Apropos small wheeled Cinellis, the helpful Nigel Scott has this on his Campoldy website:
"In the book "THE HANDBUILT BICYCLE FRAME" (or it's a similar title) there is a chapter on Cinelli. It quotes Cinelli's opinion that with the better road surfaces to be found-possibly late 1960s, wheels could be a smaller diameter with an improvement in frame geometry. The book stated that Cinelli fitted these smaller rims to prototype machines. This may or may not have been the case. However, I have a pair of these rims and a pair of wheels which came with a "package" of four Cinellis which a guy had bought direct from the factory between 1969 and 1973. The rims measure 614mm outer diameter compared with 632mm diam of a standard rim for tubulars. So they are bigger than 26". Due to our house move/downsize several years ago, the bikes have been sold but somehow I retained these:
one pair FIAMME ERGAL rims 32h, poor surface to an area of one rim £40.00
pair of wheels FIAMME standard rims 32h, NR sfqr hubs 120mm OLN, chrome spokes, Regina 5sp freewheel fitted which I will loosen off. need a good clean up £120.00"
No relation to Nigel or to Campyoldy.
Emanuel Lowi
Montreal, Quebec