Rim brakes, 25mm tyres and the ghost of Fausto Coppi: Cinelli reintroduces the Supercorsa

While ‘iconic’ has long been on many a marketeers list of favoured words, diluting its meaning in the process, it’s apt when describing one of cycling’s most venerable framesets, the Cinelli Supercorsa.

First introduced in 1951, it was the brainchild of a trifecta of men who helped elevate Italian cycling to new heights – Cino Cinelli, Luigi Valsassina and Fausto Coppi. The first and last of this trio need little introduction, while Valsassina was a framebuilder of note, his artistry aided by his association with Coppi, building many bikes for il campionissimo during his time at Bianchi.

The Supercorsa was originally designed as a prototype for Coppi, with Cinelli and Valsassina taking a radical approach for the time by adding stiffness, tilting the fork head and shortening the chain stays, adaptations responding to the improving road surfaces that racing cyclists were now enjoying. The lugs too were new, as was the seat post clamp.

The rest is history. The Supercorsa continued in production for decades, becoming a byword for style and substance, with each generation adhering to Cino Cinelli’s desire to create a racing frame that was “the perfect functional harmony between the three main parts of the frame: the fork, the main triangle and the rear stays”. And now it’s back.

The reimagined Supercorsa pays homage to its origins, and then some. Handmade in Italy using double butted Columbus SL tubing and original lugs, It’s built to the specifications “perfected in the 60s”, with the sloping fork design and ‘fast back’ seat stays present.

Some modifications from this period have been included, however. The ‘spoiler’ bottom bracket (here as a ITA 70mm standard), the world’s only investment cast bottom-bracket to ever receive a patent, was first designed in 1984, while the Winged C logo present on the frame was created by Italo Lupi in 1979.

Other noteworthy details include compatibility with modern rim brakes, internal rear brake routing and bosses for downtube shifters. Tyre clearance is 25mm, which although narrow by today’s standards, means this bike can comfortably be ridden, rather than just being confined to the office walls of a CEO or two.

And so it should be. It’s a thing of beauty in the way only round tubed steel framesets can be, with an understated elegance that eludes the vast majority of modern road bikes. It deserves to be used.

Practicality is heightened by an extensive range of sizes, from 48cm to 64cm in 1cm increments. Add in the choice of eight colours, and it’s no stretch to say that there’s likely a Supercorsa for everyone. As long as they can stump up 3,150 euros for the privilege.