Italian bike manufacturers Cinelli were showing off their 2011 range at this year’s Eurobike trade show, including a new Saetta Sprint, steel Gazzetta della Strada and refinement of the company’s existing models.
Saetta Sprint
The Saetta Sprint replaces the Willin and is aimed at the "highly-evolved amateur". The usual claims of a stiffer, lighter frame have been made, with Cinelli saying this has been achieved through manipulation of the carbon fibre, with material shaved from the top tube and seat stays and added to the bottom bracket and chainstays. RRP is €1,630 (frameset) or €3,050 (full bike with Shimano Ultegra).
Pro Best Of
Cinelli’s Pro Best Of frame has been updated with a new 1-1/8 to 1-½in tapered head tube and Columbus Genius fork, and a completely new rear triangle with straight chainstays for an improved ride. The new frame also incorporates internal cable routing for compatibility with Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset compatibility. It’ll cost you €9,400.
Experience
The Experience has a new design for 2011 and has been put on a diet, apparently losing 100g in weight. It gets a conical seat tube for added stiffness around the bottom bracket and slimmer seatstays for more comfort. Internal cable routing, a 27.2mm seatpost and tyre clearance for rubber up to 28mm are useful additions to the overhauled frame, which will cost €1,650 with a Campagnolo Veloce groupset or €1,350 for the frameset.
Gazzetta
There’s a new addition to the Gazzetta stable of bikes in the shape of the all-steel Gazzetta della Strada. Using old-school road race frame geometry, it brings "fast, lively and decisive handling to the urban context", say Cinelli. For practical use, it’s got rear eyelets and braze-ons for a rack, 25mm Randonneur tyres, clearance for half-mudguards and shallow drop handlebars. It’ll cost you €820 with a Shimano Tiagra groupset.
XCR
Cinelli regard the XCR frame as the jewel in their collection thanks to its high-end seamless stainless steel tubes and unique ride quality. The company say that the frame, which is hand-made in Italy, has a “better stiffness to weight ratio than aluminium and titanium alloys used in bicycle frame construction". A frame and fork package costs €2,950.