# Has anyone ridden the Cinelli Unica frames?



## Hawkeyenfo (Feb 23, 2006)

I'm stationed overseas and the local dealer has some 2005s discounted. I'm in the "new" bike market and would love to bring one of these back to the good ol' US when I'm done here. They are spec'd w/Veloce and cinelli equipment. I'm 6-2, 34 in inseam and 250 lbs (and getting lighter) so frame strength is an important factor. Currenty, I'm riding an older Cannondale and the ride is pretty rough but, I've had no problems.

Any inputs would be very helpful!

Thanks, Chris


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Hawkeyenfo said:


> I'm stationed overseas and the local dealer has some 2005s discounted. I'm in the "new" bike market and would love to bring one of these back to the good ol' US when I'm done here. They are spec'd w/Veloce and cinelli equipment. I'm 6-2, 34 in inseam and 250 lbs (and getting lighter) so frame strength is an important factor. Currenty, I'm riding an older Cannondale and the ride is pretty rough but, I've had no problems.
> 
> Any inputs would be very helpful!
> 
> Thanks, Chris


From experience Cinelli frames have had the worst craftsmanship of any bike we have come through the shop. Sent back more frames than we sold.


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## Hawkeyenfo (Feb 23, 2006)

Thanks Zaxxon, that is actually a bummer to read.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Hawkeyenfo said:


> Thanks Zaxxon, that is actually a bummer to read.


For the amount they are charging for the frames you would expect a certain level of craftsmanship. It seems that the bike industry has caught on to the "charge more, must be worth more" scenario. Not sure what your budgeting, but the new IBIS silk carbon is a stunning bike and there not knocking you over the head for pricing.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

On the other side of things, I'm riding a 2001 Cinelli Starship frame. Zero problems and not a single complaint from me.


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

I ride 2 Cinellis and the quality of workmanship is good to excellent on both.They are better built and show more care & attention to detail than my wifes Colnago, which has welds which could be best described as functional and workman-like but not at all pretty. My only quibble is that the newer 04 Aliante has a unique unclearcoated metallic 'soft" paint finish that's a bit delicate.


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## Hawkeyenfo (Feb 23, 2006)

What is a realistic price for a Unica (Altec2 alum main and chainstays w/ carbon seatstays) w/ Veloce? My LBS (in Bahrain...w/the US Navy ) is asking approx $2600 US for a new 2005 (yellow or red). It seems high to me but, never having looked at these before, I don't know. I'm also looking at a used '04 Bianchi EV3 (alum main triangle w/ carbon rear triangle) w/ full Record and the price after shipping from the US is about the same.

Both bikes look great but, bringing the unique Cinelli frame back home to the US is appealing....I'm just not sure of the price.

Anyone know what they reaistically go for?


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## mc68881rc (Sep 29, 2005)

*check out gvhbikes.com*

www.gvhbikes.com

He's got a lot of Cinelli frames. Unfortunately they are not as hard to come by as you thought


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## Mayday (Jan 22, 2004)

*Price seems high*

I don't know what your options are based on your location, but the $2,600 price with Veloce seems pretty high. GVH has that frame and fork for $695, and using their build kits you could set one up with Centaur or Ultegra for about $1,900.


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

Mayday said:


> I don't know what your options are based on your location, but the $2,600 price with Veloce seems pretty high. GVH has that frame and fork for $695, and using their build kits you could set one up with Centaur or Ultegra for about $1,900.


GVH's Cinelli stock appears to be mostly NOS 2003 inventory> A good deal regardless as the models changed very little for 2004/2005 but the low pricing does reflect the model years.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

GVH is someone's garage. I don't think he has a shop or even a warehouse. 1 man operation with no overhead. I think he's just buying old stock and dumping it.


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## caterham (Nov 7, 2005)

>>>GVH is someone's garage.<<<
Do you know this as a fact or are you making suppositions just to dis a competitor?Based on your tagline and your previous replies on this thread it would appear that you're anything but impartial.In fact, I find your posting "style" offensive enuf that I will go out of my way to avoid doing business with Wrench Science in the future.

>>>I don't think he has a shop or even a warehouse. <<<
So you *are* just winging it,eh?

>>>I think he's just buying old stock and dumping it.<<<
You mean that he probably operates the same way as half of all the smaller high end bike shops in existance?The big difference would seem that GVH doesn't automatically mark up NOS product at full current msrp with some token "clearance discount" subtracted off like most dealers and retailers commonly do.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

caterham said:


> >>>GVH is someone's garage.<<<
> Do you know this as a fact or are you making suppositions just to dis a competitor?Based on your tagline and your previous replies on this thread it would appear that you're anything but impartial.In fact, I find your posting "style" offensive enuf that I will go out of my way to avoid doing business with Wrench Science in the future.
> 
> >>>I don't think he has a shop or even a warehouse. <<<
> ...


