LabRat2k3

I bought my first real bike today. It is a 2012 Cinelli xperience that the LBS had on clearance. I rode it and it just felt perfect, so fast and responsive, like it knew what I was thinking before I did it. It really flattens hills and is just a joy to ride. Seeing how she is of Italian heritage all distances will be posted in km henceforth.

IAMAMRA

Congrats! Glad I'm not the only one who named their bike..

copswithguns

Very nice! Grats on the purchase.

2 wheeler

That's a great looking bike! It's really funny how a bike can seduce you on a test ride. I've had that experience, and when it occurs, it overcomes my resolve to hold onto my money!

jsigone

nice rig, I like the color scheme of it.

H.S.Clydesdale

sweet! congrats, it looks like a good one.

SammyJ 

Sweet! Enjoy!

LabRat2k3

Thanks guys. I took her for our first real ride this morning. It was a little short because my family and I are taking a little road trip today and I had to get my ride in before everyone woke up. This bike just demands to be ridden fast, I basically did intervals for 12.5km. She is so quick, when you press down on the pedals it just explodes forward. It was basically; pedal, pedal, pedal, upshift, pedal, pedal, upshift, and so forth until I just couldn't give any more. My legs were burning, heart was pounding, and I was out of breath, it was great! I was even fast on the hills, well faster at least. I will have to figure out how to ride at a consistent speed instead of sprinting the whole time, but for now it's just too much fun.

ChiefTJS

Glad to see it. It gives me more resolve for the next 15lbs for the new bike I promised myself.

CommuteCommando

Cool! Similar frame and groupset to my "Itallian" beauty. https://www.masibikes.com/bikes/perfo.../partenza-2013. (mine is the '10 model with straight, round top tube and solid blue) I now have about 5500 miles on it and it has been solid and reliable. Owner of LBS where I got it built wheels for F. Masi back in the day, and still has a relationship with Haro, who bought the name. The only reason I would want to trade up is for a nicer ten speed cassette groupset.

This will be my reward for hitting 200 lb, hopefully next month, https://www.masibikes.com/bikes/carbo...zione-105-2013 or https://www.masibikes.com/bikes/steel...criterium-2013 (Carbon is cool, but I like the feel of steel-The retro look ain't bad either)

donalson

now that you have the Italian stallion... er... um... bike you need to find and watch "Breaking Away" (1979) for the proper way of acting now that you have one of them fancy "Eyetie" bikes

(not no offense was meant in the writing of this post, watch the movie before taking anything out of context lol)

cyclokitty 

That bike is yummy. Great looking buy!

LabRat2k3

Donalson, I am extremely hard to offend, especially online, I have very thick skin, a decent scene of humor, and can even laugh at myself most of the time. I'll give that movie a look, it is very highly rated on most places I looked. I'm still not shaving my legs, or my face until after hunting season.

It's kind of funny, I think finding a bike is like finding the right bow. In the archery community it is said, " You don't pick the right bow, the right bow picks you." That is pretty much what happened with this bike. I went to the LBS looking for a cyclo-cross bike and didn't even try this bike out, but when I got home and was looking online and at some catalogs I just kept thinking about this bike. I sent the owner of the store an e-mail about it, and he said, that bike is the perfect size for you but I didn't show it to you because you seemed pretty set on a gravel grinder type bike. I went back to the shop to look at it, he lowered the seat just a bit and said take it for a spin and see how it feels. It was just right. This bike certainly chose me.
I think he is a pretty good guy too. He told me to ride it for a while and see how it felt and that he does lifetime fit adjustments on all his bikes. So as I lose more weight and I need to change things a bit, just bring it back and he will adjust it no charge. Also if I want to change out seats, or need a different stem he will swap them for just the price difference between the two, as long as the old one is not tore up. He even suggested a different shop to me for pedals and shoes because he can't carry the brand he prefers due to proximity to another dealer or something to that effect. He seems like a honest person who really enjoys helping people get out and ride.

Chitown_Mike

Anything less would be uncivilized.


And OP, VERY nice! Looks like a mile...errr....km bruiser.

eja_ bottecchia

Sylvia e molto bella.

CommuteCommando

I get guff (good natured) from regular riding buddies for riding a Masi, which is the brand of Eyetie bike ridden by Dave in the movie. One reason I am hesitant to get the Gran Criterium is that it's the same model (though Dave's didn't have brifters and a 10 spd cassette-The hill climbing with the Italians scene would not have worked without down tube shifters). I'd never hear the end of that.

OP-You're not a real biker until you have seen it. It's a good bet that a lot, maybe most, in here own a copy-I do.

indyfabz

Is she truly, or did someone simply buy the trademark? I don't know enough about them.

LabRat2k3

Cinelli is still an Italian company. The frame for this bike was made in Taiwan for them and the bike was assembled in Italy. So yes she is of Italian heritage and design, conceived in Taiwan, and born in Italy. That's good enough for me, just like I still consider BMW's German cars even though many of them are built in South Carolina.

ill.clyde

AND American Flyers.

ill.clyde

Congrats!

NOW ... redo the picture, with the drive side facing out

OH ... and know the rules! Rule #8 - bar tape must match the color of your saddle

LabRat2k3

So much to learn . I'll have to see if I can find a orange saddle, because the orange bar tape isn't going anywhere it adds 0.5 mph to my overall average at least. Here is the proper pic, and there is a little orange on the saddle from this side

ill.clyde

I love orange too ... and would consider it for my Kona but my grip tape gets dirty fast, so I usually opt for black.

CraigB

The race sequences are the only things worth watching in AF unless you enjoy cringing.

ill.clyde

That's what piqued my interest in cycling ... actually saw it first before I ever saw Breaking Away

indyfabz

The reason I asked is that some TMs have been bought and have nothing to do with the originals. For example, I don't think today's Motobecane, sold by Bikes Direct, has anything to do with the French Motobecanes of yesteryear.