Cinelli, Italian bicycle brand
Cinelli is an Italian bicycle manufacturer based in Milan, producing road bikes, urban bikes, gravel bikes, and custom frames. Alongside complete bicycles, the company also makes components such as stems, handlebars, and saddles, offered in a range of designs and finishes.
Cino Cinelli, a professional road racer, founded the company in 1947 because he was unhappy with the components available at the time and wanted to build better ones. In 1978, Antonio Colombo took over the brand and steered it toward new segments, including early off-road bicycles and modern frame designs.
Cinelli has long worked with artists and graphic designers, treating the bicycle frame as a canvas. Some of these collaborations are on display in the showroom, making it feel closer to a gallery than a shop.
The Milan showroom is open to visitors and displays both current models and historic bikes from the brand's past. It is worth visiting even without a purchase in mind, as the layout gives a clear sense of how the range has changed over time.
In the 1980s, Cinelli developed one of Europe's first mountain bikes, the Rampichino, built specifically for off-road riding long before the category became mainstream. The name itself comes from Italian slang for a type of lizard that moves quickly over rough ground, which suited the bike's intended use perfectly.
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