I'm trying to clean up the gum residue left on my Cinelli MTB, and I'm discovering that every single tube is numbered. I don't think I've seen this before. Could someone tell me a little about this?

Uh oh, I think they were doing the build-a-bike-by-number thing at the Cinelli factory that day!

Neal

You're teasing me, right? Are all tubes numbered, and I just never noticed until these numbers, because they're so HUGE?

While this can vary from tube manufacturer to tube manufacturer, one end is usually stamped with the make, tubeset and wall thickness/gauge. This allows the manufacturer to quickly know if he has selected the proper tube without the need to measure the wall thickness.

Also, many tubes are provided in one standard size, to accommodate the largest, common frame size. These tubes are then cut to the required length by the framebuilder. In order to accomodate a range of sizes, one end must have a very long butt, so that a suitable butt length still remains even after cutting for the smallest frame size. In the case of Reynolds, the stamping is at the end with the short butt and therefore the builder knows he must cut the tube to length at the opposite end.

Its Italian, sounds like the Di Vinci code to me.

Or

The leg bone connects to the thigh bone, the thigh bone connects to the....

Thank you T-Mar. I think I've just never had a bike with this kind of tubing before, then. The numbers are very big and long.

(If it weren't for us rookies, who would keep you all entertained with silly questions? )

Generally, they are not so big and deeply embosseed that they stand out after painting. It could also be some sort of internal code unique to Cinelli. FYI, lugs are often stamped with numbers indicating the angle, also for easy identifiction and mistakeproofing, though many many people misinterpret them as a year code. (It's amazing how many bicycles are out here for '72-'74.)

Are the numbers 867-5309?

As long as I got you guys...

I've been cleaning the parts to this bike. I'm missing the top part of the seatpost. What is it called? The saddle clamp? What kind of piece am I looking for? Also, there's a silver clamp on the right and I don't know where it goes. It looks like some kind of handlebar thingie.

(I have never done mountain bike before....)

The "silver clamp" is the inside portion of a clamp that is used on a straight tube seat post. Missing are two more outside clamps and a central bar with two nuts that hold everything together. It isn't part of your seat post

I doubt that this was the original seatpost... but 16.8's are pretty common, and I found out they can be pretty cheap! I'll just get a cheapie to get this bike up and running. Thanks. My road bike "saddle clamps" or whatever they're called didn't fit.

I think the missing pieces to the seatpost are call rail cradles. They come in stamped steel, aluminum castings, or forgings.

Your's were probably steel, two stamped plates plus a threaded nut or bar stock. Ask a LBS if they have any left over in their junk pile.

RAIL CRADLES. Cool. Thanks!