CINELLI NEOS/CINELLI NEOS
Stem £70.99/Bar £170.99 Cinelli does it again with a cockpit that ticks all the boxes
Lightweight; very comfortable; great shape
LOWS
Limited finishes and colours Weight Stem 122g Bar 197g Light but not scarily light? Check. Stiffness where it’s required? Yep. Less stiff in the areas that need to offer comfort? Yes, again. A good shape that works with all hood types and no bonkers profiling? Once again, yep. Cinelli has absolutely nailed it with its Neos carbon bar and carbonwrapped aluminium stem setup. The first bend is early, with the flat section for cable routing extending up to where the hoods are mounted, which means no ridges when the cables are taped down. The bar is a simple, well-shaped, high-quality affair that performs without resorting to gimmicks, fancy titanium bolts or other examples of fancy marketing hype. As a combination, this is a prime example of what Cinelli has been doing for a while now – making quality kit that works well, and isn’t too hard on your bank balance. It was the winner from the first ride thanks to its balance of stiffness and its ability to take the edge out of big bumps and dull road buzz – something the accelerometers confirmed. Very good price, too.
INSIDE INFO
The balance of bar and stem If you’re looking for a certain saddle-tohood reach, this can be achieved using not just the length of the stem, but the length – or rather reach – of the bars too. There are lots of old wives’ tales about longer stems being more comfortable, but this dates back to smalldiameter quill stems and is virtually nonapplicable to modern kit. The difference in the bending stiffness (which we feel as comfort) between otherwise identical 100mm and 135mm stems is almost immeasurable, as is the stiffness in torsion (which we feel as bar stability when sprinting or standing on the pedals). Such discrepancies are secondary to getting the right fit on your bike, so don’t let the search for a comfortable front end get in the way of being in the right position in the first place.