konakai

just picked up this sweaty cinelli. my main interest is 1920s 30s track bikes although I have a few road bikes. I couldn't pass up this cinelli, I've always wanted an earlier one. this bike has sat for years rode hard and put away wet, just how I like them. yesterday I couldn't spell cinelli, now I are and authority...just kidding. from what I've read I believe it's from the 50s. I'm trying to determine the year and what's original to the bike. I'm sure the stem and prob the bars have been changed out, every thing else I can prob live with. I can't imagine the girardengo cranks are original but look period. campy gran sport, campy hubs on clement rims. any insight input or commets appreciated....thanks

konakai

forgot in my lengthy ramble, I believe it's a model b, serial number 448

merziac

@konakai

Very cool, fantastic get, glad you scooped this up.

Assume it will get a sympathetic clean up and internal refurb/refresh remaining as original as possible?

Despite how rough it seems, I suspect it will clean up very well.

juvela

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yes, fork crown would indicate a model b

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having the Cinelli headset complete and unmolested a big plus

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chainset appears it may be Gnutti

bottom bracket spindle special as shell is 74mm in width

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in addition to the dural Clement rims the cycle wears Clement also produced wood tubular rims

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saddle pillar appears to be plain, is that correct?


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iab . martl


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Classtime 

Nice one. One day I'll have a bike under me that will look right with a couple tubulars over my shoulders.

konakai

thanks, I think it will clean up pretty well, especially the chrome. I think I can live with the compnets aside from the stem and maybe the bars. I'd like to know the year, ive looked at the cinelli registry..... juv, i think the saddle post is un marked but I haven't had it apart yet

bertinjim 

konakai-
You might find this site helpful: Cinelli Only

iab

Cool bike. (except the stem and bars, you should get something classier )

My initial guess is 1955-1958. But there a re few things to clarify that. Do you know where the bike was originally purchased? What is the distance between the headbadge screws, center to center? Can you post a picture of the serial number?

bikingshearer 

Great score. I look forward to seeing how it cleans up. There is a great source for dating Cinellis on the Velo Retro website. It is a fountain of good info. Based on it . . .

I concur that the flat fork crown means it's almost certainly a Model B. It is possible that someone put a SC frame with an identically painted Model B fork, but the likelihood of that happening is perishingly small. The absence of a Reynolds 531 sticker also suggests a Model B, which had Falck or Vitus or some such tubing. (Cinelli used 531 on the SC until the early 1960s, then switched to Columbus)

The "wolf's ear" head lugs means 1950s. According to Velo Retro, these lugs faded from use c.1959-60. The components also say "1950s" to me.

The head badge may help narrow it down a bit further. Here's what Velo Retro has to say:I hope this helps. Regardless, you have a real gem on your hands.

Milepost105 

Wow, that will be a fun winter project!

John E

Mid-to-late 1950s. Great find!

shoota 

Awesome. Where did you find it?

cinelliguy 

Please more before and when you have time, many after clean up shots. Cleaning this one up will be a real treat. Also, please register your Ciinelli in The Cinelli Registry, www.thecinelliregistry.com.

Thanks!
Guy

Fahrenheit531 

I also like the frogs.

konakai

I have no idea where it was originally purchased, I haven't measured the head badge yet, the serial is 448, see pic

konakai

I bought the bike in st louis, I'd like to determine the exact year of the bike if that's possible. I've looked at the cinelli registry and can't make much sense of the numbers, they seem to be all over the place

iab

3-digit Mod B. Don't see that often. Cool. Decal set is something else you don't see often. I'm still leaning 55-58. US import. Still need that headbadge measurement. Also, your hubs are the "feathered" version which in general point to pre-1957.

konakai

not that I know anything about cinellis, I don't but I'm usually a pretty quick study. I took the crank off a minute ago and saw numbers I didn't notice earlier, I thought the serial numbers were on the side of bb, what are these. early hubs see pic

iab

That is an alternate place Cinelli put serial numbers. You got them everywhere.

And what it illustrates is there is really no rhyme nor reason to the serial numbers.

iab

Another question. Are the dropouts Simplex or Campagnolo?

cinelliguy 

Especially not in this case I think. The Cinelli Registry can serve only as a datapoint, not ever conclusive by any means.

Guy
thecinelliregistry.com

konakai

by the registry a four digit number makes more sense, I can see and have seen multiple stampings, not on cinelli, it's my first, but wouldn't or shouldnt the numbers be the same

merziac

No

cinelliguy 

It is my understanding that the Cinelli front office (accounting/operations) told the frame builder what serial number should be stamped on the bottom bracket. The framebuilder did what they were told. One would think that management would follow some standard GAAP procedures but in the case of Cinelli, that was not the case in general. Many serial numbers out of sequence for various reasons, reasons we may never nail down.

merziac

It was clearly for the sheer fun and sport of it, Cino sitting behind his desk throwing darts or reading cigar ashes thinking how much fun we fools would have trying to figure them out down the road.