Wednesday, September 10, 2014

For Sale: 1960's Cinelli Mod. B frame and fork!

     Nice bike offered for sale here today.  It is a Cinelli mod. B from the early to mid 1960's I believe. Serial number stamped on the bottom bracket shell is 5319. Cinelli serial numbers tend to jump around a lot and can be confusing. I am dating the frame more by its features. The Mod. B. were introduced in the early 1950's. as an alternative to the Mod. S.C. (which later on went on to be called the Super Corsa) one of the most iconic race bikes ever (in my opinion). The mod. B sported a flat fork crown as opposed to the semi or fully sloping crown of the Super Corsa which gave the bike a more comfortable ride. It was billed as a more recreational use or training type bike. Don't be fooled though, the craftmanship is top notch and these bikes are quite desireable because of  their versatility and handling. This bike had the Cinelli S.C. headset installed in it I posted here a couple weeks ago. Cinelli stopped offering that head set in the mid 60's, so that kind of dates it. Also, if you look at the photo of the rear drop out, you see small drilled hole over the hole where the derailleur attaches to the frame. It was for a specific early model Campagnolo derailleur. That feature disappeared in the late 60's. Also, there is no oil port on the BB shell, which disappeared in the mid 60's. Now, i know that sometimes old parts lay around the workshop and are used on bikes even after they are no longer offered just to get rid of the stock, but the three points I mentioned help me to date the frame.
     This bike is an excellent restoration candidate. At some point someone brush painted the frame and fork with what appears to be brick red house paint. If you pick at it it chips right off. I have made little attempt to do so, I will leave the re- finishing fun to the new owner! I  The decals (original) and head tube are left untouched to show the original silver paint. The chrome lugs and seat cluster are in great shape with the exception of the underside of the head lugs, see photos. The frame has the original enameled head badge (51mm version).  It also has the original Cinelli seat binder bolt for the iconic fast back seat stay attachment as well. There are two rolls of rim tape wrapped around the seat stays which I have not tried to remove because they are painted over. The bike had a rack on it when we got it. They are not crushed at all. A neat detail is that all the tubes are plugged with corks in the BB shell and the underside of the fork crown. The frame also has the original fender mount screws, which turn freely! There are no drop out screws in the Campagnolo rear drop outs, they require the older, longer length. This will make a great winter time project! the measurements are as follows:
  • 23"  CTC seat tube 58 1/2 CM
  • 23"  CTC top tube 58 1/2 CM
  • 32" stand over height (without head set or air in tires)
 Please email at: bikeville@gmail.com for price and any questions.




































No comments: