Since you all are already discussing Cinelli here...

I'm looking at the Gazzetta ($900) as an upgrade to my cheap Back Alley. I'm a little confused by it, though. I assumed it was built off of one of the framesets which they have for sale. But, the framesets seem to all be aluminum and the same price as the complete Gazetta. What am I missing?

Is it a worthwhile upgrade in terms of the components? I have had some problems with the cheap components on the Back Alley. I'm already replacing the bottom bracket after six months of light riding, the wheels seem poorly made and forever out of true (despite being trued multiple times), the brakes suck, handlebars suck, etc. I'm not sure its worth modding.

As unhappy as I am with the 16X42 gearing on the Back Alley, it seems I would still need to upgrade the 18X46 gearing on the Gazzetta to 16X48.