Monday, December 30, 2013

1953 Hübner & Koch Catalog




 
 
My thanks to Christoph in Germany for sending the above images (click to enlarge) and writing, "In looking in my catalog collection I browsed through a few Hübner & Koch catalogs.  Hübner & Koch has been for a long time after World War II one of, if not the wholesaler, in Germany to get the right racing stuff. As the 1951/'52 catalog has no Cinelli parts or frames in the contents it seems that Cinelli first appeared in 1953 (I am not sure if there was a 1952/'53 intermediate catalogue). Interesting that in 1953 they offered besides the three models called Cinelli (Amateur), Cinelli "B" and the Cinelli Professional what seems to be the later SC and also the Cinelli Piccolo. In 1955 this model for the kids has disappeared and the three models are now called A, B and C.I hope you can struggle through the German text."  
 
Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com
 
 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Altenburger Cinelli B

Cinelli made an unknown number of frames to be used specifically with the Altenburger derailleur system; more information here and here about it. Photos of such a bicycle, and with matching fenders (click on photos to enlarge):







Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Pista Leggerissimo

This is a pista version Cinelli Speciale Corsa Leggerissimo sold by Brügelmann in Frankfurt in the 1970s. Notes: has a 9 hole BB rather than the typical 7 hole BB on the SC Leggerrismo; the seat tube decals and a blue outline compared to the traditional decal of the down tube. Click on images to enlarge.







Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Monday, November 25, 2013

CInelli Registry Moves to New Domain

The Cinelli Registry (.com) is no longer operational. It has been replaced with the Cinelli Registry (.org). Same rules apply. Go to www.cinelliregistry.org.

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com






Friday, November 22, 2013

Golden Black Saddle




Thanks to a reader for the photos of his "Golden Black" saddle. The saddle was part of a set, see here for more information.

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Unicanitor Model 70 Campione del Mondo

For one reader a long search is over for a Unicanitor Model 70 Campione del Mondo:







The first saddles based on a plastic form were to be called "Unica" but the name was already patented so Cinelli decided on "Unicanitor", a combination of "Unica", "Ni" for the first letters of the inventor-Mario Nieddu, and "Tor" for Nieddu's factory in Torino.


Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Cinelli Laser "Mia"

The Cinelli Laser, the full carbon version, is now available as the "Laser Mia" (more details previously here). Photos of actual one (click on photos to enlarge):










Frameset is currently on ebay.

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Friday, November 8, 2013

U.S. Internaples & Cinelli

My thanks to reader Fillipo who sent two wonderful photographs of the U.S. Internaples cycling team in Naples from the 1950s. They all have Cinelli bikes (you can click on photos to enlarge):

The following photograph is of rider Mimi Milano with an SC frame. Filipo believes the photo is from 1953/1954; note the combination of the first generation logo type on downtube, fast-back seatpost, full sloping fork crown and four chrome rings on seat tube:

Futher information about the team, its riders, etc., is welcomed. What year do you think this frame is from?

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Laser Nostra Prototype, Part II

Part I

More from Cinelli about the Laser Nostra Protoype being auctioned by Sotheby (http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/null-n09014/lot.28.html):


Limited Edition Prototype Laser Nostra Cinelli bicycle set to go under the hammer at Jony & Marc’s (RED) Auction on November 23rd


Two of the world’s foremost design pioneers, Sir Jonathan Ive, KBE, and Marc Newson, CBE, have collaborated with musician and philanthropist Bono to organize a (RED) Auction celebrating the very best of design and innovation. Jony and Marc have spent the past year and a half curating the collection, which comprises objects from disciplines as diverse as space travel and lighting design to contemporary art and rare automobiles, all unified and distinguished by their excellence and innovation. Proceeds from the 23 November 2013 sale at Sotheby’s New York will benefit The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The auction will feature icons of design selected by Jony and Marc, including a Cinelli Prototype “Laser Nostra” bicycle, singed by Cinelli President and bicycle designer, Antonio Colombo. This stunning, limited- edition bicycle was ridden to victory in a major competition: in 2011, American Rider Neil Bezdek won the Red Hook Criterium in Milan, the most famous fixed-gear competition in the world, riding this Laser Nostra prototype. The design of Cinelli’s Laser was ground-breaking at the time of its release in 1980.

Made to address a singular problem - making its rider the fastest on the track - it reflects the intense collaboration between designer Antonio Colombo and a team that included a frame builder, engineer, physiologists, coaches, and numerous champion riders. This prototype, with its famous Columbus Niobium steel tube and featuring a unique carbon fork, was created in 2011 for a special anniversary edition of 21 Laser bicycles released in 2012. This bicycle has been customised with old and new Columbus stickers.

"It's been a thrilling journey for Jony and me to curate this collection of pieces that celebrate extraordinary design that we love, that transcends all boundaries of time and place. Each object and the process of creating it conveys a rich set of human values, so it seems fitting that they should be auctioned with a different sense of human value in mind, to raise as much as possible to help people's lives today," said Marc Newson. “We'd like to thank our partners for their sincere generosity and for giving so gladly and willingly.”

The (RED) Auction collection goes on public exhibition at Sotheby’s New York beginning November, 18th.

Learn more about the second (RED) Auction through our Twitter hashtag #REDatSothebys



Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

1950s Cinelli

Before going onto this bike we should first re-visit an earlier blog post which had this photo of a 1952 Vecel  & Co. advertisement:
If you click on the image to enarge it you can clearly see that the fork has a spear shape to the side.


The following bike has the same fork, and the owner descroibes it as such:
CINELLI  VINTAGE LIGHTWEIGHT RACING BIKE EARLY  1950s  LUBELLA  REAR TRIANGE TUBING ,HAS A STAMP IN THE LEFT CHAINSTAY IN THE FRAME,, MEANS DRAGONFLY? I THINK,
  531 WAS USED AT THIS TIME, HARD TO TELL IF ITS REYNOLDS OR FALK,? COLUMBUS?   SIMPLEX FRONT AND REAR DROPOUTS , FB LARGE FLANGE HUBS, NISI RIMS  MATCHING TUBS HOLD AIR  
 RIDES WELL AS THEY ALL DO,   CHAINRINGS ARE A BIT NEWER,         ITS AN EARLY BIKE ,POSSABLEY ONE OF THE EARLIEST  NON   SEAT  CLAMP MODELS
THEY DONT COME ALONG VERY OFTEN,    I HAVE HAD IT FOR 4 YEARS, FROM A PRIVATE COLECTION    23 "  CENTRE TO TOP OF SEAT TUBE,       ITS THE ONLY WAY TO MEASURE A FRAME
22" TOP TUBE C TO C
GUTTI SPLINED CRANKSET   WITH THE EXTRACTOR,  CINELLI  PISTA BARS AND EARLY CINELLI STEM, CHROME IS TIRED UNDER THE STEM,
FRAME WAS RESPAYED A FEW YERS AGO , NOT BY ME   NO RUST ,OR DENTS,  UNRIDDEN FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS,, TOOK IT ALL APART AND SERICED EVERYTINHG , ABOUT A YEAR AGO, SO READY TO RIDE
SHEFIELD PEDALS,  GRAN SPORT REAR MECH, UNIVERSAL BRAKE STIRRUPS AND LEVERS.




 
Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

Cinelli Timeline


Chuck Schmidt, owner of Velo-Retro, has created the "The Original CINELLI Timeline,
A history of the highly-respected CINO CINELLI & C. company." It can be found here:
http://www.velo-retro.com/cinellitline.html

As he notes, "I would greatly appreciate any assistance you the reader can offer in updating this timeline as this is the only way the accuracy of this timeline can be improved. Chuck Schmidt "

We are happy to have contributed...

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com






Monday, November 4, 2013

Laser Nostra Prototype


This is the Laser "Nostra" prototype being auctioned at Sotheby; see http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/null-n09014/lot.28.html

For the record, the auction states:
A PROTOTYPE "LASER NOSTRA" BICYCLE
Signed by Cinelli President and bicycle designer Antonio Colombo for the (RED) Auction 2013.
Columbus Niobium steel and carbon fork
44 1/2  x 65 1/2  x 6 3/8  inches (175 x 105 x 25 cm)
Net weight: 16.5lbs (7.5 kg)
Produced by Cinelli, Italy (a division of Gruppo S.p.A.)


The Laser "Nostra" was the very limited edition Laser in steel that became available in 2011. Some detailed photos of the display bike here in Cinelli Only. These were made by the framebuilder of the original Lasers, Andrea Pesenti.

addendum of November 6th: the Sotheby auction has been updated with this, correct, photo of the Nostra being auctioned:


Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com




Monday, October 21, 2013

Laser Tandem




Currently for sale on Italian ebay here.

Other photos of tandems previously published in Cinelli Only are here.

Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com






Thursday, October 3, 2013

Cinelli Laser, Now in Carbon

The Cinelli Laser, the full carbon version, is now available as the "Laser Mia".

From the website:
The Laser, Cinelli icon, thanks to the work of the Laser Team is now a carbon jewel. All Made in Italy through a sophisticated wrapping technique of the carbon elements that are further processed, it is possible to build a custom frame of only 890g. All the elements identifying the Laser are maintained: the fin under the bottom bracket, the fittings of the joints and the passage of the rear wheel housed in the seat tube.
  • The cable routing is fully internal for both mechanical and electronic groups.
  • The rear aluminum CNC dropouts sandwich wrap the central carbon part fully integrated to the rear stays.
  • A proper anodized aluminum cap positioned under the fin of the bottom bracket allows easy access for routing the shift cables.
  • Head tube 1 "1/8 and BSA bottom bracket
For comparison here is a built-up Laser Mia compared to a 1980s steel Laser:



    Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com

    Lucas Brunelle Goes to Africa (on a Hobo)


    Lucas Brunelle goes to Africa from Cinelli Official on Vimeo.

    The short-film “Lucas Brunelle goes to Africa”, exclusively shown on preview during the Road World Championships in Florence, is now online on at CinelliTV https://vimeo.com/76049367. We are talking about an incredible 7 minutes-long video filmed by Lucas Brunelle, the most famous film maker in the alternative and urban cycling worlds. Produced by Cinelli and edited by Benny Zenga during the 11th edition of the Tour d’Afrique (12.000 Km, 8 stages, 80 riders), ultimate test for Cinelli's new bike designed for touring and adventure: Cinelli Hobo. Double-butted steel frame with never-rust treatment, a great mix of CycloCross and Touring geometries for a “sprinting comfort”, Tubus Carriers, fenders, three bottlecage supports and oversize down tube: just some of the many amazing features of Hobo. The latest Cinelli icon. Following the steps of Laser, Rampichino, Bootleg and Fixies, Cinelli once again invents a new way to cycle and to interpret cycling! Hobo: Hit the road quick! Enjoy it! Team Cinelli.

    Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com  

    Monday, September 30, 2013

    Cinelli "CX", Part III




    As already mentioned Cinelli has stated that they did not make these "CX" frames. These photos are from a reader in Vienna of his CX which is nickle plated with the lugs painted black.

    Other photos of CX frames in Cinelli Only are here and here.

    Note that the seatstay engraving is the same as the engraving on this BB:


    Reminder: I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components. I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com