Your right I haven't checked in the last year or so. Yes, he WAS a garage dealer and yes he was hurting the rest of the market by selling gray market frames. He was great at getting a hold of Colnago's and under cutting every Colnago dealer in the country. Oh yeah and none of these frames carry warranty, because they are not through and authorized dealer. Yes I'm making an assumption he is still working under those terms. Yes, he may have tried to make himself more legit by getting a space to claim himself as an IBD, but who knows have you been there to refute the claims? Yes, these are the people that put small shops out of business who have over head and employess, health insurance and such. So Yes I'm calling out a internet discounter who helps in putting out the small shop, devalues brands and hurts margins in the industry. I apologize for caring. You want to buy from them go for it, we'll see how the warranty department works out for you, see how many phone calls get returned, and how the manufacturer won't give you the time of day because you didn't buy it from an authorized dealer. Cheers.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

There are some very poor assumptions in your post, Zaxxon. I took this directly from the GVH website:

<TABLE width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="81%">"Most of the frames we sell carry a manufacturer's warrantee. The period varies from 1 year to the lifetime of the frame, depending on the brand. These warrantees will usually cover cracks and failures near welds, but not crash damage or negligence. In the unlikely event that your frame fails, contact us and we will do everything we can to help you process the claim."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
To my knowledge, this has always been how they do business. In addition, you make it sound as if Gary were the type of guy that was out to make $1m by undercutting his competitors. On the contrary, Gary was the ultimate 'little guy' in business to make his customers happy. Two guys with a shop that could sell you a great bike, customized to your liking for a great price. How is it that a two-man shop puts other so-called "little shops" out of business? Isn't that the definition of little?

When I received my bike from him I wanted a different seat. I called them up to ask for a different one. It was delivered to my house before I even got the original seat mailed. To add to this all, the build quality was excellent. I'm taking my GVH Cinelli Starship in for it's first tuneup in 3 years.

Even though I never met Gary, I heard several stories about him on this very forum and all of them were positive. When Gary passed away, it was a sad day around here. It looks like his successor has picked up where Gary left off.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Bulldozer said:


> There are some very poor assumptions in your post, Zaxxon. I took this directly from the GVH website:
> 
> <TABLE width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="81%">"Most of the frames we sell carry a manufacturer's warrantee. The period varies from 1 year to the lifetime of the frame, depending on the brand. These warrantees will usually cover cracks and failures near welds, but not crash damage or negligence. In the unlikely event that your frame fails, contact us and we will do everything we can to help you process the claim."
> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
> ...



Great news. Glad to hear he's taking care of his customers. I was just speaking from past experiences and battles. Primarily all related to Colnago. I never said he was making millions, no one in the industry is doing so. I just checked there website and I will admit they seem they have taken quantum leaps above where they were in the past. It looks like the new guys have really taken GVH to the next step, more power to them. I'm all for competition and the small guy, but I'm not a fan of heavy discounters.

Now back to the original story. I was getting Cinelli's that had extremely poor paint and the bb shells were not straight or the frames were coming damaged. It was one thing after another. Personally I really like the Cinelli Corsa, I think its a beautiful frame, but couldnt' get over the poor finishing work of there bikes. If your not paying full pop for the frame, then I think they are worth the discounted frame prices.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Can you further define the 'gray market'? If GVH isn't an authorized dealer, where do they get their frames? If Colnago only sells to authorized dealers, said dealer(s) must be selling them to GVH. The greater question then becomes who's to blame? GVH for buying the frames or the dealer that sells them to GVH.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

Bulldozer said:


> Can you further define the 'gray market'? If GVH isn't an authorized dealer, where do they get their frames? If Colnago only sells to authorized dealers, said dealer(s) must be selling them to GVH. The greater question then becomes who's to blame? GVH for buying the frames or the dealer that sells them to GVH.


Gray Market, which covers just about any product that is produced out of the country, are parts that are shipped from an out of country distributor and then sold in the US. For example if you were denied a dealership from Manufacturer A and then went to the european distributor to get the bikes which were then sold to a us customer for less than an authorized dealer. Then you break the frame, the US distributor won't warranty the part, because you got it from a gray market dealer. A current and perfect example of this, is Total Cycling in Ireland. They are selling Time bikes, but are not an authorized US dealer. So they are beating prices for US dealers and selling alot of grey market frames, the problem is no warranty. A guy came to us because he was sent the wrong size frame from them and asked for an exchange. Then called Time directly after we denied him. They denied him as well. So yes he got a better price but zero customer service and is stuck with a frame that doesn't fit. Everybody wants a good deal and I think everyone deserves a good deal, but the bike industry and the manufacturers need to survive to support the industry. The bike industry as a whole works on or around 30-40% margins. These are terrible numbers to be working with. Throw one discounted frame into the mix and all of sudden everyone loses. So what happens if a grey market shop sells so much product that the IBD's aren't competing and drop the brand, then the sales for the distributor drop and he drops the brand as well. Then that manufacturer is no longer imported and the frames that are in the US have no support. Its all a food chain thing, and although from a consumer stand point the price is very important and maybe the only thing you see, it also could mean the demise of a brand or a shop by buying through those channels. So who is to blame? Well everybody wants there business to be profitable, the UK distributor selling the frames, the shops buying the frames, the manufacturer making the frames. The problem is that there is no policing. So yeah I called GVH out on past experience, but rightfully so. If they have gotten there scene together and want to play fair than bring on the competition. If they need to cheat to succeed then we don't need them in the industry, but I can say as I stated above. It does look as if they are playing by the rules now.


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