Cinelli Stem-What is this logo?
 

I have this nice Cinelli stem, but have no idea what this logo is on the front of it. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? I'd like to use it on a Paramount, but won't if the logo is for some other make of bike.

Thanks! :D

http://img323.imageshack.us/img323/9...0057ys4.th.jpg

Caterpiller? Seriously, I've never seen it before. Looks like a personal touch that somebody could have acid-etched or masked-and-blasted for him/herself. Or a small shop or builder, but not one I've seen.

It is strange, to be sure.

It came off of a Raleigh Super Course that I bought for around $60 for my wife to use. The same bike had Phil Wood pedals, Mavic red label clincher rims laced to Hi-E hubs and the Cinelli bars shown in the picture that look a bit like track bars.

I sold the Hi-E hubs and the Phil Wood pedals, and used the Mavic rims with a set of Campy Record high flange hubs, so the bike is already way better than free. Why would anyone bother putting that stuff on a Super Course???

Sounds like somebody who was attracted to the bike "jewelry" of a certain era, and just bought the bits he liked without really considering the bigger picture, like the frame itself. Not that there's anything bad about a Super Course. Back when I was young and a *little* more ignorant, I succumbed to the same affliction. I hand-polished alloy parts to adorn pretty crude bikes, and I even made my own acid-etched brass headbadges, just to make things even more "custom" (mine was a very "crafty'" family). Lots of time spent keeping my hands from going idle, but nothing that made the bikes ride any better, or even sell for any more. Looking at this stem again, I think the "A C" is stamped using a standard metal stamp set, and might be somebody's initials or could stand for Athletic Club...Heckuva good deal for $60! I bet you made that back on the pedals;)

I agree that it apears to be some sort of ownership mark. I sometimes find small ownership marks hidden on bikes as I'm cleaning them up.

I guess that the thinking behind them is that a thief will obscure something obvious, but won't notice something small. The problem is that few victims of bike theft ever see their bike again, so they can't point out the marks and prove ownership.