brothers, cycled several miles to their school in Florence. The boys' competitive nature transformed what should have been a routine commute into a veritable race-and sometimes even a fistfight.

The two older boys, against their father's wishes, began to participate in local amateur races. Giotto was especially good, and he was an inspiration to young Cino, who still proudly recalls the day he stood on a glorious Tuscan hilltop to witness his brother's first victory. Naturally, Cino wanted to race too. But he would not have an easy time pursuing this dream. First, he had to contend with his father's vehement opposition. Second, the family's increasingly dire economic situation forced Cino to quit school at the age of 14 and to seek employment.

Nor was his first boss, a doctor who used Cino as office help, inclined to accommodate an aspiring bicycle racer. Furthermore, it did not appear as if Cino, a rather frail youth, was blessed with a racer's physique or stamina. Fortune would nonetheless match Cino's resolve. One day, as he was riding his over-sized sports bike down a country lane, he collided with a car, an unusual entity in those days. Picking himself up, along with his bicycle, a badly shaken Cino sprinted off, fearing the wrath of the driver. Death band. The gentleman nonetheless managed to catch up, and handed the startled youth a few crisp bills.

He instructed Cino to fix his bike and to be more careful in the future. Not only was Cino able to repair his clunker, he also used his generous allowance to acquire the racing bike he had always coveted but could never afford. Cino soon left the doctor's employ to take on a new job with a publisher. He was determined to educate himself, even if he could not attend school. His new boss encouraged not only the young man's avid reading habits, but also his racing aspirations, allowing the apprentice the time necessary to train. Cino still vividly recalls one of his first amateur races, in 1931, when he narrowly beat out a local lad for second place; a certain Gino Bartali.

The winner, incidentally, was Bartali's cousin, who had already surpassed the age limit of fifteen by a good two years. But in those days, Cino grouses, unscrupulous racing authorities routinely turned a blind eye to such irregularities. Over the next few years, Cino continued to shine in the local amateur circuit. Meanwhile, thanks to his rigorous work habits, he advanced rapidly through the ranks of the publishing house. But in 1937, at the age of 21, this delicate balancing act came to an abrupt end.

The new management issued Cino an ultimatum: either give up racing or the job. Should he continue to compete, he would have to turn professional and renounce a steady job in a tenuous economy. Furthermore, it was by no means certain that he could make a living as a racer.

Sponsors, at this time, were virtually non-existent. His earnings would have to come exclusively from prize winnings.

Nevertheless, Cino gambled that he could survive by relying on Giotto's support and his own athletic ability. Fortune again responded favorably: the very day he quit his job he collected his first prize money. In the 1938 Tour of Lombardy Cino faced, once again, his chief local rival, Gino Bartali, who was now likewise a professional, and a rising national star.

The race evolved into an epic duel between the two, and, once again, Cino prevailed. The two Florentines, incidentally, are still close friends and occasionally get together. Cino confesses, however, that their encounters tend to be animated affairs, as the two old warriors rehash numerous debates that have lingered since their racing days. Evidently, an intense rivalry born long ago on bicycle saddles is carried forth today on living room chairs.

From the onset, Cino manufactured stems, bars and frames. Initially, however, his own products accounted for only about a tenth of his total business. By the time Cino retired, that percentage had risen to about one half. But under his watch the firm never shed its principal identity as a distributor of high-end cycling components made by other manufacturers. Over the years, Cino marketed at home and abroad everything from Columbus tubes to Phil Wood hubs.

His vast inventory included frame parts, tools, helmets, and cycle wear. The only prerequisite was that Cino had to personally validate the product. But one of his most ardent listeners was a certain Gentullio Campagnolo. Cino recalls how he once convinced the vaunted parts maker from Vicenza to redesign his drop-outs, insisting that they had to be thicker. He also remembers advising Campagnolo to modify his seat post and hubs. Chuckling, Cino recounted how he once won a friendly bet between the two.

'Campagnolo had just introduced a fork column, and I told him I could produce a better one at half his price.' After examining his friend's submission, a dejected Campagnolo promptly withdrew his product and treated a triumphant Cino to a cup of coffee.

Cino and Tullio maintained a long and close friendship until the latter's death about four years ago. As far back as the1960 Olympic Games in Rome, the two jointly manned a booth to publicize their respective products, before the worldwide bike boom alleviated the need for such personal attention to business. But until that point, they shared some hard times. In particular, Cino recalls helping the struggling Campagnolo through some difficult financial straits. Once, a disgruntled Campagnolo creditor demanded that Cino pay him for his Campagnolo order, rather than Campagnolo himself, so as to extinguish a long-standing debt. Cino refused; he would pay no one other than Campagnolo for the parts that bore that name.

No doubt, this special bond and mutual respect explains why the two manufacturers rarely presented competing products. Some firms, notably Ambrosio, today known primarily for its rims, were already using alloy in their stems and bars. Cinelli, however, always concerned with rigidity, originally stuck with steel. Only in 1963 did he introduced, half reluctantly, his first alloy stem and matching bar; and only because he was convinced that his combination was better than any on the market.

(He continued to recommend steel bars for track riding, however). The A/I stem, as it was called, immediately became the industry standard. Graceful in design and strong in structure, it incorporated a number of novel features. A recessed allen-wrench fitting pointing toward the headset eliminated the need for a bulky protruding bolt. Nor was there any need to pry open the clamp when detaching the bars. Moreover, the stem's serrated inner surface kept the bars from getting scratched. In 1973, Cino designed the A/R stem, a sleeker model with a hidden bolt system.

Scribbling furiously on my note pad, Cino explained in great detail how he adjusted the measurements of his stems and bars to ensure strength, elegance, and ease of use. As racing bicycles gained popularity, primarily among high-end recreational riders, first in Europe during the early 1960s, and then in the United States by the end of that decade, Cinelli stems and bars were increasingly in demand. Annual production climbed from about 5,000 stems and bars in the 1950s, to 7,500 in the early 1960s. By Cino's retirement in 1978, the figure had reached a giddy 150,000. Yet despite the boom, Cinelli never relaxed his renowned quality standards.

His staff grew slightly, and he modernized some techniques, but the products themselves remained the most refined and coveted in the cycle industry. Racing framesFrame production, however, could not be readily multiplied without a significant decline in quality. Although some Italian frame makers succumbed to the temptation to industrialize their production, Cino stubbornly resisted. First, he had no desire to claim a significant share of the market for racing frames.

Such a position would pit him against his major clients in the parts business. In fact, Cino was determined not to jeopardize his role as an honest broker to the Italian cycle industry. The few frames he did produce were generally sold to the huge American market, where the competitive effect was miniscule. Nor did Cino ever outfit a professional team with his frames, so that other builders would not feel that he had deprived them of that honor. His track frames were, however, in high demand by Olympic federations that were free to chose whatever equipment they deemed best. In 1964, for example, the entire Japanese team used Cinelli frames, as did the 1968 Mexican team.

Cino's aversion to stepping up his frame production also reflected his determination to implement his own, sometimes unconventional, concepts, without regard to popular taste or industry trends. Furthermore, as a parts designer and dealer, he felt that it was extremely helpful to remain personally involved in the production of frames. As he saw it, the parts had to be designed around the frame. Consequently, a Cinelli, the so-called 'Rolls-Royce of bicycles,' remained a highly exclusive item, even as demand soared.

The annual output hovered around two-hundred and fifty during the 1950s, and peaked at about six or seven hundred in the 1970s. Frames were only consigned per custom-order, and customers often had to wait months for delivery, or even longer when he had outstanding orders from Olympic athletes. Cinelli's frames were as limited in models as they were in numbers.

Early on, he produced a relatively economical sports bike, and he also dabbled in track bikes and tandems. In 1974, he designed a novel aerodynamic 'funny bike' which the Dane Ole Ritter rode to break his own hour record.

One of Cino's last projects was the Laser, a futuristic aerodynamic frame. But, his enduring classic, the staple of his frame production, was the legendary Super Corsa road model. Produced with relatively few changes from 1947 on, its ride and durability are part of cycling lore. Cino muses how a Frenchman once advised him to redesign it. 'Why?,' asked a perplexed Cinelli.

'They last too long,' came the reply. 'How can you expect any turnover?'

The fabled frame was the result of Cino's yen for a more rigid design. To this end, he conceived sloping fork crowns and the peculiar 'fast-back' seat post-bolt system. Early on, the hired a Bianchi frame maker, Luigi Valsasina, to assist in frame production. (Now 85, Valsasina left the firm a few years after Cinelli's own exit). Cino recalls how his technician initially resisted such an unorthodox design. Cino, having an order to fill for the great Fausto Coppi, instructed Valsasina to build two bikes for the champion-one a traditional configuration and the other Cino's new design.

Both frame-builder and racer were duly impressed with Cino's alternative, and the Super Corsa was born. Cino maintains that the sloping fork crown adds rigidity by reducing the length of the fork blades. In his view, only the harshest courses, those comprised of cobblestone, demand a more flexible ride and hence the traditional flat fork crown.

Arguably, the sloping design also makes the bicycle slightly more aerodynamic. Though the advantage is admittedly negligible, it is notable that aerodynamic considerations only came into vogue many years later. As for the 'fast-back' design, that arrangement directly aligns the binder bolt with the center of top tube, assuring a firmer grip on the seat-post. Note regarding Cinelli forks: According to Richard Sachs, 'the cinelli fork crowns were sand cast (by George Fisher) in Switzerland.

No one had them but Cinelli in the 1960's and early 1970's. The Cinelli crowns (that were put in to the marketplace) were sold to anyone, but only AFTER the investment-cast generation of the mid 70s. By then, you (anyone) could buy a cast version of the style that once was the Cinelli Super Corsa trademark.

But who would want that? All changed at Cinelli when Antonio Columbo bought and reorganized it in the mid 70's. And by then, coincidentally, no one really used sandcast or forged parts anymore.'

Despite the longevity of the Super Corsa, Cino did apply a few minor changes over the years. The very first frames used Reynolds tubing, until Columbus SL became the standard. The cast lugs at the ends of the top tube began to sport three drilled holes, escalating in size, after about 1960. Starting in the early 1970s, the fork crown and the bottom bracket shell were produced by 'microfusion,' a then unique bicycles Cinelli process of investment-casting that yielded parts of greater uniformity and strength. (Cinelli also marketed his frame components to other builders.) And like other Italian frames, later models allowed for shorter-reach brakes, and featured a lower bottom bracket and an increasing array of braze-ons. Years later, as a manufacturer, he approached one of his brothers who had gone into the plastics business to see if that material could provide comfortable yet rigid support.

His brother responded favorably, but cautioned Cino that he would have to order saddles by the thousands to price them competitively. An enthused Cino tried unsuccessfully to enlist Campagnolo in his bold venture. Finally, he discovered that Tommaso Nieddu of Turin, founder of the Vittoria derailleur, had begun to manufacture saddles made of Rilsan, a synthetic material invented in France. Cino formed a partnership with Nieddu (known as Unicantor), and redesigned the seat to include a buffalo hide covering, for extra comfort and traction. Before long, this innovative product captured the racing market and put saddle re-shapers out of business.

Other notable Cinelli products include the resilient Binda toestraps, and the sleek M-71 clip-on track pedal, introduced in 1973. Although the latter product was short-lived, the French ski manufacturer Look eventually developed and applied the concept with great technical and commercial success. One of Cino's most imaginative ideas was a system that accommodated interchangeable front and rear wheels, designed primarily to facilitate wheel changes during races. The special freewheel, manufactured by Regina, attached independently to the frame. The hubs, manufactured by Campagnolo, could be fitted either into the freewheel or the front fork. Cino sold a number of bicycles with this system to Americans in the late 1960s, but the idea never caught on. Still, it remains one of Cino's most cherished concepts.

Cino's future plans call for a peaceful life in the countryside with his family, growing and harvesting olives. He is reluctant to leave the land he loves, even temporarily.

He has no great desire to travel, and has never crossed the Atlantic, despite numerous invitations from American friends like the Chicago-based Schwinn family. Still, he is by no means detached from the rest of the world. His library contains numerous articles that have been written about him over the years in such far-flung countries as France, England, Japan, and the United States (he seems particularly proud of the article that appeared in Playboy in the early 1970s).

And he maintains a rapport with numerous cyclists worldwide that he equipped over the years, effortlessly ticking off names and measurements. He relishes a collection of art objects sent by clients, sometimes in lieu of cash payment, as was the case with some residents of developing countries. As I reluctantly prepared to leave, I prodded Cino to weigh in on the state of cycling. He cites a need for improved road networks to accommodate cyclists, but he also advocates fundamental changes in design.

After we paused for a Sunday afternoon dessert, Cino led me down to his basement where he elaborated on his technical ideas. There, resting against a well-scribbled blackboard, was his own bike-a Cinelli, of course.

This classic rust-colored gem sported two 26' wheels and extra-long cranks. According to Cino, this is the ideal set-up for a road bike. '27' wheels were designed fifty years ago when we had much poorer roads,' he groused, 'It just doesn't make sense that we still ride these wheels today.' Cino adamantly maintains that cyclists benefit from the higher cadence that goes along with smaller wheels, and that longer cranks provide better leverage.