As some of you may recall, a few months ago I bought a NOS 2003-ish Cinelli SC. As delivered, it had a standard double, 12/23 cassette, and 9 speed DT shifting. Even though it was all wrong for me it was priced attractively and too pretty to pass up, so I bought it anyway.

Well - work, weather, and familial obligations conspired against me, and I had a devil of a time finding a decent stem. But, I finally got the bike stripped of the unwanted parts (all sold), and collected the required parts for its' transformation. Saturday evening I completed it, and Sunday took it for a 30 mile spin.

So, ride synopsis...... Well - I had just done 20 miles on my beloved Palo Alto the day before, and I could tell right off the the bat this bike was different. At first I thought maybe I was too far forward, but as I was toying with the idea of moving the seat we hit a moderate 2 mile climb and I forgot about it. At the top of the climb, we chatted up a few racer-women, and continued on. For the next 13 miles of rollers, I pretty much forgot about the bike and goofed around with my pals. Coming back I was able to dart in and out of the hairpins, fool with the cornering and setups, and generally zip around and play with the bike. As Bikingshearer noted in a different thread, I hit one corner pretty hot, and my inside foot came unclipped. That popped me up and sent me wide, right in front of Rich. Not sure how close I came to taking him/us out, but he was gracious enough to not give me some (well deserved) ***** about it. On the final descent I didn't hammer and push, but rather let the bike roll out on its own to see how it behaved.

First impressions:

1) I didn't notice the climb so much as usual - could've been the bike, could've been the good breakfast, could've been the distraction of good company. But I can tell you for sure that climb seemed easier and was over well before I thought it should be. We'll see if that continues.

2) The bike glides - it likes to roll. Could be the the tires, wheels/hubs, but it rides smooth and is very stable.

3) It is very well-behaved on descents. I love the Palo Alto - it is a quick, responsive, and lively ride. But it demands that you pay attention - it seems to be coiled up and waiting to do stuff, and will change direction in the blink of an eye if you give it a suggestion. The Cinelli is a bit smoother, feels a bit less lively with less of a tendency to "dive" into a corner. Where the Palo Alto seems anxious to get in there and shred it up, the Cinelli waits for you to tell it what to do.

Those are not quite adequate descriptions, and they are based on a short 30 mile ride - but are the best I can come up with right now.

None of this is objective, and I realize it is very hard to compare two bikes like this. For one thing, the "contact" components are different - tires, wheels, saddles - all different. So, it looks like I might have two favorite bikes in the stable that behave differenty...... what's not to love about that?

Anyway, the ride was over much sooner than I wanted it to be, and I could have easily doubled it if given the chance. No real aches or pains from improper setup, no mechanical issues, no complaints. I can truly say that for the majority of the ride I more or less forgot about the bike and had a lot fun. Also - the Brooks saddle wasn't awful, so it stays for the time being.

Whew, I was hoping you would like it, I sure didn't want someone named BigBossMan looking for the guy that talked him into some POS, not that it took too much talking.

Absolutely beautiful build, though a nice Regal or Rolls sure would look good on it!

HEY!!! That's right! It was your fault, wasn't it?

A white Regal is on the short list, but for right now I'll see what Brooks has to offer. I'm tired of spending money.

Truthfully, I do like the bike. I've never had or ridden a "top tier" bike, but it's pretty and seems to ride well. However, I've only ridden it for 30 miles so the jury's still out. Guess I'll just have to ride it some more and see. Damn.

It'll be tough selling the Palo Alto if I decide the Cinelli is worlds away a better bike.

Thanks for the ride report BBM. ARRRGGHHH! Now I want one!

Just kidding. I'm just jealous.

I think my next bike will be a Cinelli Supercorsa. Oh yes! Except I think mine will be green.
Beautiful bike! Enjoy!

Dan

Cinelli Super Course? Raleigh-made Cinelli, did you say?

*ducks for cover*

-Kurt

Good one, Kurt! I'd missed that!

What size you looking for? There's one on Serotta and one on the Bay now.

I wasn't that close. You crossed far enough in front of me so that you were never in danger of taking me out as long as you stayed up, and I probably could have missed you even if you had crashed. I would have had a front-row-center seat, though.

Besides, I had used up my quotient of crap to dole out when Carl got his flat.

That Cinelli is a thing of beauty, folks. It ain't "vintage," but is the very definition of "classic." BBM looked very comfortable and relaxed on the descents (with the one exception, noted above).

And the best part for BBM is that, with that Cinelli, people won't be paying more attetion to my Ron Cooper that what he's riding.

Yup - ultra rare, with low miles.

Hey - will one o' you Blue Star types fix my thread title so all my internet buddies can simmer down?

I rode my '84 about 20-25 miles saturday, hot as hell... I love my Brooks.

I got about 40 in on Sunday, astride my '84 SC, perched on my Regal!

I have a '98 version of the Supercorsa! Post a photo of yours!

Looks like this:

Nice. Is that Columbus TSX?

Very nice! Campy - 8 speed? 10? Is that a very tall Cinelli stem? Mine doesn't go that high.

10 speed Chorus/Centaur. That stem is generic - other than the size marking and minimum insertion mark, there are no other markings. No identification at all. It looks very similar to a Cinelli XA, and since I searched the world over for a 90mm Cinelli XA with a 26.0 clamp and came up empty, I gave up and used this one. Not a Cinelli, but I like it. When I finally find a suitable XA, I'll switch it over. As pictured, it is set right at the minimum insertion line.

Columbus Neuron.

56cm. I saw the one on eBay. Too small. I'll check the one on Serotta...

EDIT: ARRRGGHHH!!! The one on Serotta is a 58cm! So close!

Beautiful, beautiful, and the 10-speed Chorus/Centaur stuff is perfect on it. I guess it's time to start looking. I notice Team Cyclist has new road framesets for $2k. Does that seem like a reasonable price considering the terrible shape the dollar is in?

Try here:

https://www.lickbike.com/productpage.asp?PART_NUM_SUB='2767-00'

$1650.00 Frame and fork

Ok....beautiful bike, as always, BBM.

East Hill

Great! Thanks!

Bossman, Your deal is looking better all the time!

Man, 90mm is short for a stem. I went from 120 to 110 and had to switch back because the steering got way too twitchy for me. Here is a shot of mine: PS, when I bought my frame from Lickbike, back in '98, I paid $795 because it was an odd size (my perfect size) 59cm.

Why would that happen? A man needs the proper bicycle for every occasion, does he not?

Thanks! It has a few Record bits, as well - hubs, brake calipers, bottom bracket. Maybe someday I'll go all Record, but I like the silver shifters, and Record triples are pretty pricey. As it was, I had to cough up $160 for the Chorus crank. It was new, though.....

Tom at GVHbikes.com has a few framesets left at $1100. 50, 53, 55, and 64cm. I got his last 56cm frameset, but I had to buy a complete bike in order to get it. AND, I was third in line - the 1st 2 buyers backed out of the deal.

And to think, I owe it all to you...... sort of.

Huh. I dunno - most all my bikes have 100mm stems, and I thought I'd try one a bit shorter. The bike rides smooth and stable - doesn't seem twitchy to me, at all.

Thank you, and thank you.