Joe Bender-Zanoni wrote:
>
> I wonder how many Cinelli bivalent wheels EVER got changed in a race such
> that the orientation mattered!
>
> For starters you needed a pair of them, some sort of mechanical failure and
> a third wheel!
>
> Anyone know of an actual example of a Cinelli wheel changout in a race?
>
> Where it mattered?
>
> Don't get me wrong- these are neat, but very theoretical, parts.
>
> All that said I wish I had a pair!
I would expect that given Cino Cinelli's stature (President of Italian Professional Riders association for many, many years) and the high regard for Cinelli bikes and parts, that when the hubs were new (1963?) they were used by one or more teams in Italy. Sorry, I don't have any documentation for that.
Did they effect the outcome of any races in Italy? I couldn't say.
The stated advantage to the Bivalent system was that the support vehicle only needed to carry one style of wheel instead of backs and fronts.
Note that when the wheel is put into the front fork, it will only work in _one_ orientation. (You can't flip the wheel around in the fork; it only works one way.)
The most important point? The Bivalent hubs were a failure!
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA