Gentlemen (and ladies) I have a dilemma. I have always wanted a Cinelli Speciale Corsa. Always. Because of the falling value of the Euro this one in Germany has become affordable. A Cinelli expert of my acquaintance, John Barron, has looked over the photos and given it his blessing. A no-brainer, right? Wrong. I have also been talking to Chris Kvale about having him build a rando frame for me next Fall. I am on a fixed income (depending upon the vagaries of the stock market) and I cannot afford both. The Cinelli will only go up in value, the Kvale less so, unless I kill him upon delivery, which I don't think I could do. I'm thinking of letting the Cinelli go and just accepting the fact that I will never own one. ??? Jeez, it's even the hot silver color and marginally my size.
15 comments:
You'll ride the Kvale more. I have a Cinelli, not like this but somewhat gaudy, a more modern Supercorsa. An American custom bike is more for riding, an antique is all about collecting. As long as you can still ride I'd ride. When you can't, you can always own.
mw
I agree with mw. Go for the Kvale. You'll be happier.
It's only stuff...
The Cinelli is a life long dream. The opportunity is fleeting and the object ideal. Buy the Cinelli, ride it and,if disappointed, sell it on in 6 months, possibly for a profit,then buy the Kvale.Life is short,do what you love and logic be damned.
Pull the trigger! I have the grey cable housing. Kvale is still alive and you can get one later. And what Jim said.
JG
Thank you all for your input.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now.
I have never had a frame built for me. Kvale is still alive, but VERY close to hanging up the torch.
The Cinelli is ebay 330439162454.
All original. $1600 including shipping which is $500 to $1000 off what they were pre-recession. A good value I believe. I've decided. Somebody else will have to pull the trigger.
Part of my decision was based on off-line communications with John Barron, who probably owns more Cinellis than anyone on the planet. A small room full. Really.
He also has three Kvales which Chris made for him. I don't recall the third, but he has a road and a track Kvale. Life would good owning three Kvales in matching livery, a road, track and touring. 'sigh'
Get the Kvale. Better bike, you'll ride it more, you actually know the builder, blah blah blah. I understand the siren song of the Cinelli...I do...but I predict an express trip to the Trough of Disillusionment shortly after you receive it. To me, that bike is like a owning a '65 Aston Martin or a 1956 Holiday sloop; Dang sexy sitting still...not so much fun at all times to own/operate. You willing to get that bike all dirty n' scratched? You know...to ride it? If not...why bother?
Eschew Concours D' Elegance! Yeah, you could sell it in six months for a profit, (maybe not....profit, that is...) but who needs the hassles and wasted time? Get the Kvale..pocket whatever $ you save or have left over. Just sayin'.
Best,
Rick "Skinflint" Moffat
For collecting: the Cinelli. For riding: the Kvale. If/when he hangs up the torch, the Kvale will become collectable.
Can you part with one of the bikes you have now? Maybe that will finance, at least in part, the Cinelli.
By the way, I have a new bike blog: Mid-Life Cycling. Go to http://midlifecycling.blogspot.com/
I am waiting for a couple of parts and the Heron is gone to a new home. I will not buy both. Either/or.
I was just thinking. If I do get the Kvale touring, I could repaint the Kvale road I have and start saving for the matching track bike(which I think is as useless as tits on a boar).
all are excellent points, from people who really seem to care about bikes. I have been in your exact shoes. Hell, I have brought bikes home from Europe on my shoulder, and that was while holding a poopy baby in the other hand and dragging oversize luggage at the same time!
But the other point in favor of a Kvale is that if you believe in this man, you'll probably feel great writing him a check and helping pay bills for a day or two. It ain't like that on ebay.
mw
Thanks. "...believe in him"? I hadn't thought of it that way. I do. I think that nationally he is terribly under appreciated, which is probably the result of his ethics, that is, marketing and advertising is self-aggrandizing and is in poor taste. And he's a hellofa nice old Lutheran too.
Go with your gut feeling not the rational choice. The gut feeling is always the one that will make you happiest in the end.
That's all I got.
Allan Pollock
...keep us posted!
For me this wouldn't take 2 seconds to decide.
A limited production factory bike that happens to be similar to ones raced by long retired riders.
OR
A bike built specifically to fit you by one of the most meticulous craftsmen on the planet. With lug edges us mere mortals can only dream of being able to duplicate.
Maybe you have to have built a few frames yourself to feel that a Kvale is orders of magnitude more desirable.
As you know, I can put together a pretty decent frame. But when I asked my son what he'd do if he came into a large sum of money, it never even occurred to me to be offended when he said "I'd have Chris build me a frame for light touring.". (Back then we wouldn't have known what "Rando" meant.)
Mark, I think you may have tipped the scale. You are one of the few who can really appreciate what this could be. Thanks. See you soon.
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