A Visit at the Cinelli/Columbus HQ
If you ever listen to the SSS podcast, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with Cinelli. I’m almost constantly upset with what they do for the fixed-gear cycling community, typically putting all their effort into strange things when they have a huge following behind them ready to buy whatever they do next. So a few months ago, a regular listener and famous fixie-boy Marko a.k.a. @fixie.corner, invited me to Milan to “see for myself” what Cinelli was working on.
So on a cold winter morning, we rolled into the Cinelli HQ, which is directly next to the Columbus tubing factory, to be greeted by Andrea, who gave us a tour of the facility… after a mandatory first coffee.
For a refresher: here is what I previously said on the podcast on Cinelli. Italian and passionate as they are, Cinelli is the closest thing you could find to a bike manufacturer that mostly runs on the desire to make beautiful things. The Cinelli lineup is probably one of the most colorful out there, and you can tell that everyone over there is very proud of what they put out.
My problem with them is the very low effort that goes into their track bike lineup (I can’t talk about their road or gravel one since I don’t know it as much). We went from the glorious Mash SF era to a bunch of poorly manufactured fixies, only there for the hype-boys.
We went from the excellent original Vigorelli, which had great geometry for everything, to be the perfect fixed-gear bike for any level. The Shark, however, is neither comfortable nor made for real velodrome use. Flashy, aggressive, and rigid as dead wood, it's meant for the streets and the hye. Recently updated, they finally got rid of that shark fin that was an emotional elevator for everyone who first saw the original rendering, then the actual poor finish we ended up with. But fin or not, it never even came close to being as good as the original Vigorelli.
In summary, they took away a well-made bike (again, the original Vigorelli) and its steel variant, which was just as good if not better, to replace them both with something more "visually striking" but barely usable. Making me feel quite disappointed in Cinelli's image of their customers.
I won't even mention the rest of the "urban" range, except for the Tutto mini, which is the funniest bike I've ridden in a while. The original Tutto, however, was a pale copy of the Mash work, and the Typo Pista was an entry-level bike with the soul of a Walmart bike... And I should probably stop here.
On the other side, you can't expect a brand with 75 years of existence to be constantly at the top of one very specific part of cycling. The Vigorelli shark (which is now just called "Vigorelli") has probably been a fantastic way for Cinelli to make cash, as evidenced by the number of them in the streets. It's also available anytime and almost anywhere, unlike other brands that produce limited runs and sell out quickly.
It’s not a bad bike… It’s just not for me.
So it's not all dark?
Well it's actually quite the opposite.
While at Cinelli/Columbus, I could see their new workshop where they produce the gravel Nemo Tig and some other very interesting prototypes. What I gathered from the conversations I had and what I saw is that Cinelli is now focusing drastically on improving their gravel and road lineup. Either with locally welded frames or carbon designs outsourced to Taiwan.
Cinelli is taking a significant step in the right direction by demonstrating that they are not simply sitting idle, relying on their rich heritage to carry them through. Actual work is being done to position Cinelli competitively in the gravel, road, and potentially mountain bike markets.
For fans of Cinelli and non-track bikes riders, exciting developments are underway, and disappointment will be unlikely. For fixed-gear enthusiasts, it's only a matter of time before Cinelli returns to its track bike roots by listening to their community and collaborating with talented individuals, much like they did in the past. A notable example of this approach is their successful collaboration with LarryVsHarry on the Bullitt, which surprised many but yielded an exceptional final product that could see a second run of popularity.
Also coming back around to what I said earlier about Cinelli constantly working on "strange" projects; well, if it is part of your creative process to eventually come up with the strokes of genius, tha you have sometimes. Then, as a fellow artist, I completely approve that workflow.
I allow myself to say harsh things because I desperately want Cinelli to make cool stuff again for the fixed gear scene. I understand the challenges of working in the cycling industry, and I appreciate the hassles you face. However, I believe that focusing on track bikes, despite their relatively small contribution to your income, is just part of who you are. You have proven in the past that when you are passionate about something, you can create great collaborations, bikes, events, and more by bonding with the community. This unique approach has allowed no other brand of your scale and heritage to succeed in this specific field. So… what’s next?
Show me what you’ve got, I’ll be waiting.
🎞: kodak ColorPlus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Milan
