# Cinelli XLR8R 2 Carbon



## markymark2525 (Jan 10, 2006)

When I bought this bike I was told I would likely not see to many of them around, that it would be super exclusive. Not only have I not seen any, I have yet to come across any forums or discussions on the XLR8R Carbon. I guess I'll start one!!

I would like to hear from other owners and hear their impression of their bike. Ive set mine up for time trial (triathlons), with full centaur 10 and vigor wheels. Awesome!!


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

Hi Marky,

I've not bumped into very many other Cinelli owners on this board, let alone folks with XLR8R Carbons.What a lovely machine. I'd be curious to hear your own impressions.

best,
k


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## markymark2525 (Jan 10, 2006)

*Xlr8r*



caterham said:


> Hi Marky,
> 
> I've not bumped into very many other Cinelli owners on this board, let alone folks with XLR8R Carbons.What a lovely machine. I'd be curious to hear your own impressions.
> 
> ...




The weather has limited any serious rides, and I have yet to try it out on my regular training route,so far! Although the paces ive put this bike through have been spectactular.

It is very responsive, stiff, nimble, yet comfortable. On climbs you can feel the power transfer being direct, every pedal stroke literally launches you forward. I also feel on the down hills, in particualar sweeping corners, that this bike is extremely stable. Steering is very responsive, and you can confidently dive into corners assured your on a bike built for racing.Easily the best bike frame I have riden!

I have set this up as a TT, so Iam not running shifter/brake combo, which to some will seem an unsuitable setup for the purpose of this bike.But this is how Iam initially going to run it this season. The courses Iam preparing for are all hilly, with a significant amount of flats, typical triathlon courses. Iam not going suggesting that I will be setting any state records, but i will have alot of riding my Cinelli and participating!


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

markymark2525 said:


> It is very responsive, stiff, nimble, yet comfortable. On climbs you can feel the power transfer being direct, every pedal stroke literally launches you forward. I also feel on the down hills, in particualar sweeping corners, that this bike is extremely stable. Steering is very responsive, and you can confidently dive into corners assured your on a bike built for racing.Easily the best bike frame I have riden!
> 
> The courses I am preparing for are all hilly, with a significant amount of flats, typical triathlon courses. I am not going suggesting that I will be setting any state records, but i will have alot of riding my Cinelli and participating!


Hi Mark,
That sounds like a lovely ride and your descriptions match closely to the way I'd describe my own Cinelli Aliantes(an 02 Muscle/ Chorus & 04 Carve/Centaur). These are the first alu/carbon bikes that I've owned but I've had quite a few others in my day ,from Pinarello's to Guerciotti, Colnagos & De Rosa and the Cinellis push all the right buttons for me. Very quick, responsive, smooth and confidence inspiring.By far, the best climbing bikes that I've ever ridden.Your XLR8R2 carbo is very high on my lust list.

best,
Ken


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## markymark2525 (Jan 10, 2006)

*Cinelli Bikes*

The Cinelli bikes we ride Ken, are a rare breed...I believe for 06 Cinelli will be making a stronger effort to get them into American stores. J and B distributing and Cinelli have parted ways, and from what I have gathered Cinelli's is positioning itself to be more readily available through LBS channels. For us owners and possible future owners knowing that Cinelli and Columbus are under the same banner, for R/D and advancement in technology, means alot.

Do you notice a difference from the carve and muscle rear stays, Iam sure it is like riding two different bikes? 06 XLR8R 4 now has the the carve stay and fork. I have not ridden on a bike with carve.It sure changes the appearence of the bike, looks awesome. I feel, looking back, that I was fortunate to find the (2) with super muscle. 

This was my first bike with carbon tubing (many alum/carbon and steel) and I fell into the XLR8R because it was late in the 05 season and the bike I was initially going (Kestral Talon) to order was unavailable. When we found out there were no more Talon's, my LBS buddies arranged for the Cinelli rep to show me the XLR8R. I knew enough about the bike, tubing, geometry, build quality, to be interested in looking. I tell you Ken, I have never reached out and touched a space shuttle, but touching the finish and the protective coating on this bike would have to be very much similar! This bike could return to the earth's atmosphere unscathed.It instantly calmed my fear of carbon fatigue and possible scratching of the tubes. Quality is first rate! I even call it my space shuttle!

Iam happy to hear you enjoy fine bike. 

Never pay retail !!

Mark


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

markymark2525 said:


> Do you notice a difference from the carve and muscle rear stays, Iam sure it is like riding two different bikes? 06 XLR8R 4 now has the the carve stay and fork.


The 02 Aliante Muscle is the bike that I most prefer of the two.
It uses the full Columbus Muscle fork,chainstay & seatstay set in combination with an XLR8R aluminum main triangle, making the model more closely related to the Estrada(pre-06) than to the standard Aliantes .

