Hi Folks,
By end of the day Friday I should have a list of Cinelli bikes that I am aware of that will be at the dedicated Cinelli exhibit at the Cirque.
Anyone who has not e-mailed me with what they are bringing please do so in the next day or so and I'll add to the list.
Still need Cinelli bikes with upright bars and/or with Cinelli fenders.
If anyone has Cinelli fenders they want to sell (i.e you have the fenders but no bike) I'll buy'em to put on the Cinelli I have that needs fenders but which doesn't have them.
I will email individually each person who is planing to bring a Cinelli by the end of the week to confirm.
It is best to email me at bikevint@comcast.net so your message does not get "lost" with all the other CR messages.
Thanks everyone for the great support for this idea.
Mike Kone in Boulder CO
> Most of Steven's comments are in accord with my understanding - as I understood,
> Cinelli never himself built frames. But, he did have others build based on his
> designs.
>
> The Coppi link was discussed in book "The Custom Bicycle" and has been repeated
> in the press a number of times. Does anyone have any info on how this "rumor"
> emerged and if there was anything to it?
>
> Were any Bianchi bikes - especially bikes ridden by Coppi, ever built by others?
> I know of at least one person on this list who can shed light on this in regards
> to a certain "stash" of Coppi related machines that supposedly turned up a few
> years back.
>
> My sense is that there may be an interesting story burried somewhere in this.
> Then again, it might all be baseless rumor that finally needs to be put to rest.
>
> Mike Kone in Boulder CO - its supposed to hit almost 70 tommorow!
> > Mike wrote:
> >
> > > Now a question - I know of the story how Cino Cinelli designed his first
> > frames
> > > for Fausto Coppi - but I'm a bit green on this subject. Coppi as I
> understand
> > > always rode Bianchi bikes - does anyone know of Coppi's use of Cinelli bikes
> > in
> > > competition?
> >
> > Cino Cinelli did not build frames personally and the first frames bearing the
> > Cinelli name were actually built before he even joined his brother Giotto's
> bike
> > business. It is therefore virtually impossible that there is any truth in the
> > story of his first frame designs being for Coppi. Cino and Coppi did however
> > know each other quite well. I have a copy of a photo from 1940 showing Cino
> with
> > his teammate Adolfo Leoni riding Bianchi bikes and Coppi with his teammate
> Gino
> > Bartali riding Legnano bikes at a Vigorelli track event. I also have another
> > photo from what is apparently the first post-war Milan bicycle trade fair in
> > 1953 depicting Coppi speaking with Cino in front of the Cinelli stand. Cino
> was
> > also the head of the cyclists union, so more than most new framebuilders, he
> did
> > have access to pitch new ideas to the top riders including Coppi. Coppi did
> have
> > considerable respect for Cinelli both as a racer and as a businessman.
> >
> > To the best of my knowledge Cino never sponsored any cycling team and did not
> > believe it necessary to do so to market his bikes. His son, Andrea, who is the
> > one who sent me the photos, also told me that his father's philosophy did not
> > foresee trade team sponsorship. Cinelli did however provide bikes to
> individual
> > riders and to national team members. Perhaps a Cinelli bike could have been
> > ridden by Coppi at some time but never as his official team bike with Cinelli
> > logos. Coppi rode for the Dopolavoro Tortona for 1938-39 (this was before any
> > Cinelli bikes were made, then for Legnano from 1940 to 1942 (also before any
> > Cinelli bikes were made). From 1943 to early 1945 he did not ride for any team
> > because of the war. For the second half of the 1945 season he rode as an
> > independent. From 1946 to 1955 he rode for Bianchi. Then from 1956 until the
> end
> > of his life, he rode for the Carpano Coppi team on Coppi branded bikes built
> by
> > Fiorelli.
> >
> > --
> > Steven Maasland
> > Moorestown, NJ