November 2010 rBoTM - Nominations please

Bike built for Mrs. Hedi Cinelli

This bikes comes with quite a bit of history. It was built in the 1960's for Hedi Cinelli, the wife of Cino Cinelli. The bike is unique as no other similar bike was ever built. There are numerous features about the bike that are noteworthy.

The frame features the typical Cinelli lugs with three holes, even though they were used on a women's frame. Likewise, it uses the Cinelli seat stay attachment design, as well as the Cinelli SC sloping fork crown. The bike also comes with full braze-ons: for one shift lever, for the mudguards, for a carrier (not fitted in the pictures), cable guides and chainguard mounts.

The components feature: one piece steel stem and handlebars with brazed-on brake levers and Cinelli stem badge; wheels built up Campagnolo Record hubs without oiler clip with Fiamme Ergal rims in special "ridotto" size with silk tubulars and radial lacing of the front wheel; Cinelli painted alluminium mudguards and chainguard: Nitor seat pillar; Magistroni cranks converted from double chainring to single chainring with chain protector disk; Campagnolo Record rear derailleur, Campagnolo pedals with short pedal axles. I have furthermore been assured that the colour is a special colour that Cino reserved for special clients of friends only (Cino's personal bike was this colour for many years according to his son). The lower picture is of how the bike is set up for my wife with newer Campagnolo two-sided pedals and newer Cinelli saddle.

PS: about the "ridotto" wheels: Cino was a major believer in the advantage of using slightly smaller wheel sizes. He felt that with the improvement of the roads, there was no longer a need to use the big wheels of yore. He also felt that slightly smaller wheels would be faster and would allow for more geometry choices when building frames. He used this "ridotto" wheel size on most of his custom bikes.. This also allowed the fitting of longer cranks which he also promulgated (let's remember that cranks longer than 170 mm were very uncommon before the 1980's...)

will throw my Gazelle into the mix tis a loverly thing indeed.

Not a duff one among them. Lovely. The Cinelli is like a tiny little holiday in the sun

A bit more cannon fodder - Joe Waugh Gold Medal in Columbus Max - lugged and fillet brazed!

Poll up > http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=126473

I must admit to being totally confused about the overall winner of this month's vote. I've looked back at past winners and while I may have minor quibbles, I believe that as a whole the choices are understandable when you take into account demographics, the average depth of cycling culture and the quality of photos presented. Could somebody therefore please educate me on what I am totally missing when it comes to the Carlton Criterium? I see a Halfords quality bike built with overly heavy and weak gas pipe tubing using stamped drop-outs, cheap and ugly stamped cranks, even cheaper steel rims. Apart from the saddle, the colour aesthetic and the overall state of the bike I can't see anything redeeming about his bike in the least. Does it have something to do with boyhood yearnings of those who were relegated to "sensible" bikes with S-A 3-speeds? Or is it something social only to be understood by those brought up in Britain? Having been a teen when it was sold in the mid-70's, I know that it wouldn't have caused any teenage heart to flutter in any of the countries that I lived in during that period. So please educate me!

On the other hand, when I look at the Peugeot, it reminds me of the iconic poster of Bernard Thévenet on his silver Tour-winning Peugeot decked out with all the fancy gold anodized parts. I remember many of my friends with lowly UO8's or UE18's pleading with local shopkeepers about getting that poster for their bedroom wall as soon as it was no longer current in the shop.

Ill choose to ignore your utterly offensive remarks.

What you fail to grasp is that this is how Carlton bikes were in the mid 1970s. This bike is literally untouched, save for new tyres and a damn good clean. This is a reto bike, this is a retro forum.

It is not about self-centred, ingrained and arrogant snobs such as your self having a pop due to the fact the bike is not an 'Italian thoroughbred' or the like.

People like to you with the self righteous attitude just sicken me.

Rant over.

I admire your passionate response and thank you for your endorsement of my - Peugeot.

My father loved the bike so much I have given it to him as a present. At 70 years of age it is getting him buzzed up and eager to pedal after many years.

This is something we can all take as a positive. A win in anybodys book.

Now I can understand where you are coming from, but I can also appreciate the Carltons merits, it is after all wonderfully untouched/un molested and the originality is worthy.

Enjoyed the competition though - gutted as I was for not winning! Ha! ha! we can all live to pedal another day......

Just watch out for my John Pavey and Dave LLoyd..... I will be canvassing everbody for a vote.

The only other thing I ever won was kicking a football through tyres at the school fete. There was a bottle of scotch I wanted to win for my dad but as I was a minor they gave me a lousy Jig Saw !!!!

Wasn't even allowed to take my cycling proficiency test because they said my bike was to big for me - a short ass they said the stepover height was in appropriate..... and that was on a Peugeot too..

The in justice of the World!!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my bicycle I am glad for the comments and appreciation. Congrats to Spokesman also

Toomski

Toomski thanks for your comments!

A Peugeot would look very nice alongside my Carltons, I wouldn't say no to the right model coming along!

ome more pics of my Criteriums and other here:

http://spokessmann.tripod.com/id11.html

For them that likes them...