[J.T.]

1980 Cinelli, an Italian road bike company, entered the BMX market with a very SANO frame and fork! The frame features a 5" head tube, tear drop Columbus tubing (Skyway picked up on it later), integrated seat post clamp, recessed rear brake mount, Euro bottom bracket, and very light weight!

They also produced a very trick alloy stem and seat post with built in stop for seat mounting.

All these awesome features and in all my years of racing never saw one at a track! This frame, fork, seat post, and stem were all NOS with shelf ware before mounting. Guess Italian frames didn't go over too well here in the states so the ones here probably sat around just like this guy.

Cinelli and Campagnolo, another Italian company, partnered to introduce products into BMX from 1980 thru 1981. The "Campy" products were more successful but didn't make enough of an impact to continue BMX specific products. Many racers began to use Campy parts in the mid to late 70's and carried on through the 80's as the Campy quality was so remarkable.

VEHICLE

Frame – Cinelli MX-1
Fork – Cinelli MX-1
Stem – NOS Cinelli
Bars – VDC alloy
Grips – NOS original Oakley .5's
Brake lever – NOS Dia-Compe
Brake cable – NOS Dia-Compe 1981
Caliper – NOS Dia-Compe MX-1000
Brake pads – Mathauser finned
Headset – HATTA alloy
Hubs – Campagnolo BMX
Freewheel – NOS Suntour
Spokes – Double butted
Nipples – Brass
Rims – NOS C & G
Front Tire – Mitsuboshi Competition II Yellow label 20 x 2.125
Rear Tire – NOS Cycle Pro Snakebelly 20 x 1.75
Chain ring – NOS Campagnolo
Chain – NOS HKK
Spider bolts - Campagnolo
Cranks – Campagnolo
Bottom Bracket – NOS Torker
Pedals – NOS Suntour MP-100
Seat – Unicantor suede Italian
Seat post clamp – Integrated
Valve caps – Alloy
Plate - NOS original Haro lightning bolt

[S.Brothers]

Cool bike, JT. Don't see those very often, so it's a cool change of pace. I love that plate too.

[Larock]

Very cool ride Jeff! One of the bikes I "want" to get someday!

[nycet3]

Amazing bike. Colombus tubing, no less. Double butted?
Any idea what the price tag was on a Campy equipped Cinelli bitd? Can't imagine it was inexpensive, which probably didn't help sales and their popularity.

I followed road racing pretty closely back then, though I was still racing bmx. I remember seeing the Cinelli bmx bike and thinking it was out of place. Felt that way about the Fuji Feather lights as well. What a dope. Youth is wasted on the young.

That's a five inch head tube, no?

Again, amazing bike. Joe

[SoWhat.]

wicked bike.

[getset]

I like it, it's real exotic looking especially with the blue and gold.

[blikum]

Belisimo!

[PlanetX]

I'm with everyone here. . .

Sweet bike, Jeff. Hope to have one myself some day.

[Brisben]

Seems to me they were a little more popular Downunder - but not a lot, a couple have surfaced down this way.


As Usual JT your attention to detail is fantastic.

A great build!

Top stuff!

[CharleyGnarlyP290]

Dave Stoller would have been way into that if he were a BMXer...
If I had ever heard of that bike, I sure forgot about it. To me that f/f has a total Euro feel about it.
Really nice one there.

[bmx2112]

Very cool build JT, I remember they had a rep. of cracking. There was a f&f set that set in the Bike Barn for a couple years with a $400 plus price tag on on it.

[Monster-Robot]

Amazing build! It looks so light. Do you know what the total weight is...?

[maximum85]

cool build jeff..i remember my local schwinn shop having a red one hanging up,priced i think,350.00 back in 1982.

[J.T.]

The weight of this bike is 20 pounds. When we show the bikes at various events my wife likes how "light" this on is compared to the 70's, cruisers, and Freestyle bikes.

For the longest time I just couldn't figure out a color combo with the goofy head tube colors so decided on Blue and Gold since I already had the blue Campy parts and yellow/gold in the decal.

Thought the Columbus tubing was the next best thing but the wear and tear on the BMX track proven otherwise? Maybe they just made it too thin of a wall or poor structural design?

Glad you all enjoyed the bike!

[John De Bruin]

I knew a guy in ’84 who had one. It was the gold frameset decked with red parts. One of the sickest bikes around. Absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the geometry was way off and the guy was one of the biggest a-hole’s I’ve ever known, so I have no desire to look him up and see if he or the bike survived.

[J.T.]

Forgot to add that the Cinelli stems were totally trick for 1980! Having a built-in wedge, no sharp edges, all allen heads, totally SANO design, and light weight!




1980 Cinelli MX-1 and Cinelli seat post NOS with shelf wear before built

[Kerry]

Insane build but very surprised you didn't use campy pedals

[J.T.]

I sold my NOS blue set about four years ago and knew I shouldn't have done it but oh well. Been looking for two years on Gold Campy's but finally threw in the towel and put the bike together this year.

[phillyc71]

Stunning! Velo exotica at its finest.

[Kerry]

Sickness for sure