Cicli Berlinetta

Home of Cycling Chic

Coppi Crono

Something a little different for this week – a one-of-a-kind Coppi Crono bike. Never seen another one like it, and we’ve seen a lot of Coppis! From around 1987, the frame shows off a curved Oria tubeset, finished in gold paint with fine airbrushed black crosshatching. The seatpost angle is something to behold – close to 90 degrees to really get you on top of the crank.

Comes decked out with a complete Campagnolo C-Record groupset in impeccable condition, with custom pantographed and anodised cranks and seatpost. High flange, polished FIR rims, laced with a handful of flat aero spokes to low-flange hubs – 700c rear, and 650c front. A pair of Delta brakes feature, in pristine condition. The build is topped off with a vintage black Selle Flite saddle, and high gloss synthetic bar tape for that profi sheen.

It’s available now here on eBay, but of course you can send us an email at the shop and we’ll give you a deal!

06 May

Cicli Berlinetta ‘Pista’

After three years of faultless service, this custom-made Cicli Berlinetta Pista bike took an unfortunate tumble. The front wheel was tacoed, the downtube crumpled, and the fork blades dented.

No problem though, as one of the best things about having a skilled steel frame-builder on speed dial is that virtually anything can be repaired or replaced.

While the frame was back at the secret HQ, our customer took the opportunity to replace the threadless fork shaft with a threaded one, giving the ability to use any of our Cinelli and 3ttt quill stems. He also opted for a new pair of wheels, Campagnolo Pista hubs laced to Ambrosio DP 18 rims.

Here’s to another three (at least) years!

20 Apr

Paletti EL Custom Build – Campagnolo C-Record

Californian Eddie stumbled across our last NOS Paletti frame online, shortly after completing another custom build for himself.

He mentioned that he’d been looking for another late-’80s Paletti frame in his size for some time, after thoroughly enjoying the one he used to ride one years ago. This one was a rather special frame made of lightweight Columbus EL steel tubing, featuring an ovalised aero seat tube, Luciano Paletti’s signature cast lugs, and a funky carbon-look paint job.

Our customer had begun to collect components for the build, but since we had a Campagnolo C-Record groupset in great condition in the shop, it made sense for us to build it up and send to him as a complete bike. We decided to stick with a friction-only shifting set up for elegance and to save a bit of weight. A dark-anodised Campagnolo Omega V wheelset in almost-new condition topped off the build, making it as good as new.

Lovely bike, and happy riding Eddie!

17 Mar

Berliner Fahrradschau 2017

2017 was another successful year for the Cicli Berlinetta team at the Berliner Fahrradschau.

In lieu of a conventional stand this year, we decided to focus around our very own ‘team car’ – the 1992 Mercedes T124.

Loading up the roof rack with a selection of our hottest steel bikes, disc wheels, and a few of our own classic cycling caps, we took up a prime spot at the entrance to the show. We weren’t looking to push any new products or seal any big deals, but instead were content to enjoy the atmosphere over the weekend and catch up with some old friends.

Following are a few snaps of the event taken by our friend and photographer Madlen Krippendorf. You can check out more of her work here: instagram.com/madlen_krippendorf/

08 Feb

CBT Italia ‘Amadeus’ 24 Carat Custom Build

An interesting request from a customer gave rise to this exciting build.

While visiting us in the shop to seek some modifications to his mountain bike, somehow we ended up forming the basis for a new custom project – funny how that happens!

After a bit of thought, we took a CBT Italia ‘Amadeus’ frame from our collection. A top-of-the-line steel frame from the end of the 1980s, it features an externally rifled tubeset from Oria, tightly-routed internal cabling, and an novel expander bolt in the seatpost to give a seamless appearance.

Shortly after, we collected a full Campagnolo Record 10 speed groupset. So far, so good. A full set of custom 24-carat gold-plated Sapim spokes and nipples laced to blue Ambrosio Excellence rims rounded out the bike, and complemented the existing colour palette of the frame very well indeed.

This is not the first time we’ve used custom gold-plated components on a bike (also on our Colnago Master Pista Futura build from 2016), and it won’t be the last…

18 Jan

F. Moser Time Trial ’84

Happy 2017 from us at Cicli Berlinetta!

From a trusted contact comes this exceptional bike – a well-preserved Francesco Moser time trial machine decked out with a complete and period-correct Campagnolo Super Record groupset and Ambrosio-branded disc wheelset. It’s in terrific condition with original paint, and no dents. Pantographed chainring, and authentic 3ttt timetrial handlebars. As you can see in the final photo, it’s a bike with some history behind it, and is highly collectable.

Currently for sale. Please email or call for more information. See our eBay page. Shipping worldwide. We hope it goes to a good home.

10 Dec

Masi Prestige 70th Anniversary Edition

Faliero and Alberto Masi’s names have long been associated with the best talent in framebuilding, crafting frames for the pros since the start of the golden days. Here we have a rare sight: a 58cm Masi Prestige 70th Anniversary frame, presented in excellent almost-new condition. Finished in gunmetal grey with yellow accents, the bike sports a Campagnolo Record groupset, Campagnolo Omega rims, and Masi signature pantographed stem and seatpost.

Riding a steel-frame Masi is a unique experience, that must be tried at least once!

Check it out on our webshop here.

03 Dec

Paletti ‘Prestige’ Custom Build

A returning customer recently came to us with a special request. Having sourced a classic Paletti frame for himself, he wanted it built up with a Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed groupset to bring it into the 21st century. No problem; Paletti is one of our favourite framebuilders here at Cicli Berlinetta, always showing off top-quality workmanship and paint. This particular frame is made of high-end Columbus SPX tubing.

We collected the frame, and set about assembling the components. The frame needed little cleaning because of the remarkable condition it came to us in, it appeared to have been built up but virtually unridden. A quick polish, and a few details filled in, and the bike is ready to go.

05 Nov

Oscar Simonato: Pt. II

As luck would have it, another Simonato turned up in our workshop this week. It’s a pity that we forgot to take a few snaps of how this bike looked when the owner dropped it of with us for restoration. It lacked a front wheel, and was looking more than a little forlorn.

We lavished a whole heap of love on the frame and fork, ridding it of years of accumulated dirt and grime and bringing the Bahama Yellow and black paint to a gleaming shine. The chrome has been brought back to life with a good polish, and now exhibits a very nice gleam. We built a new front wheel using a good used matching high-flange Campagno hub, and a suitable rim similar to the Mavic rear. The red sidewall Michelin Erilium tyres make for a nice colour accent, matching the red in the Oscar Simonato-pantographed stem. The handlebars received a new double wrap of classic black cloth tape. With the exception of new brake cables and silver outers, every other component was already attached. Each and every part was rebuilt with fresh bearings and grease, and now this stylish classic is once again ready to roll.

29 Oct

Oscar Simonato Custom Build

This delightful metallic teal blue Simonato was sent to us with the simple instruction that it should be made ready to be ridden at L’Eroica on the “Strada Bianca”. In the blink of an eye we removed the Shimano components and outfitted the frame with an age appropriate Campagnolo Super Record groupset. The simple stencil lettering and engraved head tube were complemented with a double wrap of white cloth handlebar tape. This is a actually a time trial machine, with very tidy internal cable routing. The wheelbase, at 99cm, is just long enough for a day spent on the chalk roads of Tuscany. This machine arrived in good shape, and needed little attention to bring it up to a showroom sparkle. It’ll leave the store with it’s proud Italian pedigree restored to full bloom. The right mix of parts has added value, and this Simonato is once more a real conversation piece.