Some say that Cinelli has achieved a cult status in the USA, on par with Ferrari, Vespa and Ducati. Although this may be true, the rich history of Cinelli is much more than a mythical story told by a fanatical few.
In 1948, a good professional racer with 15 years of pedaling in his legs and a knack for mechanics decided to make use of the brilliant intuitions he had developed during the many miles spent on every kind of road. This man was Cino Cinelli.
Some may remember him for his cycling career; many more for his great gifts to cycling. Others remember him as the first president of the Italian Association of Professional Cyclists, an office to which he was elected for 15 consecutive years. Cino gave modern cycling its first aluminum handlebar, its first saddle with a plastic frame, its first footstraps, and its first clipless pedals.
Jumping forward to 1997, Cinelli became a division of Gruppo SPA; together with 3T Components and Colombus Tubing it has become part of a world-class production facility in the field of high-end bicycle manufacturers that is rivaled by few.
Cinelli is mentioned in the Dictionary of Italian Design, and it appears in the ADI Design Index. Cinelli is now distributed in the USA by Bicycle Technologies International , a leading wholesaler based in Santa Fe, NM.
