NEW BIKES
£2299 > Advanced carbon frame from the classic Italian marque
Cinelli Superstar, The Light Blue St Johns Retro, Dassi Interceptor, Forme Flash Ltd, Boardman Team Carbon versus Planet X Maratona.
Cinelli has a long association with Columbus, the Italian tube specialist, which provides a myriad of fine stainless steel and titanium tubesets from its base on the outskirts of Milan. That expertise has transferred to carbon fibre production, with Columbus being one of the first brands to offer aftermarket carbon forks, and its manufacturing experience is evident here in the Superstar’s clever monocoque frame.
The kinked top-tube keeps the head angle steep and stiff at 73.5 degrees in our size XL test model, while the latter two thirds slim and flatten for additional compliance to the dropped, largevolume chainstays that kick upwards to the rear dropouts. It’s designed to maintain bottom bracket stiffness, yet allow the stays to work
in conjunction with the slim seatstays, again for compliance.
The geometry is very much on the racing side of the fence, with that steep head angle and more standard 72.5-degree seat angle. This mates to a lowish 590mm stack height and long 399mm reach [vertical and horizontal distance between the bottom bracket and head-tube respectively]. On the road, the Superstar feels aggressive when you’re in a racy ride position, but with a more stable quality than we expected.
The Cinelli is easy to control and quick enough to steer accurately through twists and turns. When the road starts to steepen the low weight of the chassis (920g frame, 360g fork) and 7.7kg overall weight is a boon, but it’s tempered slightly by the Michelin Power Endurance tyres that feel a little stiff compared to the Competition version. They are tough, and will see you through winter miles well, but you’ll want to switch to something with a bit more zing now that we’re seeing warmer weather. Campagnolo’s Zonda wheels have a new broader rim that shapes 25mm tyres well, the Michelins measured closer to 27mm than 25, and at 1540g a pair they’re some of the lighter midrange hoops around.
The ride quality of the Cinelli is a game of two halves. The back end feels smooth and compliant, which is helped by the deeply padded and channelled Selle Italia Novus saddle. The scooped shape and full length channel mean the upper flexes independently left and right as you pedal.
Up front, the Superstar suffers from a bit of chatter over rough ground and the well-shaped – we love the ovalised wing tops – but seriously stiff Vai bar and stiff tyres can’t keep road vibrations from reaching your hands. Too often after rides of a couple of hoursplus, we found ourselves having to shake out the tingles. With more supple tyres and a carbon bar we think the Superstar would shine.
Campagnolo’s Athena groupset provides typically snappy mechanical shifts that are the opposite of Shimano’s light, quiet movements. That’s not a criticism, just a notable difference. We’re fans of the positive feel that tells you when you’ve made a shift, and snaps into place with audible accuracy every time. The braking is positive and quality pads work well in all weathers, but they do lack the lightness of touch that you get from the equivalent brakes from their Japanese rivals.
The Superstar is already a top performer, but with a few upgrades it would be truly worthy of star status.
THE VERDICT A four-star chassis that’s hampered by dull tyres and a noisy front end