Strengths: Ride is quick & confident. Craftsmanship is superior.
Weaknesses: Can be a chattery like any modern fancy competition oriented frame...
Bottom Line:
Very nice bike. Fast, or feels fast as I age. Reasonable weight so it is not likely to break under me. Excellent craftsmanship and materials. Not crazy expensive.
Strengths: Fast responses, light, and very good value. Climbs well and very good for sprinting (which is more than can be said for the set of Rolfs I had).
Weaknesses: Well there are just a few small ones if you a very picky.
Need to replace the forks for carbon given the ride is quite hard and can cause hands to ache on longer rides. Need to choose tyres with care, the rear bridge is "Very" close to the tyre so 23mm is the most you can get away with and not all brands at that (Axel pros & GP3000's are ok.
Bottom Line:
I have the version shown in the picture but have replaced the alloy ARC forks with carbon ones, this is a must for comfort and a carbon seat post too. Overall I would say this bike is the most responsive I've ridden and very stiff. It's ideal for sprinting and changes direction quickly without drama. I've been thinking of a new frame but can't find anything that would be better for less than £1000 so I'm upgrading the wheels instead.
Similar Products Used: Giant Road RAce Bikes and TT Bikes, BMX, DH MTB
Bike Setup: Veloce 9 Speed, Look Pedals, ITM Millenium Stem, Mutant Bars, Ritchey Seatpost, Red Saddle, Mavic Cosmos Wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Road Racer
from Beverly Hills, CA USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2001
Strengths: Rigid, responsive, agile, great looks.
Weaknesses: A little stiff over rough pavement, but that's the tradeoff for a good handling, good sprinting bike.
Bottom Line:
If this is the low end Cinelli, it's scary to think of how good the Starship or Starlight are. This is a great handling and awesome sprinting bike in a lightweight and great looking package. The price of the frame was only $499 and perhaps my best buy ever on equipment. If you are on a budget, I think this is perhaps the best frame you can buy under $1000.00
Looks fantastic and is incredibly responsive. For those who like more relaxed geometry and gentler steering, skip this frame. Ride is pretty standard for current aluminium - comfortable enough, but certainly not steel level comfort. A carbon fork a must. Immediate response to input, which helps makes it a good climber. Probably stiff enough for hard-core sprinters - not strong enough personally to confirm. A fast ride that makes the necessary concessions in comfort to achieve that speed. If you don't need TDF brand hype (and often the associated price), give the Cinelli a look.
I am considering buying a Cinelli Unica and looking for feedback. I found a new 2003 Ultegra equipped for a shade under $2,000. The other bike I am considering is a Felt F35.
Read More »
Hi all,
New to the forum and I wanted to get some opinions. I'm finally buying a new bike after riding my C'dale for the last 5 years. I've narrowed my choices down to:
- 20 Read More »
I'm stationed overseas and the local dealer has some 2005s discounted. I'm in the "new" bike market and would love to bring one of these back to the good ol' US when I'm done here Read More »
