TheJackel2013
Retro Guru
Thought I would introduce myself properly through my unicorn, a newly acquired 1995 Cinelli Supercorsa with Chorus 8 spd. But first the backstory...when I was 17, I was fortunate enough to acquire a Cinelli Supercorsa in Rosso Ferrari Red. I was racing cadet, and then junior age group at the time and was partly sponsored by a local bike store. Part of the deal was a heavily subsidized bike, so I chose the shiniest frame they had hanging up without knowing anything about it. It almost sparkled in its brilliant mix of chrome and red. By luck it was a Cinelli Supercorsa and I built it up with the just-released 8 speed Dura Ace STI group. In hind-sight it was oh so wrong to put Japanese parts on the Cinelli, but I was young and the STI stuff seemed so advanced. I raced that thing for the next couple of years, but by then burnout from 5 days of training a week had set in. I hung up the bike, and not only did I stopped racing, I stopped riding altogether. I discovered girls and cars, and then I sold the Cinelli for a pittance soon after.
Fast forward 50 pounds and 20 years, I really haven't ridden at all during these 20 years, but I would always think about my unicorn that got away. So I started to look into acquiring another Cinelli. The new models looked so garish, with the oversized tubing, and the yards and yards of decals. Of course I realised that Cinelli still made the Supercorsa, but the price for one built up with decent components was just too costly. I would surf Ebay and craigslist, but any Supercorsa that came up would either be way too expensive, or was in pretty rough condition. I was starting to make peace with the fact that I would never be able to find an affordable one. I was about to give up all hope when I spotted one on Ebay.de, best of all it was in my size and it was in RED!!! The seller's pics were poor but it seemed to be in decent shape for the year, a little wear and tear but nothing serious. The auction ended without a single bid, I think that although the starting price was OK, it was too high of an initial price to attract any bidders. Or maybe not too many people go on German Ebay.
I contacted him a few days later and I asked if he was going to re-list or if he was willing to reconsider his starting price. I explained that I wasn't willing to pay that much as the bike was old and it needed some maintenance. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks. He pretty much held firm to his price, and it seemed we both knew that the bike was worth it. So I caved on the last 100 Euros. I knew I would kick myself if I left this one get away again. I drove 2 hours to pick up the bike, and when I got there, I realised that the bike was in much better shape than the pics looked. It was almost mint. Thank god for his poorly lit photographs, otherwise I'm sure it would have sold in a second. As I put the bike in the car I was grinning from ear to ear. I knew I would be changing a few things on the bike. Isn't it almost sacrilegious to put a 3TTT bar and stem on a Cinelli? So here it was when I picked it up.
Fast forward 50 pounds and 20 years, I really haven't ridden at all during these 20 years, but I would always think about my unicorn that got away. So I started to look into acquiring another Cinelli. The new models looked so garish, with the oversized tubing, and the yards and yards of decals. Of course I realised that Cinelli still made the Supercorsa, but the price for one built up with decent components was just too costly. I would surf Ebay and craigslist, but any Supercorsa that came up would either be way too expensive, or was in pretty rough condition. I was starting to make peace with the fact that I would never be able to find an affordable one. I was about to give up all hope when I spotted one on Ebay.de, best of all it was in my size and it was in RED!!! The seller's pics were poor but it seemed to be in decent shape for the year, a little wear and tear but nothing serious. The auction ended without a single bid, I think that although the starting price was OK, it was too high of an initial price to attract any bidders. Or maybe not too many people go on German Ebay.
I contacted him a few days later and I asked if he was going to re-list or if he was willing to reconsider his starting price. I explained that I wasn't willing to pay that much as the bike was old and it needed some maintenance. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks. He pretty much held firm to his price, and it seemed we both knew that the bike was worth it. So I caved on the last 100 Euros. I knew I would kick myself if I left this one get away again. I drove 2 hours to pick up the bike, and when I got there, I realised that the bike was in much better shape than the pics looked. It was almost mint. Thank god for his poorly lit photographs, otherwise I'm sure it would have sold in a second. As I put the bike in the car I was grinning from ear to ear. I knew I would be changing a few things on the bike. Isn't it almost sacrilegious to put a 3TTT bar and stem on a Cinelli? So here it was when I picked it up.
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