vivvov

Hi All
New here so just sort of putting it out there.

Down in the basement there lurks a bike I used to ride prior to someone nicking the back wheel and the thread going on the crankset.

It's got no decals but the Bottom Bracket has a Cinelli imprint, Cinelli bars and stem, Cinelli seat plus an original Shimano Sante Groupset and wheels...plus the rear fork bridge has a capital R embossed in the steel work.

Is it a Cinelli frame?? Lovely frame, "seamlessly" curving into each other/no lugs.
All I know is a guy was selling a similarly constructed bike with chips etc(..with a different chainset)..with Cinelli decals separate..and for three times what I paid in the wayback.

I'm the second owner..I bought it from ebay about approx. 8 years ago off a man who'd had it 15 years since new and was happy, having had 531, to just cycle around on a fairly cheap/light steel bike that was what I knew (1980's ish tech, pre SIS, not new/ali etc)..Didn't even think to check the lineage/spec. Happy just to ride it.

Then at the point of the back wheel "walking", the bike ended up in the basement..even misplaced the old Chainset!...could kick myself! (but had transferred the bio space chain rings onto a cheaper shimano crankset).

Then a year back, I started to look for a replacements..typed in Sante and.. wow.. not the best Shimano but scarse!...serious.

I kept typing in Sante every week and I've managed to find a replacement/2rd hand chainset, scruffed and did of a dint on the arm ( mad money for Groupsets) and a PAIR of wheels..yes!..(spare front wheel).

Lovely(..but presently chipped..decades old, 2 previous owners etc..one not so careful as the previous) pearlescent finish on frame/forks and even part of the handlebar stem..looks a bit incongruous(a mess) since I had to rise the stem due to being a couple of inches taller than the previous owner(..must have had it sprayed in place?)..plus needs the stainless parts cleaned up.

Now the question...should I respray the frame..or can it be sort of patched? (hum, that sounds a bit science fiction).

Now the pictures..bit of a luddite so not sure how to do this bit.Attachment 397706
Not sure if the picture of the frame is there...

So what do you reckon? Any ideas on provenance?
Hope that picture's there.

vivvov

Homebrew01

Cinelli sold their BB shells to anyone that wanted them, so BB shell means nothing in this case. The "R" might mean something. Maybe a "Roberts"
You could try posting in Classic & Vintage if no one here knows.

Close up pics of lug work, seat cluster & fork crown can give clues sometimes.

onespeedbiker

The "R" marking on the brake bridge makes it 99% sure it's a Charles Roberts. Charles Roberts still exists today and all their bikes are custom made https://www.robertscycles.com/index.html. Shimano Sante was as good the best; Shimano built them with Dura Ace quality without being propitiatory. Sante was only made for 2 years, 1988-1989 so that should date your bike. If you are looking for parts, check ebay; availability varies but still 40 hits today. Shimano Sante | eBay