Cinelli bikes. Any opinions
Discussion
I'm looking at a road bike so I can relax and have the 'minimum' number of bikes. A friend of mine, who has very particular tastes has pointed me in the direction of a Cinelli that is near me on ebay.
Whilst I respect his views and knowledge, I really can't work anything out about the bike. There are no reviews, no nothing. I would like to understand a little about it, as if I were to buy it, I would be going in blind.
This is the bike: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302114890582
How old do you think it is? Does that even matter? Is the price about right?
I'm essentially after something straightforward, easy to ride (coming from a CX) and that I can use at the weekends to learn the craft of pure road riding.
Over to you PH!
Whilst I respect his views and knowledge, I really can't work anything out about the bike. There are no reviews, no nothing. I would like to understand a little about it, as if I were to buy it, I would be going in blind.
This is the bike: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302114890582
How old do you think it is? Does that even matter? Is the price about right?
I'm essentially after something straightforward, easy to ride (coming from a CX) and that I can use at the weekends to learn the craft of pure road riding.
Over to you PH!
The Columbus Zonal tubeset is stiff and strong, it won't be light but it will last a long time. I'd guess it's originally been 8/9 speed and upgraded over time although it could be a really early 10sp?
The rest of the spec is good and the price probably isn't that far off the mark, make an offer and if you get it for £50-100 less it's a good deal.
The rest of the spec is good and the price probably isn't that far off the mark, make an offer and if you get it for £50-100 less it's a good deal.
I can give a bit of an insight!
I recently bought a S/H Cinelli Experience off ebay. The Experience model is the newer version of the Proxima, looking @ the frame they look pretty identical
Mine:
Good condition
Very recent (nearly new) Campag wheels off the sellers new bike
Nearly new Hope BB & Headset
Recent Bar tape & Tyres
Campag Veloce chainset with new chain
I paid £330
I was actually after a CX bike to complement my Steel and carbon road bike, but saw this and bought on an impulse
Bike was better than described condition, but the last owner routed the cable wrong when he serviced it, so on my first week the shifter broke as I forced it thinking it was stiff, so I had to pay £120 for a new campag shifter straight away! The bike shop did think the bike was "new" as it was in such good condition .
Not sure why i bought it really, as I had all bases covered, except my "winter" steel bike was too slow & heavy on fast paced longer rides.
I also always wanted a Cinelli, I dont care about all the heritage and other guff I just always like the Cinelli branding , designs and colours
As for the bike:
I really like it ive owned 20 or so bikes and this is a great bike for the price, I find it really light for the price point, there is nothing in it compared to my £2k Wilier weight wise . I also find the frame Stiff enough, one issue I had with other Alu road bikes is that I could flex the rear frame when sprinting hard, I dont get this on the Cinelli
Watch out for sizing, the "italian" sizes are odd and lots of sellers get measurements and sizes wrong, mine was advertised as a "51cm small" when in fact 51 is the medium and not the TT size. It was ok as i am in between small/medium
The alu ride is buzzy on britain's shiite road surfaces, on smooth roads it would be a lovely ride, but like most alu road bikes on narrow tyres the ride on UK rides can be hard work, but this isnt just limited to Cinili
I use mine to commute on until I get my steel bike repaired, I will also use it through the winter on club rides. Ironically it feels a bit too light on greasy slippery roads in the winter, but 4seasons tyres give the grip you need
Model you listed looks good, not a bargain, but not too expensive, might be for sale for a while, although might go quick
Overall really happy with mine, think I will keep it a few years, its quite nice having a "cheap" but decent road bike.
I recently bought a S/H Cinelli Experience off ebay. The Experience model is the newer version of the Proxima, looking @ the frame they look pretty identical
Mine:
Good condition
Very recent (nearly new) Campag wheels off the sellers new bike
Nearly new Hope BB & Headset
Recent Bar tape & Tyres
Campag Veloce chainset with new chain
I paid £330
I was actually after a CX bike to complement my Steel and carbon road bike, but saw this and bought on an impulse
Bike was better than described condition, but the last owner routed the cable wrong when he serviced it, so on my first week the shifter broke as I forced it thinking it was stiff, so I had to pay £120 for a new campag shifter straight away! The bike shop did think the bike was "new" as it was in such good condition .
Not sure why i bought it really, as I had all bases covered, except my "winter" steel bike was too slow & heavy on fast paced longer rides.
I also always wanted a Cinelli, I dont care about all the heritage and other guff I just always like the Cinelli branding , designs and colours
As for the bike:
I really like it ive owned 20 or so bikes and this is a great bike for the price, I find it really light for the price point, there is nothing in it compared to my £2k Wilier weight wise . I also find the frame Stiff enough, one issue I had with other Alu road bikes is that I could flex the rear frame when sprinting hard, I dont get this on the Cinelli
Watch out for sizing, the "italian" sizes are odd and lots of sellers get measurements and sizes wrong, mine was advertised as a "51cm small" when in fact 51 is the medium and not the TT size. It was ok as i am in between small/medium
The alu ride is buzzy on britain's shiite road surfaces, on smooth roads it would be a lovely ride, but like most alu road bikes on narrow tyres the ride on UK rides can be hard work, but this isnt just limited to Cinili
I use mine to commute on until I get my steel bike repaired, I will also use it through the winter on club rides. Ironically it feels a bit too light on greasy slippery roads in the winter, but 4seasons tyres give the grip you need
Model you listed looks good, not a bargain, but not too expensive, might be for sale for a while, although might go quick
Overall really happy with mine, think I will keep it a few years, its quite nice having a "cheap" but decent road bike.
pablo said:
The Columbus Zonal tubeset is stiff and strong, it won't be light but it will last a long time. I'd guess it's originally been 8/9 speed and upgraded over time although it could be a really early 10sp?
The rest of the spec is good and the price probably isn't that far off the mark, make an offer and if you get it for £50-100 less it's a good deal.
He has agreed that if I want it, I can have it for 500, so 50 off.The rest of the spec is good and the price probably isn't that far off the mark, make an offer and if you get it for £50-100 less it's a good deal.
TwistingMyMelon said:
I can give a bit of an insight!
Thanks, that's all very useful. The thing is this will be my first (and maybe only) road bike, so apart from my CX I don't have a benchmark for what's good or not. I get the feeling the price is towards the upper end of the window, and that it might be around for a while. I'll be mulling it over on the weekend and see what I can find out before then
It will be much better than anything new you could get new for £600
Just watch out for sizing and ensures it fits
Also budget £100 for any odd jobs in the first month, i've bought loads of bikes and there will always be a few initial issues, that the seller might not be aware of, plus I usually want to fit my own tyres,pedals,saddle etc.
Just watch out for sizing and ensures it fits
Also budget £100 for any odd jobs in the first month, i've bought loads of bikes and there will always be a few initial issues, that the seller might not be aware of, plus I usually want to fit my own tyres,pedals,saddle etc.
scherzkeks said:
Great bike -- and a *much* nicer "first" road bike than the majority of newbies end up with. Unless you end up racing or just want a change of pace, there would be no need to upgrade. Centaur is a beautiful gruppo as well.
Thanks 
I popped out for just under an hour at lunch. It's amazing how different it is the CX, it's going to be fun to learn how to ride it and exploit what it's capable of. Also, I now have 3 bikes, all with different methods of changing gears!
Indeed different bikes with different gears throws me for the first mile!!
Only thing I got caught out on was how to slacken Campag callipers off when you need to remove a wheel!! Ive had campag bikes before but they had Miche brakes, so the same as shimano, in that there is a release lever on the calliper. One friday rushing home from work I got a puncture, went to whip the wheel off and couldn't work out how at all to loosen the brake calliper , I gave up and undid the cable bolt. Youtubeing it at home later on Campag brakes the release lever is on the hoods!
Only thing I got caught out on was how to slacken Campag callipers off when you need to remove a wheel!! Ive had campag bikes before but they had Miche brakes, so the same as shimano, in that there is a release lever on the calliper. One friday rushing home from work I got a puncture, went to whip the wheel off and couldn't work out how at all to loosen the brake calliper , I gave up and undid the cable bolt. Youtubeing it at home later on Campag brakes the release lever is on the hoods!
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