75+ Years of Radical Cycling Design

Cino Cinelli establishes the company in Milan, beginning a 75-year journey of engineering obsession and design innovation.

At the Rome Olympics, Cinelli debuts the aluminum 1A stem and matching bar series, featuring a unique parallel-closing safety system and distinctive “milky” anodization. These become the brand’s first true global icons.

Eddy Merckx and Felice Gimondi both choose Cinelli bars; the “64” becomes known as the Gimondi and the “65” as the Merckx in every European bike shop.

Viktor Kapitonov wins Olympic Road Race gold aboard a Cinelli Supercorsa—so sought-after that in Olympic years all Supercorsa production goes to athletes, not customers.

Cinelli revolutionizes saddles with the Unicanitor, replacing leather forever and becoming the blueprint for modern racing saddles. Used by Merckx, Gimondi, and the era’s top champions.

Ole Ritter sets the hour record on a Cinelli Supercorsa for the first time in history.

A bold, modern identity replaces heraldry entirely. The Lupi logo quickly becomes the most imitated cycling logo of the modern era.

TIG-welded experimental construction by Andrea Pesenti leads directly to techniques later used on the Laser.

Mendini, Guerriero, and Ceccariglia redesign Cinelli’s aesthetic across frames, apparel, catalogues, and accessories—blending postmodern art with performance cycling.

Italy’s first true lifestyle cycling store, designed by Franco Raggi with lighting by Castiglioni, selling Cinelli and global cult objects (Oakley, Patagonia). Clients include Norman Foster and Eric Clapton.

A radical aerodynamic concept aimed at hour records and TTT. Only ~300 frames are built over 10 years, many for national teams. The Laser becomes a design and racing icon.

A limited-edition Supercorsa featuring graphics by legendary Italian design house Fornasetti.

An innovative investment-cast bottom bracket that channels airflow to remove humidity; widely adopted by other high-end framebuilders.

Cinelli introduces the Rampichino, which becomes Italy’s MTB market leader and pioneers the European MTB movement.

Haring receives a Cinelli MTB and Laser; later he surprises Colombo with a fully hand-painted Laser featuring his signature graphic figures. It becomes a symbol of Cinelli’s art-meets-cycling spirit.

Cinelli mixes natural cork with EVA to create the first comfortable, shock-absorbing bar tape. Andy Hampsten famously wins the Giro d’Italia using Cork Ribbon with no gloves. Still used today in nearly original form.

The lightest production quill stem ever (110 g, triple-alloy titanium). Lance Armstrong wins the World Championships with it.

Cinelli names its previously underground all-black hybrid bikes “Bootleg.” Ridden across deserts, cities, and Ironman courses, with graphics by Alessandro Pessoli (collected by MoMA). Precursor to today’s urban performance category.

A game-changing ergonomic innovation selling 20,000 units per month before the controversial UCI ban in 1997.

Extreme CNC machining allows huge customizable graphics; Mario Cipollini famously rides a Pamela Anderson version.

Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France on a Cinelli 101—the final major victory in cycling history on a quill stem.

Joining Ferrari, Alessi, Vespa, and other giants, Cinelli is recognized as a pillar of Italian design heritage.

The RAM becomes an immediate hit with pros; Gilberto Simoni wins the 2003 Giro citing unparalleled stiffness and tactility.

A simple but high-performance aluminum track frame that becomes a global urban icon—ridden by national teams, messengers, designers, Kanye West, and Red Hook champions. Still produced today.

In collaboration with Columbus, Cinelli releases the world’s first stainless steel race frame. Later, a Rapha limited edition appears.

A limited-edition artwork frame exhibited alongside interpretations by KAWS and C.R. Stecyk II in San Francisco.

The world’s first urban-specific performance track frame, the Cinelli–MASH, is released and becomes an instant subcultural phenomenon. The team wins the first-ever Red Hook team classification (2013).

A series of limited-edition RAM bars and bar tapes featuring the legendary tattoo artist’s graphics become global best-sellers.

Cinelli becomes the first cycling company to sponsor the event, dominating for 5 years; later continues winning with Cinelli-Chrome.

Cinelli enters the adventure touring category; the “Tour d’Afrique” film with Lucas Brunelle, Chas Christiansen, and Dario Toso debuts at the Bicycle Film Festival.

Limited-edition co-branded products leverage Cinelli’s status as the most authentic brand in urban cycling.

The Laser Nostra sells for USD $50,000 at the Red Auction organized by Jonathan Ive, Marc Newson, and Bono.

A global collaboration series featuring world-renowned artists, expressed across caps, accessories, and products.

Athlete Alfred Bobe Jr wins Monster Track for the fourth time on a hand-painted Made-in-Italy carbon Cinelli. Futura paints a second version as a gift to Antonio Colombo.

The most prestigious team award in track bike criterium racing.

Riding the Cinelli Superstar “Featherweight” team edition.

Becomes world champion aboard the Cinelli Pressure.

A Made-in-Italy limited edition created with the Alessandro Mendini estate—continuing Cinelli’s 40-year dialogue between cycling and design.

Cinelli partners with Larry VS Harry, Danish pioneer Cargo bike company, to create a limited-edition "long john" style cargo bike,  blending contemporary street aesthetics with cycling couriers' technical heritage. The project extends Cinelli’s legacy of cultural crossover collaborations.

Cinelli and Oakley join forces on a landmark collaboration unifying two icons of performance design. The project revisits the roots of Cinelli’s early lifestyle era—when Gran Ciclismo was the first store in Italy to introduce Oakley—while projecting both brands into a new future of cycling culture.

Cinelli collaborates with Yinka Ilori on a bold, color-rich limited edition that merges African diasporic visual language with Italian design craft. The collection celebrates joy, community, and self-expression on the bike, extending Cinelli’s decades-long tradition of working with the world’s most influential artists.