My 04 Aliante(Carve) has the earlier generation bladed style Carve fork, Muscle chainstays and Link seatstay with a main triangle of Airplane in the oversized megatube configuration.

On smooth and flat rides,there's little to separate the two bikes as they are outfitted similarly and share identical geometries but there is a distinct difference in feel when the surface is irregular, potholed or steep. 

My impressions are of course entirely subjective and only relative to each other. Both Cinelli's are really sweet rides.

The 04 Carve seems to be the stiffer, more efficient climbing bike when steadily mashing gears with my butt planted in the saddle and it also seems to have a slightly silkier ride on the smooth stuff and absorbs the larger bumps and potholes with less fuss.

The 02 Aliante Muscle has a livelier feel and snap whilst climbing out of the saddle and this behaviour definately rewards my climbing style better.I'd say it comes closer to resembling the ride and feel of a good steel frame.There's little or none of that numb, dead feel or harshness that I normally associate with aluminum bikes. 
Turn-in is a tad more precise and feels a little more stable in the turn with the 02 Aliante Muscle bike once steering inputs are made.

Harder to explain is the difference in their behaviours and feel when climbing, hard cornering and generally tossing the bike around.

My impression is that the 04's oversized main triangle hardly flexes at all and that any lateral compliance that does occur from high pressure side loading is almost entirely articulated at just the fork blades and the chainstays of the bike.

On the other hand, the 02 Muscle gives the impression that it yields to hard lateral forces more progressively and linearly over the bike's entire length and that gives it a more predictable & reassuring feedback and maybe even provides for a slight improvement in road holding over irregularities.

These differences are really fairly subtle but for me pretty significant. I find that I will often hammer harder and can hang it out just a bit more on the Aliante Muscle without getting myself into trouble(fingers crossed, knocking on wood). 

best,
k


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## markymark2525 (Jan 10, 2006)

*Muscle*

That was a great response to the differences in your two bikes! Amazing what variences in tubing, matched to other tubing types and the road enviroment can do for ones riding experience/enhanced ability.

In addition to the XLR8R I have an 05 Orbea Spirit, with a muscle rear stay.I have had the odd person suggest the "uselessness" of having a carbon rear stay on a steel bike and that I would have been better off with straight steel(or even "why ride steel").I reply cynically to what they want to hear by suggesting my guilibility and that this is an attempt for maufactures to get more money out of the consumer.

The reality is that there are significant differences and alot of benifited value, even if it may seem insignificant to some. I hate to knock other riders, but many have I have come across have not yet gained the experience of the differences in materials inrealtion to their riding experience/enhanced ability.

Your analysis of your bikes and the differences between them further strengthens what I most enjoy about cycling. I enjoy the pursuit of a rides experience by trying different materials and the feel derivied by that, as it relates to enhancing my abilities.

Mark


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## PhatG (Aug 7, 2006)

No one in Aust had the Aliante or Estrada in my size... So I had to settle for the 06 Mecano. Should be ready for me to pick up later this week.

With-out a doubt the CInelli frames/bikes are a work of art (which is obvious considering that Colombo himself is a collector of modern art - the graphics are GRAPHIC) when comparing with other makers whilst making my descsion.

Sure this is more bike than I really deserve - but just thinking about the Mecano & looking at the pictures I have in iPhoto make me want to ride & be a worthy rider.

Worse case scenario... It will look great on the wall!


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## johnedgar1 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hi, I've just bought this De Bernardi XLR8 carbon frame. I can't find out much about it aside from the Columbus specs. Any info/feedback would be great as I'll be building this thing up over the next few months as my main ride.


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## RobbieTunes (Jan 21, 2008)

I've been negotiating the purchase of an XLR8R-2 for a while. It was for sale a while back, outfitted with DA 10-sp and I passed, even on the frame. It came back up at a price I could live with, so I've committed to it.

It will be 10-sp Record Carbon Ergo/FD/RD, with a Stronglight Pulzion CF crankset on an ISIS English BB, as the seller tells me it's English. Calipers will be KCNC in red stopping Nimble Crosswind hoops (tubular Tufos). Only because all of this is on hand.

Not sure of my stem and bars, Control Tech CF seatpost and I'm not sure the saddle, either. Keo2Max carbon pedals, again because I happen to have them. 

I've got a Trek Y-Foil and a Giant MCR, so I'm no stranger to odd CF frames. The Y-Foil doesn't behave well with too many CF parts, so I'm putting "normal" stuff on it. It's a killer frame, otherwise The MCR is hard to dial in. Hopefully, the XLR8R-2 will be easier to set up than it is to type in.... 

I can't find much info on it, but it sure looks a lot like the Di Bernardi. 

Thanks for the info you guys have posted. I'll load a picture when I get it built. I'm more of a steel fan (Cinelli, Eddy Merckx, Simoncini, Paramount, Centurion Ironman) but I think I can live with the XLR8R-2....


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## RobbieTunes (Jan 21, 2008)

*still in the building stage....*


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## RobbieTunes (Jan 21, 2008)

Done, may swap out the red cage for two black ones...
View attachment 284542
View attachment 284543
View attachment 284544


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## mbaulfinger (Aug 2, 2007)

That is one nice machine! I like it best with the black tires on it. Looks like you chose nice drive train for it! Those red brakes really set it off. Would you mind giving a short ride review when you get a good feel for it? Thanks

p.s. Don't believe I've seen a crank like that before. Its interesting, who manufactures that and out of what material?


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## RobbieTunes (Jan 21, 2008)

So far, the ride is great, which is what I expect from Cinelli. It's taking a little time to get my cadence right, which I'll expand on farther down. The build:
XLR8R-2 frame of Super Muscle carbon and Airplane aluminum.
Super Muscle fork with carbon steerer, CF spacers, Ti bolts.
KCNC Scandium Wing stem. I looked at carbon stems, the 93g KCNC wins.
Easton EC90LX carbon bars with Lizardskin wrap.
Nimble Crosswind wheels, Campagnolo rear hub, tubular.
Tufo S33 Pro tires; my favorite blend of performance/durability.
KCNC Ti skewers, pulleys, chain ring bolts. KCNC CB-1 calipers.
Control Tech carbon seatpost, Vetta TT saddle, about 130g but comfortable.
Campagnolo Record Carbon 10-sp shifters, FD, RD.
KCNC Ti/Scandium 10-sp cassette, KCNC Ti chain.
BB is a Deda ceramic ISIS, crankset is a Stronglight Pulzion full carbon.
The crankset came with Miche Supertype 50/39 rings.
I swapped the 50t for an FSA Team Pro 53t.
Pedals are Look Keo2Max Carbon, which came on a different bike.
15.48 lbs without the wedge bag, probably close to 16 with it (CO2+tubular spare)
I'm probably moving from the yellow Jello brake pads to some Kool Stop for carbon that seem a bit more solid, and I've got two black CF cages coming. I simply need two cages, and the red one came on a different bike.

I'm not used to such a light bike, as steel is my deal, but I sort of stalked this frameset for a while. The ride is very, very good, almost as smooth as my steel Cinelli but the power transfer is immediate. I get a lot out of each pedal stroke. The handling is precise, as expected, and there are no surprises. No buzz in the bars or saddle, and there is no flex I can detect in the wheelset. Climbing is excellent. I have no doubt that once I get used to it, the issues below will disappear. I've done 2 18-mile workout rides and a 27-mile hill ride (cut short from 45 by a storm). I've gotten about .1mph faster each time, and I can easily see another mph once I get my act together.

The drawbacks are more my errors than the bike's: 
1) It's so light, I tend to mash a much smaller cog than I should, which slows me down. It's simply so easy to move the bike, I lose my sense of "glide speed" and tend to push it on the tiny teeth, instead of staying up on the cassette and keeping cadence in my powerband.

2) It's so light, that into the wind, when you get off the power, the bike wants to slow drastically. Again, I think this is more of me being too low on the cadence to save momentum, and then I'm super-mashing just to get back up to snuff. Crosswinds toss you around a bit, as do the passing big trucks, etc. I'm just not used to it in that regard. 

3) Wheels. The "ribbed" whooping of the Nimbles changes frequency with speed. Other riders love it, but I need to learn to ignore it, as it distracts from focusing on smoothness and cadence. Also, the bike's shadow includes those tri-spokes, and they always appear to be going too slow, so I push on the pedals to bring it up, instead of focusing on normal cadence.

I know from experience that pushing too low of a gear will slow me. It happened the first time I ever rode an 18-lb bike after years of riding 21lb steel gliders (which I still do about half the time). It took about 5 rides for me to lose that tendency on my Trek Y-Foil, and it will take me a few more rides on this to do so, mainly because of the wheels. I've not ridden it in a pace line, which tends to eliminate my cadence errors because I get caught up in the pack and just ride, mostly the right way. I'm thinking of taking it on a group ride just to be able to ride in the middle for a while and go with the flow, lose the distractions, and move it. 

Downhill? Oh, my. It picks up speed quickly while coasting, and holds it. Same with a tail wind. Unbelievably easy to stick into corners and hold the line with almost no effort. I can think a bit farther ahead, which is probably safer in the long run. 

It does everything quicker. It accelerates quicker under power, gets up to speed quicker on downhills and with tailwinds, and decelerates quicker into a headwind (which may be my fault with a too-low cadence). It turns quicker and will react quicker to pace line speed changes. If my Y-Foil is a 94, this is a 98, with the ultimate bike being 100. It's just a bit quicker at everything, and a bit more precise.

Definitely more bike than I've ever had.


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