On May 9, 2007, at 8:38 PM, Jan Heine wrote:
> Another question is how famous Cinelli really was around the
> world... I know in Germany, where I grew up, they were considered
> the Holy Grail by many, and the same applies here in the U.S., of
> course. But in France, everybody knows Colnago, but Cinelli is
> relatively unknown. What about Italy, Britain, etc.?
>
> Note: I am not saying that Cinelli is not world-famous, but simply
> asking the question.
>
> Jan Heine
> Seattle, WA USA
Depends what period you are talking about Jan. In the fifties and the sixties no one in France or anywhere else would have known what a Colnago was. The Ron Kitching catalogs: Everything Cycling, 1960 - 184 pages, Ron Kitching Everything Cycling, 1963 - 206 pages, and Ron Kitching's Hand Book, 1970 - 274 pages had fairly large catalog entries for Cinelli bikes and handlebar/stems. I would have to believe that these large mail order catalogs were well known and well distributed all over the UK and Cinelli would have been well known by racing bike enthusiasts.
As for Italy, I believe in the late 50s and all of the sixties Cinelli would have been considered the "best" and "most prestigious" Italian bike made (Masi wouldn't have been as well known then). I have no sources.
Anyone?
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA