Let’s rock!
Cinelli’s new aero Pressure takes inspiration from a smashed up bass guitar…
It’s one of the world’s most instantly recognisable album covers. The Clash’s London Calling shows bassist Paul Simonon about to smash his guitar during a gig at The Palladium in New York. The photo has been voted the best rock ’n’ roll image of all time – and it’s the inspiration for the new Cinelli Pressure aero bike.
‘We always like to try to create an emotional connection with the customer,’ says Cinelli vicepresident Fabrizio Aghito. ‘This is because Antonio Columbo, our company president, loves art. He has an art gallery and wants to use bikes as cultural vehicles rather than just something only used physically. So every bike we make blends art and popular culture into its design. There is always a link to rock bands or songs.’
The Cinelli Pressure is named after the Fender Precision bass guitar that ended up in bits at that gig in 1979. On its body was a sticker that read ‘Pressure’ in jumbled, punky type, and on the underside of the bottom bracket shell of this bike is a replica of that sticker in the same type. It was painstakingly reproduced by one of Cinelli’s designers, but Aghito believes the result is more than worth it.
Back on the road again
The Cinelli Pressure is more than just a piece of art. This aero bike will be ridden by Team Colpack Ballan at UCI Continental level in 2021 and is already race-proven, scoring two wins towards the end of the 2020 season. The launch of the new bike is a statement of intent from the Italian company, a clue that after more than 10 years of its focus being on the single-speed/fixie scene Cinelli is now looking to get back to its roots in road cycling.
‘Cinelli is not a big company so the resources we can put in are limited,’ says Aghito. ‘By that
I mean we can’t put the same energy into different disciplines at the same time. Recently our direction has been focussed towards the fixie realm, but we thought it time to return to road riding with a model that introduces more contemporary ride characteristics for the competitive environment than our outgoing Superstar model.’
In comparison to the Superstar, the Pressure is 15% lighter (a medium frameset is claimed to weigh 990g) despite the introduction of hidden cables and aero tube profiling.
Cinelli has pedigree when it comes to aero bikes, having released the iconic Laser frameset back in 1981, yet the company’s aforementioned lack of resources meant that it had to be inventive when it came to releasing the Pressure. The frameset design, while retaining a certain degree of exclusivity, is essentially ‘open mould’, meaning it is an option offered by the vendor Cinelli has chosen to use rather than an exclusive creation.
‘Our R&D team has been working on an aero project for some time so we used our experience to judge which design would be best to select,’ says Aghito. ‘The Pressure is the result of a shared project and achieves all the performance characteristics we originally wanted it to.’
Open-mould frames have in the past had a stigma attached to them, but the standard of design and manufacture is now generally high enough that there is little reason for concern. What’s more, Cinelli has employed some high-end fabrication techniques to produce the frame.
‘EPS internal moulds are used during the construction,’ says Aghito. ‘They give the frame a very smooth and even finish inside, as in effect the carbon has both male and female moulds to lie against. It makes the composite lighter and stronger. If you don’t use this system you have to use more layers to account for some swatches moving during the curing process. Bladders achieve similar results but wrinkles in the carbon are a common risk. EPS moulds are an expensive way to build the frame but we think it is a good way to get a light, stiff frame with aero tube shapes.’
Another important touch that helps further reduce drag is the inclusion of FSA’S ACR headset system and Vision’s (FSA’S sub-brand) 5D bars, which allows the Pressure’s cables to be hidden away inside the frame.
‘This spec choice made sense for us because FSA is a close partner to us both traditionally and geographically,’ says Aghito. ‘Even so it was a hard decision to make as we obviously have a strong heritage in handlebar design. Our RAM bar would look good on the Pressure, but we think on this occasion the improvement in performance is worth the sacrifice.’
This aero bike is already race-proven, scoring two wins towards the end of the 2020 season