UPDATED January 20, 2012

BY The TDA Team

IN Tour d'Afrique

7 comments

UPDATED January 20, 2012

BY The TDA Team

IN Tour d'Afrique

7 comments

Cinelli Road Performance Test Ride

TdA Staffer Brian Hoeniger had the pleasure of test riding one of the Cinelli sponsored bikes today on the 108 km stage into Luxor, Egypt. Riding in a small peloton with Dutchman Herman de Grave and 2 other riders they covered the 61 km race distance from camp to lunch in 1:52, including slowdowns for about 12 police check points, numerous speed bumps, and the town of Qena.

After refueling at the lunch stop Herman and Brian completed the 108 km into Luxor in 3:22 riding time, with an average speed, excepting the many brief slow downs, of over 35 km/hr

Herman, who has contributed over Euros 2000 to the TdA Foundation, is a strong rider – he pulled for 15 km leaving camp when it was only 3ºC – who carries 2 large rear panniers, and usually tours by himself with 4 panniers averaging 150-200 km per day.

The lightweight Cinelli bikes are fast and handle really well on the tarmac. Another of the Tour staffers, Dr. Annelot, is currently riding one of the Cinellis after her bike was damaged leaving Cairo.

One small improvement would be to have the holes drilled in the frame for a second water bottle holder as our riders drink lots of fluid every day, and many prefer bottles to camelbacks. It won’t be until after Khartoum in the Sudan that the bike's performance on a rough off road section can be tested but they are off to a great start and Tour d’Afrique Ltd is very grateful for this generous sponsorship.    

7 Comments for "Cinelli Road Performance Test Ride"

How are these bikes doing in the wet, muddy, non paved, rough terrain in Tanzanzia, etc?

Sitting in Dar watching the pouring rain, wondering if the TDA has left Tanzania and thinking again about how I can do this ride. Where can I find more info on these Cinelli bikes e.g. gearing, pricing, sourcing etc.

And an obvious question – is it possible to take 2 bikes, on on-road and an offroad and carry the unridden bike on the escort trucks?

I rode the Cinelli bicycle through Soutern Sudan in the desert sand. It performed horribly. The width of the the forks and rear end of this bicycle are not wide enough to take a wide fat tire.
There is no shock absorbtion in the bike. Your body will be beaten to death especially your ass.
On the other hand, this bicycle performed excellently on on the hard asphalt roads. It is light enough to use in the mountains.
Basically, the Cinelli bicycle is a road bike not fit for dirt, sand and mud. You will be miserable cycling off road with it.

    Hi Robert, You are talking about the bike they had on the 2012 expedition but Cinelli used the experience to design a new bike for 2013. I had a chance to try it in Africa this year and it was great – on and off road!

The Cinelli Road bike is good only on the road. It is very comfortable off road. You will suffer big time on a big expedition with half of it being off road. Don’t do it.

    Hi Robert, You are talking about the bike they had on the 2012 expedition but Cinelli used the experience to design a new bike for 2013. I had a chance to try it in Africa this year and it was great – on and off road!

Leave a Comment for "Cinelli Road Performance Test Ride"

Your Email address will not published. Required fields are marked

REGISTER NOW!