Toby from the UK writes, 'I saw your blog and wanted to share with you my CinelliSupercorsa which I've recently had repainted/rebuilt. It's a strange one as it has no serial number on the bottom bracket, drilled lugs with the modern seatpost size of 27.2 and the modern brake bridge. Maybe you may now something about the history of the frame? I was told it was found with two other identical frames in a storeroom in the Cinelli factory in Milan and was brought to the UK by Brick Lane Bikes in London where I purchased it. It didn't come with a fork so I had to source this myself which was difficult to say the least.' I don't recall seeing a Cinelli without a serial number but there may be an interesting story behind this one.I invite you to contribute by sending in photographs of your Cinelli bike, illustrations, personal stories, and articles about Cinelli bikes and components.Thanks for stopping by.I can be contacted at veronaman@gmail.com.

This document, by, originally appeared in the issues #14 & 15, in 1997. Did some editing, converted to HTML, and made a number of additions, which appear in brown text.Note that specific prices will have changed since 1997, but much of the other information remains useful. Also see the article on this site about.

If there is one notable feature to the vintage lightweight racing bicycle market it is the variability of prices. Often, that is the result of a lack of market information. If somebody were to call a few people who deal in vintage lightweights, or perhaps ask a VRBN subscriber, then they would have a reasonable amount of market knowledge. Instead, many buyers and sellers enter the market only once - i.e., to sell an older bike they have had for years and are now getting around to selling. In such a circumstance, the price it is advertised at may be far below current market levels. Sometimes, though, they make the opposite mistake. If an older bike is well abused but the seller thinks it is a much better bike than it really is, then the price may be way too high.

It's common for Cinellis from this period to show a number of mixed generational features. If you look at the serial number on the bottom bracket, the.

Such a mistake is common with production bikes that were originally expensive but in reality were rather mediocrePrices also vary considerably even when buyers and sellers are well versed in the field. That is because the market is so thin. With relatively few buyers and sellers, a market transaction depends upon the perfect alignment of a perhaps reluctant seller and a cautious buyer. This is more pronounced when the item is more scarce.In the vintage lightweight market, there are many individuals willing and able to pay perhaps $350 - $750 for a bike.

When the dollars increase beyond that, the field of buyers decreases. Interestingly, though, at a certain point - perhaps in the $1,500 and above market price becomes less of an issue.

That is because in the mega-buck price zone the market is driven by individuals with relatively large incomes. Among those who are quite wealthy, bicycle collecting is relatively inexpensive compared to collecting automobiles or expensive artwork.To the wealthy buyer, it is not a question of is it $2,000 or $3,000, but often is it the right color and size! As a consequence, it may be possible to sell a brown bike to a collector seeking that specific color for $3,000 while a comparable blue example will be of no interest. It may be that the blue bike will only sell to a person who can pay $1,500 for it out of financial necessity. In the lower price ranges, since so many more can afford to consider the item, price variability will be much less. As a rule, the more interested buyers and sellers, the more stable prices will be if everyone has equal information.Another important point to remember is that there are two ways to look at a bike.

The first is to look at it in its entirety and consider its overall appeal. The second way is to look at it as the sum of its parts.

Imagine a 1969 Bottechia with Universal brakes and a smattering of Campy. In good condition it may be $300 - $400 dollars. Now suppose that on that bike is an early 60's Brooks B17 Swallow saddle in virtually condition. Such a saddle alone is at least $300. That almost doubles the of the bike! Similarly, a mid 60's production bike with little following might be hard to sell as a bike for more than $400.

If it has a Campy group in near new condition, original tires, original old label Mavic rims and its original silk tires, the parts group alone might be $1,000!The above examples illustrate the need to look at the of a bicycle as the greater of either it's 'whole', or as a sum of its parts. Those who really care about preservation, though, might argue that is not right to take a complete but nice bike and part it out - and I agree.

At Bicycle Classics we have sold many bikes below their part-out because we like to preserve the gems. That is our choice. That is why we often screen buyers to insure that they will not capitalize on our sentimentality by parting out a complete bike we sell. Conversely, we do part out some bikes that others would spend years trying to restore to perfection.

This diversity in the market is what makes this hobby so much fun!Because people can always lower their price, it is apparent that many people often advertise a bike at a high level to 'hunt' for a motivated buyer. This tends to distort price levels because others see such high prices and think that they accurately reflect the market. Also, if one well-heeled buyer purchases the bike of their dreams for a high price that reflects the perfect match between buyer and seller, then others may think that they can sell theirs for a similar price. This may not be the case at all!

Both price hunting and past records of 'high price sales' may yield false information in the marketplace as to what items are really selling for.With all the chaos, we have made a few biased judgments of what we think some selected bicycles are. Don't place too much weight in these 'guesses' and please don't plan to send your kids to college based on mortgaging your bicycle collection when the time comes. Your banker will probably laugh to death should you even try to collateralize your bikes. Just remember, however, this tidbit. As your banker laughs, think how much the of that old Cinelli and your stashed group has increased in the last 3 years. Then look at the interest rate on savings accounts that the bank pays.

Yep - that's right - you can laugh. But not as hard as the person who had all their money in a Standard and Poor's indexed Mutual Fund. Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say. We hope you enjoy this price guide. Happy hunting and happy collecting!

Quality generally ranges from reasonable to downright scary. Importantly, these were among the few bikes to enter the U.S. Before the early 70's bike boom that were of any quality. Look for examples with nice chrome.Atala had some nice bikes - all chrome with nice painted panels which had an attractive translucent quality. Because these bikes were both mid-level and very common, their is based mostly on their parts. Bikes except Universal brakes d about $550.

With brakes about $600.Atala bikes, as described above, are attractive. That doesn't make them particularly valuable. Nice examples about $550.As a small word of caution, don't be terribly excited buy seemingly ornate lugs with cut outs on some Atala models. Such frames are very common and not terribly unique or desirable. In Italy, they are everywhere - even on the typical commuter bike.Atala had the only bicycle in the $150 price range in the early 1970s, with Fiamme rims and Campagnolo Nuovo Tipo hubs. No, it wasn't anything fancy, but it would stop in the wet! - John Allen Allegro.

Bikeology sold a lot of these! Many others sold them as well. We just came upon one from the pre-war era with Reynolds tubing and neat derailers that is quite nice.In the early 70's they had a few different models - some pretty crude, some rather pleasant. The fancy models had an interesting smoke paint finish that was a Swiss version of a really nice fade - decades before they became the rage.While some models are nice, there is not a lot of demand for them so is again parts based. For very clean smoke examples may be a bit higher. For regular examples figure $600. If an attractive smoke finish bike perhaps $750.

An early attempt at. Reliability should be considered.

The bike still lives on today in its cyclocross version as either Alan or aluminum. The Alan frames were very attractive and very light. They featured some interesting engraving on the lugs.

Unlike today's modern aluminum, these have a soft ride. Many enjoy riding these, especially lightweight or particularly smooth riders. It was common to deck out an Alan with special lightweight trick components. For a nice Alan road model figure perhaps $650.

Is probably more appropriate, perhaps $750. With some correct early lightweight goodies perhaps maybe more.The name ' is actually an acronym for the Italian equivalent of 'ALuminum ANodized.' Austro-Daimler (Puch). An attempt by a large diversified European company to create a prestige marque in the bicycle world.

They did a pretty darn good job of it too! There were some glitches, such as a full size range of bikes all sporting the same length top tube. That, apparently, was eventually taken care of.The top end bike was the Ultima. A dark purple or lavender color. Early models had full Campy Titanium including Ti pedals and bottom bracket.

Use of Fiamme Ergal rims and Unicanitor saddles made these bikes stand- outs in the world of production bike mayhem. Such early examples with the goodies in place are about $1,100. Since the early is what makes these so special, later models are much less, perhaps $ 800.The next model down was the Superleicht - These were typically a cream color. Red examples were framesets sold separately.

These bikes which were slightly less finished than the Ultima are about $650. There were many other Austro-Daimler models - many featured Reynolds tubing and assorted European components. These non-Campy models are much less valuable, perhaps only a few hundred dollars to the right buyer.

They often make great riders and are wonderful for the economy enthusiast. When reading about the Austro-Daimler bikes, I thought you might be interested in some additional information.Back in the late 1970's, I sold my interest in my moped shop and went to work for Steyr-Daimler-Puch of America. At that time, they were only importing mopeds from their factory in Graz, Austria.As the moped market tapered off, they brought in their Puch bicycles. They were low to medium models, many with European components and some with Asian components.

Sales were very slow, due to heavy competition in these low to medium markets.Puch also made top of the line bikes, but were unsure if they would sell, due to the poor showing of their other bikes. They decided to dust off one of their old names - Austro-Daimler - and introduce their best bikes in America under that name.The top frameset was known as the 'Team' frameset. It was imported in red paint, gold decaling, and with Campy's very best headset. The 'Team' frame was Reynolds 531, investment cast lugs and silver soldered. The same frame was painted a dark purple, equipped with full Campy SR, and sold as the Ultima. And the same frame was painted cream color (known as champagne), equipped with Campy's NR, and sold as the Superleicht. My memory may be gone, but I believe the frameset (with the Campy bearings) was 4.1 poundsTo get the word out, Steyr-Daimler-Puch of America created two bicycle teams.

The men's team rode the A-D Ultima, while the women's team had their Ultimas repainted in Puch green, with Puch decaling (in Europe, all factory riders rode the Team bike in Puch green, with Puch decaling. The name Austro-Daimler was only used in the American market). The teams won a number of races, with the highlight being Connie Carpenter winning the women's road race gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.The company also introduced the Vent Noir.

A step below the Team frameset, it had a very unique feature. The frame went through a 'secret process' which made it impervious to scratches. It was not painted. From what we could tell, it was hard-chromed (the type of chrome you use on engine crankshaft journals, not the kind for hubcaps), and then some sort of anodizing on top. You could take a knife or a file, and you couldn't scratch it.

The factory never did tell us what they did. But it worked!I left Steyr-Daimler-Puch of America in 1980, as the moped market was on the decline.

I left the industry at that time.Although unconfirmed, it is my understanding that the bicycle and moped division of Steyr-Daimler-Puch went out of business in 1987. The bicycle inventory, and the name Puch bicycles, was purchased by Bianchi of Italy.

Steyr-Daimler retained the Austro-Daimler name, although it is not active at this time (and probably never will be again).I believe the Steyr-Daimler organization still makes Steyr (Mannlicher) rifles, bearings, and automotive parts, particularly parts for 4-wheel drive components for Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen and BMW.Thanks for letting me run on. It was fun to think about some of the nice times in my past. Pat O'ReillyE.G. One of the major British builders. A wild reverse-rake 'Diadrant' fork and oversize (in the middle) Reynolds 'Cantiflex' tubing.

These are in a class with the British greats such as Hetchins, Ephgraves, and the Flying Gates. Is hard to pinpoint - they seem to have resale difficulties in this country simply because they are unknown.is the builder of a current remake of the Bates. The new ones have very ornate hand cut lugs. The old ones, though, are very special. Since the original company ceased production in the mid 60's, there shouldn't - I believe, be any true examples out there.

S will depend on what goodies a particular example has. Figure for a nice example a price around $1,000 should be very reasonable. One could write a book about Bianchi. This company defines the notion of racing heritage. There are lots of Bianchi models, many are dazzling, many are dogs. Remember that Bianchi makes bicycles for both racers and those cycling for basic transportation.

Early top-end Bianchi bikes using the satanic but nonetheless fabled Campy Cambio Corsa shifter (move the lever, slide the wheel, shift, etc) system should be close to $3000. Somewhat later top-end models such as the one recently shown in Bicycling Magazine similar to the bike Coppi rode are also close to $3000. Details are everything, so a bike lacking the right bits and not original might only be a small fraction of this amount.

The bike with original paint, correct saddle and rims, and in a saleable size will fetch the top dollars. Similar bikes without the right stuff might be hard to sell for $1000. Top-end Bianchi models from the early 60's through early 70's should be close to $2000.With Bianchi bikes, I sense that originality is more important than with other bikes - that might only be a guess. Size is also important. Early Bianchi bikes are so well known that foreign buyers should have interest in them. That means that smaller sizes could tend to be more. This is more true when dealing with very early examples.

Late 70's Specialissima models no longer featured the integral headset. Such bikes seem less distinctive - models by then perhaps $1,200. Early 80's models seemed to become more generic.

Figure $850 for and $700 for. There was a Competizione model in the mid 60' `s that featured 27' wheels and was a tourer. Such models, which also have the integral headset, are about $600.

Note that there were many lesser models of Bianchi bikes that look the part but are really pretenders. The notable feature is they have seamed tubing which implies a less then noble purpose. Such bikes are fun to play with but are only a few hundred at most.

Bianchi produced a Centenario bike in the early 80's using early C-Record components. They even had (at least some did) large flange C-Record hubs. These bikes should become collectors pieces soon if not already. To pay $1,500 -$2000 for one would probably be reasonable.

In 1987 an Argentin 'commemorative' bike was available on a limited basis.It was the top of the line Bianchi for 1987-88. It is also sometimes called a Specialissima X-4 and was equipped with early Campy C-record and Campy Cobalto brakes. Columbus SLX tubing. Lots of custom engraving included the head tube emblem, fork crown, seat stays, lugs had a 'B' cutout; the rear brake-bridge was engraved with an 'X-4'.

Black chromed (or painted) head tube, fork, rear stays - Celeste everywhere else. They were not found in any US Bianchi Catalogues, and they retailed at about $2075. Since few people know of these frames, bargains can be had!Greg Arnold Benotto. An Italian company that moved to Mexico. Some of the Italian examples are exquisite. Such an bike should be perhaps $800.

To pay a thousand or a bit more for a truly outstanding example with original paint would be fairly rational. Later Mexican production yielded nice but not terribly special bikes.

For examples figure $600.In the late '80s, Benotto handlebar tape was the thing to have on a racing bike. It was a thin translucent plastic tape, and came with the world's worst handlebar plugs. Bottechia.

One of the giants of the British cycling industry. Don't have visions of a small one-man-shop.

Claud Butler was a large concern. In addition to frame production, there was a large catalog business as well. Bikes of all varieties were produced. There were both lugged and fillet brazed, as well as tandems and bikes. Many were relatively mass-produced while others may be quite exceptional.The company was probably most prolific before the Campy period. For top-end interesting bike from the 40's through the 60's, probably about $750. Will depend most on the parts.

Note that the Claud Butler name seems to have re-emerged in the late 80's. They are not in the same spirit as the old.Geoffrey Butler.

A few of these were OK, but nothing terribly special. Such bikes in about $ 600.Felice Gimondi won the 1965 Tour de France on a Chiorda.In the mid 70's the Chiorda name was put on some spectacularly junky bikes, with Valentino derailers, Balilla brakes, steel rims and cottered cranks.I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually sold some of these horrible bikes in the mid '70s.The bad ones can be identified by the use of a 'Pletscher Plate' as a seatstay bridge, instead of a proper tubular bridge.Less obvious is the faux-lugged head tube construction. The head tube and both head 'lugs' are actually a single stamping. These bikes only came in one frame size, 22'. They were an attempt by Chiorda, previously a highly regarded name, to cash in on the U.S.

Bike Boom of the mid '70s, when you could sell anything as long as it was a 'ten-speed.' There are probably as many variations of these as Imelda Marcos has shoes. I remember going into Branford Bike in the late 70's or early 80's and seeing the bikes with the different types of Crimped (pre- Gilco) tubing. They all looked different.

Maybe they were the same, but boy was I confused!Not sure when Colnago started, but in 1970 or 1971 Colnago had a different decal set. The headtube, seat ube, and downtube panels had a giant white square with the famous clover. club? Early models also have a fork crown with two holes on both outer sides of the crown.

The lugs each had the clover cut-out that is either hand done or produced by the worlds most uncoordinated machine. These bikes are pre-bike boom models and are very uncommon. Prices in the low $ 2,000 should be considered reasonable. Size does matter here, so models under 52 cm and over 59cm will be potentially a good bit less.By 1972 or 1973 the decals became more modern.

Gone was the Comic-book graphics, although the style was quite similar. A Clover with 'Colnago' written below on both the head tube and seat tube became the norm. The downtube, I believe, just said 'Colnago'. There was a special Eddy Merckx version during this period with fun pantographing and an awesome drilled chainring. For details see the current book on the Tour which contains a photo of Merckx next to a bike which is clearly a Colnago.

The regular version of the bike should be close to $1,800, while the Merckx model maybe $2,200.By the early 70's the bike boom was under way and Colnago pumped out bikes as though the future of humankind was at stake. These mid 70's bikes should be about $1,000. Note that interest in these bikes is deep. It is well known that Colnago frames were built like - well, let's not go there.

More importantly, Colnago frames almost always ride like a dream. That is more important. For that reason it is easy to sell an older Colnago.By the late 70's Colnago had even more frame varieties. We never could figure out the difference between a Mexico and a Super. In fact, everyone who tried to explain it to us has been contradicted by other 'experts'. Mexico models, I believe, should have different chainstays.

Then again, the gold plated Mexico I once saw seemed absolutely identical to a Super. I hope someone can help out with this! Regardless, late 70's Colnagos should be about $900 or so, same for early 80's examples. There were some nice looking examples in the early 80's with crimped top and downtubes.

They ride wonderfully, although some had paint that peels if you look at it.There were some late 70's and early 80's examples that are built with the soul of an Italian Huffy. These sad examples are probably $ 675. The notable characteristic of these is a hideous seatstay attachment.In the early 80's the Master model was evolving. The 1983 World Championship bike ridden by Saronni was gorgeous.

With Candy Red (Wine Color), white panels and black lettering, these bikes are future collector gems. They often have crimping on the top and downtube, An example of this in should be perhaps $ 1,500. A very sought after example is the Arabesque.

Very ornate lugs, sometimes chrome, these are for many the most sought after Colnago. Produced until quite recently, a bike with / part mix should be about $2,000. To pay a bit more is not unreasonable. VRBN readers know about the master of masters. Lead builder for Faliero, left Masi in the mid 70's to build under his own name.

His frames are the juxtaposition of the Italian frame building paradigm and the American penchant for superb attention to detail. The low to mid $3,000 range seems to be the new price level for these.

Be careful of forgeries. They do exist. If you own a real Confente don't sell it. If you do, sell it to me. I sold one this year and I regret it.

Don't make the same mistake. Most of us will never own a rare Ferarri or an artwork by De Vinci. A Confente is the equivalent in the bicycle world. There are only 135 out there, and they are a remarkable bargain.

And no, a Masi Gran Criterium from the early 70's with MC in the bottom bracket is not the same thing. A Swedish bike not to be confused with the American marque of the same name from the turn of the century. The classic model is Orange with funky checkerboard graphics. Workmanship, if you could call it that, was lousy, and the bikes had memorable toe-clip overlap. We don't mind some overlap, but this was more like foot-in-the-spokes overlap. Made for an interesting ride.

They were actually a fairly competent race bike, and I knew some people who devastated a number of fields on these orange beasts. Most surviving examples were probably repainted and then met untimely deaths from commuter hell accidents, so examples with nice original paint are rare. Even rarer are those who would pay serious money for one.

Figure $675 for one in.Cuevas. Production bikes ranging from just OK to quite interesting.

There is an interesting drawing of a Dawes in the Data Book a book compiling examples of bicycling inventions, many of which are generally thought to be new but are actually very old from the 50's. The majority of Daweses in the 70's did not have full Campy - the Galaxy was one such model. Very common and impressive with its tubes but not spectacular otherwise. Figure for such a bike $ 300 or so. For top-end full bikes maybe $575. There were some interesting bright pink team issue framesfrom the 70's that were pretty nifty.

