In so just I remember to post Model B pics later...

Worth mentioning Victor Kapitanov won 1960 Rome Olympics on a Model B. In the 60s and 70s I saw a few Soviet team Cinellis, they were invariably so beat up they made the as found condition of the subject of this post look really good. And they had seriously mixed parts groups. Didn't stop them from pulverizing the locals.

A non-Cinelli story about dating by parts. My wife and I recently bought a '67 Falcon (special build, no factory bike) with absolutely total provenance. Purchased from original owner, who we knew back when she purchased the bike. We knew the importers and still know them. We knew about about the project to go visit London town and buy bikes even before Falcon did. Reacquainting ourselves with the bike we found a a Campy front derailleur with the lower cable stop, dated that to 1962. The Ambrosio stem and handlebar were dated less reliably but seemed late '50s. No way would we have dated the bike as 1967 by looking at the parts. But it was most definitely 1967. If you have a Schwinn or a Raleigh and a file of old catalogs you can get somewhere by looking at parts. With bikes built one at a time it is different.

Another personal story from the bike shop, 1973, talking to Cinelli. I asked about the bivalent hubs. No, none were immediately available. But they did have all the parts and could assemble some if we wanted. I offered to take five pair. No, it would not be reasonable to go through all the old boxes for just five. Would we be able to take 100 sets? Had I been able to say yes the timeline for bivalent hubs would be completely different. Bikes were a small business.

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wrt Bivalents -

One report I heard was that the final shipment went to Puerto Rico in 1969. No idea how accurate this may be.

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Very unusual fork crown, the only one I see that's similar is from the Ron Kitching 1960 Catalog on the Corsa model. Crankset is correct, optional fork ends.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d-fvGqoyCb...-Cinelli18.jpg

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Thanks for this helpful find. ;)

Unsure what you intend by statement "crankset is correct"...

The subject machine wears an FB set and the catalogue page posted states machine equipped with a Magistroni set.

Found it interesting that the 1955 Model B linked to by [MENTION=272567]1987[/MENTION] is constructed with Juy ends marked BREV SIMPLEX which suggests them to be a product of Juy D'Italia since a French produced set would be marked SDGB if the manufacturer wished to indicate a patent.

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Oops, FB, Magistroni, same thing. :)

Seems Cinelli sold a lot of bare frames so components are only a guide.

[QUOTE=Seems Cinelli sold a lot of bare frames so components are only a guide.[/QUOTE]

IIRC readers have posted that at this time U.K. import duties on complete machines were greater than those on frames & parts. So it was possible for imported framesets to be more competitive with U.K. produced products than for the situation with complete cycles.

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The RonKitching page is wonderful stuff, good posting. But that is only how the bike would most likely be built at RonKit. Bruegelmann would do it a little different and via Egidio Folli would have yet another way. Biggest surprise from Kitching is the suggestion of using wired-ons. Wonder if anyone ever did?

I've only once seen Cornez clips, they weren't much. They also weren't 1960. Most who wanted to give this build a good effort would try and find Al-E or REG clips. If it were done with regular Christophe it would be fine. A bike this fine it could be plausible to search out original spokes, regular modern stainless would do for your "B" wheels.

Great bike!

First, with the wolf ear head lugs you are looking at 1960 or earlier.
The next question is, is your headbadge 51mm or 56mm? 56mm would but it before 1958.
I'd agree with the above posts that the chrome head tube and fork crown is unusual for a Model B. But I have long learned never to say never with Cinellis.

Here are pictures of my 1958-1960 Cinelli Model B. It is mostly original, but it came with a Huret TDF RD. Hate that thing so I swapped it for the appropriate Canpagnolo RD. I'd also note that my fork crown was more "typical" of the era.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/681231...57627790730860

I think it's a Model C. Nice bike iab!

Thanks everyone for all the excellent and informed comments here about my bike. Apologies for not replying but I'm on vacation, but will get to the bike once I return and answer all the questions raised. I've been holding off purchasing original parts until I'm a little sure of the period it's from. I know you can't be totally sure of course with the Cinelli, especially given some of the issues raised above.

I'm not massively experienced with restoring a vintage bike, but I do have a local coop nearby which should be useful and I can buy some of the tools recommended above.

If it means anything to anyone, I plan to cycle the roads of Foxrock in Dublin this weekend in honor of Samuel Beckett, a keen cyclist, who wrote a lot about bikes in his fiction.

Best

Pat

back then, models didn't change all the time but stayed. Delivery from Italy was notoriously unreliable - as late as in the 80ies german mail order pioneers Brügelmann saw it fit to aknowledge in their catalogue that they didn't know when, in what version and in what colour the frames they had ordered would arrive.
It wasn't unusual for dealers to order a couple of frames and just have them hanging in their shops until a buyer was found, which could be tomorrow or next year.

Very cool bike :thumb: