1971 Cinelli S.C.
1971 Cinelli Speciale Corsa
Vintage bike fans are typically fond of Cinelli handlebars and handlebar stems. Hardcore followers of the brand will swear by vintage Cinelli Unicanitor saddles or talk up the M71 pedals (even if they never used them), which were the first commercially viable pedals with ski-binding type engagement.
While Cinelli is a well-respected name for bicycle components, their bikes are a different story.
People LOVE vintage Cinelli bikes. No one ever has a bad thing to say about their old Cinelli. Cino Cinelli’s namesakes have achieved solid gold status among bike fans worldwide.
Ask Governor Inslee, he rides one.
Cinelli bikes were produced in small quantities (750 in the most productive years) through the late 1970’s for a fairly exclusive clientele of elite-level racers.
Cinelli badge
Cinelli front end
downtube details
Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Seat tube
Cinelli Unicanitor
Cino Cinelli himself was a successful racer in his day, winning the Milan-San Remo monument in 1943.
Upon completing his athletic career, Cino began building bikes. Drawing upon his own experience, Cinelli built racing frames that were stiffer and had quicker-handling geometry than most of his competitors in that post-WWII era. Cino created a fork crown that had sloping shoulders and internal lugs, allowing the fork blades to be shorter and stiffer. He designed a fastback-style seat collar for his frames, bringing the seat stays in behind the lug rather than along side it. Italian champion Fausto Coppi used these new features when he raced on a Cinelli in 1947.
This model is labeled as the “Speciale Corsa” which later came to be known as the “Supercorsa” or simply the “SC”. The Speciale Corsa has been Cinelli’s top model and maybe the world’s most iconic steel bicycle frame for 60 years. Since the introduction of the Speciale Corsa in the mid ‘60’s it has undergone only two significant changes: new graphics for the frame designed by Italo Lupi in 1979 and in 1984 the introduction of the Cinelli Spoiler bottom bracket, which Cinelli claims was the only microcast bicycle frame part ever to be granted a patent.
Over the years there have been other modifications to the model, but they have been regarded as subtle updates of the steel tubing and building techniques. The original ride quality and aesthetic of Cinellis like this one have remained respectfully unchanged.