Bicycle Specifications as Reviewed:
Frame and Fork: Cinelli Experience 54cm
Front Derailleur: Ultegra 6800 di2
Rear Derailleur: Ultegra 6800 di2
Headset: Cinelli Integrated
Crankset: Ultegra 6800 53/39 165mm
Cassette: Ultegra 6800 11-25
Stem: Nitto NJ-89 NJS Keirin Track Stem 110mm
Handlebars: Nitto B105AA 37cm
Brake Levers/Shifters: Ultegra 6800 di2
Brakes: Ultegra 6800
Hubs: Dura Ace 9000
Rims: Ambrosio Nemesis
Tires: Veloflex Criterium 23mm
Seatpost: Dura Ace SP-7410 Easton Edition
Saddle: Selle San Marco Regale
Chain: Ultegra 6800
Handlebar Tape: Cinelli Mike Giant Bar Tape Red
Pedals: Ultegra 6800
Power Meter: Stages Ultegra 6800
The Concept
"I want to race my track bike on the road." In one sentence, that was what I was going for with this build. After an extended period primarily training as a track sprinter, I had gotten comfortable riding in an aggressive position; to the point where I actually preferred riding my track bike to my road bike. At the end of last season, I decided to re-focus on endurance-track/road racing, as I realized that it not only better suited my physiology, but also provided me with more racing opportunities as an amateur athlete. This meant more road riding and racing. I was hoping to capitalize on my sprint training and build a stiff, aggressive road bike that could help me contest bunch sprints in our local criteriums. I wanted to attack these races on a bike the felt like my track racer.
This was going to be a build from the ground up, so I needed to start with the frame. I had two requirements; first the geometry needed to be aggressive, promoting hard racing and sharp handling. Second, I wanted an aluminum frame. Aluminum was my desired material not only due to its inherent stiffness, but also because it would likely be much cheaper than a carbon race frame. Criterium racing can be a bit dangerous after all; better to risk crashing a frame that cost closer to $500 versus a carbon frame that may cost upwards of $5000!
I looked at a few options before choosing the Cinelli Experience frameset. There really aren't a lot of frame-only aluminum options out there when it comes to race bike builds (though, that market does look to be
improving). The Experience ticked a lot of boxes for me, aggressive race geometry, English threaded bottom bracket (no creaking!), good looks, and, of course, relatively low price. The frame was somewhat heavy, at 1400g,versus comparable options like the offerings by Cannondale, but as this bike was being built for criteriums and local road races, I wasn't overly worried. There are no long, alpine ascents in the local races around here. To be honest, I'm also not a weight weenie; so the importance placed on frame weight will depend on the rider. If you are really concerned about weight, it is worth noting that the 2016 model now has a slimmer, lighter carbon fork, so this should help a little. The only other downside with this frame was the fact that cables are externally routed. This is normally not a problem for me, in fact I typically prefer external routing, but I had decided to go with Ultegra di2 for this build.
The decision to use Ultegra di2 was critical to me with this build. As a sprint machine, I wanted the bike equipped with the optional sprint shifters located on the inside of the drops. I figured that being able to shift the rear cassette with my thumb would be much less taxing in an all out sprint for the line.
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| Ultegra di2 sprint shifters |
I tracked down a 165mm Ultegra crankset to round-out the di2 group set. I've become very comfortable with the short crank arm length on my track bike and I believe I can spin the bike up faster with the 165s versus the 172.5mm cranks I have on my steel Torelli. I admit, this may be completely psychological, but it works for me. Finally, I added a Stages power-meter to the bike, replacing the left crank arm. I've used Stages in the past and I find it quite reliable for the price. You just need to be very careful changing the batter so as not the brake the tabs off the battery door.
For the cockpit, I again wanted to replicate my track bike. This meant narrow bars, the goal was 37cm, with deep drops and an aggressively angled stem. I've
previously given my opinion on reach/drop of handlebars and what I thought would work best for me. I decided to go with the 37cm Nitto B105 AA handlebars. The had a traditional long reach and deep drop, which I figured would help keep me in an aggressive, aero position. The only issue with these bars was that the clamp diameter was 25.4mm, which is somewhat unusual for road bars these days. Luckily, Keirin racing in Japan has recently opened up to women and they have different gear restrictions to the men. They are able to use modern, 1 1/8 threadless forks on their bikes. Many still, however, want to use traditional Nitto B123 sprinter bars, which also happen to have a clamp diameter of 25.4mm. Enter the Nitto NJ-89 Ahead stem, also known as the "girls" Keirin stem. It attaches to a 1 1/8 threadless steerer tube on one end and clamps to 25.4mm diameter handlebars at the other. With and aggressive -17 angle, I was happy to add this "girls" stem to my bike.
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| A very stiff bar/stem combo |
I wanted some tough, durable, and wheels for this bike that would still be performance oriented. Something that would spin up quickly, and withstand the force of hard accelerations. I decided to go very old-school here. Hand-built, 32-spoke, Ambrosio Nemesis rims with Dura-Ace 9000 hubs. Okay, I'll admit it, these wheels aren't completely old-school; the hubs are a concession to modern race bikes. I topped them off with Veloflex Criterium tubulars.
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| Classic tan-sidewall on classic rims |
Between the classic rims, high spoke-count and the tan side-walled tubulars, this wheel-set, at a quick glance, looked like it could have come out of the 1980s. In other words, it looked phenomenal.
To top the bike off, I tracked down a vintage Dura-Ace SP-7410 seat-post which matched the frame nicely. To this I mounted a Selle San Marco Regale saddle. After trying many saddles, the traditional Regal and the modernized Regale simply fit me best, I use one or the other on all of my bikes.
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| My preferred saddle with a vintage Dura-Ace seatpost |
The Ride
Very stiff. Very fast. I wanted to build a track bike for the road, I succeeded in building a track bike for the road. I'm happy to say that I believe the extra weight in the frame went straight into bottom bracket, as the bike provides instant response under hard acceleration. Aluminum, of course, has a traditional reputation for a harsh ride quality in exchange for a this level of stiffness. I believe (and I'm not alone in this), that at this point, the "harshness" of high quality aluminum frames has been eliminated. Cannondale's modern CAAD series frames, arguably the most recognizable aluminum race frame on the market today, has been praised for its comfort in its most recent incarnations. Contributing to its overall design, the Experience frame features very narrow seat-stays which do a great job at absorbing road chatter, providing a comfortable ride.
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| Thin seat-stays absorb road chatter |
Will this frame match a modern endurance-focused carbon frame-set from a comfort standpoint? I doubt it, but that is not what its built for. It's a very comfortable race frame and, furthermore, I haven't had any issues with it during longer training rides either.
I am very pleased with the decision to outfit this build with Ultegra di2. Shifts are crisp and precise, and Shimano provides a very clean external cable routing kit for its di2 platform.
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| Clean external di2 cable-routing kit |
The decision to add the sprint shifters was also a positive one. Though it may only be a difference of centimeters between tapping the regular shift lever with your index finger or hitting the sprint shifter with your thumb, I can definitively say that during hard efforts in races, it is much easier to operate the sprint shifters. It is during these times that I want all of my physiological effort focused into my legs and the sprint shifters allow me to devote just that much more to turning the pedals over. Speaking of turning the pedals over, the 165mm cranks worked as expected, allowing for explosive, high cadence accelerations and providing clearance for aggressive cornering. During crits where I experienced other racers sometimes braking in-front of me heading into corners, I could pedal confidently when exiting those corners with little concern about the possibility of a pedal strike.
I've now come to love narrow bars on both my track bike and my road bike. They are useful to help keep directional forces focused when pulling back on the bars during a standing start or when initiating a hard sprint. They are also great for getting yourself into narrow gaps during races, where your 44cm bar'ed competitor won't fit. I also find that narrow bars give me an psychological advantage. I like to feel large on my bike, like I can dominate the machine. This helps me dig just that much deeper when I need to, whether just trying to stay with the pack or sprinting for the line. The narrow bars help me achieve this feeling. The Nitto NJ-89 stem, though heavy, is incredibly stiff and helps ensure little flex in the bar/stem combo during sprints. Though I was generally happy with the overall theme of the cockpit, after a few thousand kilometers on the bike, there are a few changes I plan to make. I will address those below.
The wheel-set may actually be my favorite part of this bike build. I've ridden on many different wheelsets, from various aluminum training and race wheels, to top carbon offerings from Zipp and Boyd. Of all the wheels I've ridden, these 32-spoke Ambrosio Nemesis may be my favorite. Not necessarily the fastest I have ever ridden, as a deep carbon rim definitely offers an advantage, especially when fully exposed to the wind in a brake-away off the front of the peloton (or when struggling desperately to try and re-gain contact with the rear of the bunch!), but they are simply a pleasure to ride. They are lively, responsive, grip the pavement when cornering, and the Dura Ace 9000 hubs spin-up incredibly well. They an exceptional race wheel and, lets face it, are undeniably cool. I'm considering having the rear spokes tied and soldered. Sure, the performance benefit is dubious at best, but it will add just that much more old-school character to the wheels. And who knows, perhaps it might act as a bit of an intimidation factor to the other racers; that is, assuming they even know what tied and soldered wheels are. The more I ride these wheels, the more I think they deserve their own review at some point.
Concerns?
After putting a few thousand kilometers on this bike, a few issues have come up. Primarily, I've actually come to rethink my earlier position on the potential racing benefits of long-reach handlebars. My cockpit setup is very stiff (due to the narrow handlebars and overbuilt stem) and aero, but when I want to ride on the hoods, I find myself resting my hands just behind the hoods rather than on them. There is an aero benefit to the long reach when properly riding on the hoods, but the comfort trade-off isn't worth it for longer races and rides. When the racing gets tough, I'm in the drops anyway. I've actually been using a different set of Nitto bars on my rain bike, a steel Torelli, that I'm planning on using with this bike as well. These bars, the Nitto Neat Mod. 104, are a recent design, featuring a shorter reach while maintaining a deep drop. It will alter my setup slightly, as the smallest size available is 38cm, and with a 26mm clamp diameter, I will also have to change my stem. I think the change will be positive overall.
The weight of this bike is noticeable on climbs. As built, with 32-spoke traditional box-rim wheels and a frame that sacrifices weight for increased stiffness, I wasn't expecting a mountain climber. I could swap my wheels out for modern carbon-rims and replace my seat-post/stem/handlebars with carbon options to reduce the weight, but I have no plans to do that. The ride quality is exactly what I was going for on this bike; I'm willing to sacrifice some hill-climbing prowess.
One final critique has to do with the seat-post. The vintage Dura Ace seat-post was known to have issues with properly gripping the saddle rails, resulting in the saddle unintentionally sliding back and forth during rides. Mine was no different, but after adjusting the setup a bit and slightly over-torquing it (being careful not to damage it in the process), the connection between the post and the rails is now solid.
Will it Help you Win?
Well, the build was finished at the end of last season and I've only had the opportunity to race it a couple of times. Admittedly, I did not win those races, but that's more on the rider than on the bike! I did have some decent finishes in the few races I've used it in, and if all goes well this year, I have no doubt the Cinelli Experience will be the limiting factor in getting to the line.
The Score
Stiffness: 8/10
Acceleration: 9/10
In a brake-away: 6/10
In a bunch-sprint: 9/10
Weight: 5/10
Overall: 7/10
An overall score of 7/10 may not sound like anything exceptional, but I don't kid myself into thinking that this bike objectively compares to a $10K-plus modern-carbon super-bike that incorporates stiffness, low-weight and aerodynamics. This is a utilitarian racer; plenty stiff, extremely smooth, affordable to the every-day rider and, in my opinion, it's a modern bike that captures some of the old-school racing aesthetic. This build isn't for everyone, but for the money spent, it is the ideal sprint-focused race bike.
