dadoflam

Hi everyone
Once you start you cant stop at one Cinelli..
Just picked up this Cinelli SC and only have these photos to go by until it arrives - has a mixture of pre and post '78 Cinelli detailing. On one hand it has the older style 3 hole lugs, early 70's seat clamp bolt and the underside of the BB is plain with the old style 4 digit number stamped in (5638) - not a flying C Cinelli casting. The headbadge is the 70's (not sure if earlier or later) bolt-on type.

However it also has braze-ons, under BB cable routing (sorry I cant reproduce the BB photo) and brake cable through the top tube. Headbadge is old style and decals are modern. There do not appear to be any flying C castings.

The componentry I am told is '71 NR with exception of the FD which is SR. The brake levers are the pre-75 long type.

I'm thinking it maybe a early/mids '70's which has had a mid-life crisis upgrade(?) I'm not sure that through-to-tube cabling came into being until mid '80's (?)

Any ideas gratefully received

SanRemo

Very nice!!

devinfan

Easy. It's from the age of awesomeness.

wineslob

Drool factor 100+.

MiloFrance

Slap me sideways with a wet kipper. That is a beauty. I would hazard a complete guess at a strip down and fettle a few years ago to add the braze ons, then a restoration to as close as possible original. Either way, its fab.

rootboy 

Show off!

Very nice.

Certainly looks like a repaint, looking at the paint lapping up over the shorelines on the lugs. And the edges of the vinyl stickers.
But it begs the question, why would they put later, improper decals on it? perhaps the mid 70's decals were not available?

Nevertheless, a super beauty.

gioscinelli 

Gorgeous, fabulous, and stunning Cinelli SC and Ageless Beauty. A mix of modern and older version with braze-on and then the seat cluster with the long drilled pointed lugs reminiscent of an earlier age.

kylarr

Nice bike, I like how it has been worked over. It leaves you free to modify it as a rider with no thought as to originality. That chainring drillium is classy and well done.

If I had to hazard a guess as to the age I would say maybe 1974. That is when the Cinelli timeline says the badge changed to aluminum and it might not have had the over BB guides as a factory feature at that time, hence the under BB ones. It has had enough done to it though that the person having the work done might have just had a preference for the under BB ones. in that case probably anywhere from '74 to '77 or so.

I completely understand the Cinelli addiction. I recently pared back from 4 to 3 but am now kind of looking for another one. Its a pretty specific one and might never show up though.

Vonruden

Stunning!!!!

KonAaron Snake 

I think it's mid-late 70s based on the badge, lack of eyelets, holes in lugs, later seatpost bolt and geometry. I'm sure it will make a nice rider, but the restoration isn't at all to my taste. Personally I'd replace the decals, bar tape and remove the paint fill in the lug cutouts.

Force 

Sweet. Like the drillium on the chainrings.

dadoflam

Thanks Kon - It will be definitely getting a full refinish - new chrome and paint - and that bartape is going straight to the bin . I'm a big fan of 'pre-Columbo' Cinelli so planning to keep it in the classic silver and old-style graphics. Just trying to decide whether I bring the frame back to original or just approach the whole thing as the next phase in its life and keep the modifications. Will have to disappoint you on the lug paintwork though - red lug infills on a silver frame is the classic Speciale Corsa colour scheme.

KonAaron Snake 

I'm not sure which way I'd go with this...the modifications have already been made and the cost of a proper restoration likely exceed the bike's value. Honestly - I might go full hot rod at this point. I'd definitely be thinking rider, not show piece. I've got one show piece Cinelli and one rider myself. My rider Cinelli is UGLY.

Cinelli has so many bad arse paint schemes - my favorite is the salmon.

Drillium Dude 

Agree with Aaron about turning it into a hot rod. Undoing the internal rear brake cable is going to be some work and will ruin the paint on the top tube at the very least. Add in all the other metalwork to get her back to original and the bill climbs way higher.

I'd like a better look at the headbadge - it looks as tho it could be a modern repro, but the angle is bad to make a true call.

It's a beauty in its own right, no matter the modifications - if you plan on using it as a rider. You could do LOTS worse But worth the money to bring back to original spec? Well, of course only you in the end can answer that.

Whichever way, enjoy!

DD

KonAaron Snake 

I thought that might be the case on the badge too dd, but the shape looks right. I think it might be repainted.

The more I'm thinking about this, the more I think leave it as is (except the decals and tape), build it as a rider however you'd enjoy it and have fun. Your signature says you already have a perfect Cinelli anyway. Even as odd as this one is, it's still probably prettier than my ugly duckling.

kylarr

The badge screws are the real deal. While this may not have always been the case the correct oval head slotted screws are impossible to find, short of custom made. Its more common for repop badges to have round head screws.

carmic0

Superb. Love the crankset.

Ecrevisse

It appears to be mid to late 80's, if it is original. The internal cable routing and the decals are definitely after 1983. Do you have a serial number?

Here are a few pictures of a 1980 SC.

Ecrevisse

Classic Cinelli timeline

unworthy1

I'm curious about the internal cable grommets on the TT: does the housing pass thru the TT or are there "stops" built into the grommets so you have 2 lengths of housing, one fore and one aft? If the latter was there a metal tube brazed inside the TT to guide the cable? Obviously those are long Campy (1010A) dropouts, does the BB shell look correct for the era people are thinking? What style cable guidance underneath the BB shell was brazed on, or is it (shudder) a plastic piece?

I'm obviously no expert, but things that look different between the OP's frame and the black '80 SC: the dropouts, TT cable guides and nutted versus Allen-head bolts for the brakes, plus the cable stop on the top of the chainstay on the '80...still has over-BB cable routing for RD.

KonAaron Snake 

It's pre-80, it was modified (heavily) during a restoration.

iab

Typically you run the cable housing the entire length from the levers to the calipers. No stops.

Ecrevisse

I agree with Aaron. This bike had to be modified. Without any knowledge of it's history, the year it was made is tough to guess.