Peter Jourdain wrote a loving description of his supersized Cinelli. Perhaps 2 comments about mine, which measures 62 x 57 ctc, would be helpful to potential buyers. Mine is #1506, guessed to be '73 or so.
A) The large under-square (short top tube) design seems characteristic on large framesets. It is at the limit of my barefoot straddle, but I found it really comfortable on RAGBRAI in 2004. In part (for us older guys), the bars are high enough that getting into the drops is pretty comfortable.
B) Like Peter's mine (silver) has no DT decals, and no sign that it ever had any.
It is one of my favorite bikes, and absolutely confirms one prejudice I have: top tube length matters much more to me than seat tube length. I'm about equally comfortable on bikes from about 56 - 62, if they are close to 57 cm top tube, ctc.
harvey sachs mcLean va
Cinelli SC, circa 1970 (could be up to several years
earlier). Orange with chromium plated ends.
Serial number 4310. This frameset is recorded on the
Cinelli Registry http://www.cinelliregistry.com/
As many of you know, exact dating of a Cinelli is not always easy and sometimes defies logic. But based on the nexus of the frameset\u2019s features (type of binder bolt setup, number of holes in the lugs*, lack of an oiler port, the type of Columbus tubing sticker, headbadge material, etc.) and the serial number (based on those Cinelli bikes with similar numbers), the general consensus is approximately 1970, with a margin or error of a couple of years on the upside and several on the down (earlier).
*By one indicator my frameset should be of 1968 or earlier manufacture because supposedly the triple hole lugs appeared in \u201868, and the lugs on my frameset have only single holes. But only Cino knows for sure.
Frameset measures 64cm seattube c-t-c. Top tube is 58mm c-t-c. Rear spacing 120. Campy dropouts.
CONDITION: Structurally the frameset is straight and true as checked out by my mechanic. It shows no signs of having been crashed or seriously \u201claid down.\u201d NO DINGS OR DENTS OR RASHES.
There is some loss of chrome and some corrosion of chrome on the lugs and on the right front fork end, and some paint chipped off the bottom bracket shell and on the front fork where the underlying chrome can be seen. Still, though the frameset is not a drop-dead gorgeous showpiece, it\u2019s quite presentable for an original 35-year-old rider.
The decals on the seat tube are all there and in pretty nice condition (the Cinelli coat of arms, the Speciale Corsa decal, the silver Columbus sticker, and the \u201cWorld\u201d bands). The \u201cMade in Italy\u201d decal on the top of the head tube is mostly obliterated. But the headbadge itself is quite nice indeed. The striped foil bands near the fork crown are there, but peeling.
There is not currently a Cinelli decal on the downtube. In fact, there may never have been one in the first place as one very astute CR Member remarked to me a couple of years ago. The frameset, having come from California (at least when I acquired it in Sept \u201904 via ebay), MAY have originally been sold by Spence Wolfe, who for some reason often ordered his Cinelli bikes sans downtube decals. That is a GUESS as to why mine has no downtube decal, anyway. Perhaps that is not the story with this particular bike. and its downtube decal just went the way of all flesh, but the Spence Wolfe story does seem plausible.
When I got this frameset it did not have a seat post binder bolt. I have thus fitted a Jamie Swan-designed repro. The Swan repro is in stainless steel and is not chromium plated as were the originals. Seatpost size is your typical 26.2 Italian. Frameset made for 700c wheels, of course.
This Cinelli SC would make a wonderful rider, or you could go whole hog and have her restored back to showroom condition. The choice is yours. Mine was to build her up, slap the downtube decal on her and ride. But, after acquiring all the parts, other projects took over and I just never pulled the trigger.
Comes with the following:
1. Nuovo Record double bottom bracket [on the frameset when I acquired it and could be original, but who knows] Italian thread.
2. Nuovo Record headset (not original).
3. Reproduction stainless steel seat post binder bolt from Jamie Swan.
4. Reproduction press-on CINELLI downtube decal from Brian Baylis.
Please note that both the bb and the hs were professionally installed and the best bicycle grease on the market, Buzzy\u2019s Slick Honey, specified. Both fittings spin smoothly.
5. NOS later Campy rear dropout adjuster screws (not original).
Here are gobs of photos [not Ken Toda quality, I admit. The bike is a bit brighter orange than the photos show]------
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/
I am asking $400 plus shipping, which is less than I have into this part of the project.
PAYPAL ONLY, please. My e-mail address is my Paypal user name.
I will pack this thing so that it will be impervious to the little nasty shipping gremlins that lurk about waiting to make shambles of men and their machines. It will come to you by way of FedEx Ground.
I want to thank the following CR Members who schooled me and encouraged me when I first found the Cinelli: Greg Arnold, David Cooper, Angel Garcia, Dave Martinez, Richard Bulis, Steven Maasland, Brian Baylis, Jamie Swan and many others. Sorry for selling it. May the gods of the wheel have mercy on my soul.
Peter Jourdain
Whitewater, Wisconsin US of A