Such bikes full should probably be $750 ish. Need a buyer who can deal with pink. Early 50's bikes such as the one in the Data Book with fun parts are probably in the thousand range - maybe. On old bikes the parts details are everything!

One of the major vintage lightweight race bikes. Many consider the top three to be, and DeRosa. Ugo DeRosa represents the next generation of master builders. His bikes from the late 60's and early 70's are very rare. Bikes from the late 50's to early 60's are so rare that a price estimate isn't even possible. Bikes from around 1970 feature prominent cut-outs in all the lugs, unlike the modern examples with few cutouts.

Early models were true hand-worked masterpieces, while the present day bikes have lost much of that flavor. All DeRosa bikes, new or old, do ride wonderfully. The geometry works, and the bikes are very well balanced. By late 70's or early 80's some unexpected flaws became somewhat more regular - gaps in brazing, for instance, are more common tan one would anticipate. It really doesn't matter - the bikes still ride great and look pretty awesome too!For early examples (cut-out lug examples) in prime sizes (less than 59 cm) figure a around $2,500. These bikes also hold considerable in the Japanese market too!

Japanese buyers favor Cinelli and DeRosa bikes when it comes to Italian race iron. Mid 70's through mid 80's bikes without all the neat cut-outs are perhaps $1,200. In general, the earlier the better.There is an Anniversary DeRosa model from around 1987 that features pantographed C-Record components - very nice! Figure such a piece should be around $1,700. Because bikes of this era are not yet hot collectibles as / bikes are, these represent excellent investments.

Early C-Record is gorgeous and should take off in price! Not a terribly great frame but there is one thing going for these - Fausto Coppi rode some Fiorelli bikes. Look in the World of Daniel Rebour and take note of the Coppi bike with the fancy round fork crown. similar to the 'dimpled' fork used on.Fiorelli built the Coppi frames, although who knows who really built Coppi's actual bike. Aside from the funky factor, these frames are not terribly sought after. Figure price to be based mostly on parts.

In the early to mid 80's Fiorelli bikes in the U.S had nifty cut-outs, fun bright paint, and descent workmanship. For these bikes in full figure perhaps $600.Fiorelli was an important builder of tandems in the '60s. Frejus. In the late 60's Frejus and bikes were very popular. They had a 'Cinelliesque' seatstay attachment, fun paint with great contrasting panels, and lots of Italian character.

Actually, Frejus bikes from the 50's are somewhat common in this country. The famous shop in New York run by the recently deceased Thomas Avenia was the focal point for both Frejus and Legnano bikes in this country.Most Frejus bikes feature rather mediocre workmanship, but there are moments of precision. It doesn't matter. These were the bikes that scores or U.S racers rode during the dark days of U.S bicycle racing when a small but highly dedicated group of enthusiasts upheld the cycling faith. Besides, a clean or restored Frejus IS a beautiful bike.

Gamepad driver download. These bikes are collectible for all these reasons and more.The of an older Frejus will depend on its specific parts. An early 60's model with 'raised pedal lip cranks', an original leather saddle, and other goodies, could be close to $2000. Earlier bikes with more interesting but not as rare parts perhaps $1000 - $1200. Bikes from the 60's with Record equipment are probably around $1400. Late 60's models with oilers in both the headtube and bottom bracket are about $1300.

Early 70's models with perhaps one oiler and full are perhaps $ 1,200.In the early 70's, Frejus became more intertwined with Legnano (one bought the other) and certain changes were made. A head decal replaced the headbadge, and eventually the classic seat cluster. Was discontinued. As the bikes become more generic, their falls. The most bland models should be about $ 750.

Not a whole lot collectible here. The Newest and Finest models were fun and many people enjoyed them. Perhaps $300 for these models in great condition. Fuji actually did an anniversary model with full equipment There is little demand for these, although they are quite nice. Figure $750 for a really nice example.The early '70s S-10-S was the first Japanese bike successfully designed for the U.S. In the late '70s, the S-10-S was the first mass-produced bike with a 6-speed freewheel See also my.