Cipollini Dolomia Road Frame

Cipollini Dolomia - A Modern Carbon Racing Bike

Though you could be forgiven for thinking that the early creations to come out of the Cipollini line of bikes were designed primarily for the riding preferences and style of the eponymous founder, there is abundant evidence that the Cipollini Dolomia is completely on point in terms of modern carbon racing bike weight and ride expectations.

Since Mario Cipollini was THE sprinter of his generation, and a huge personality on top, it was no surprise when the first bikes to emerge from his brand were super stiff racing bikes that cared more about the power transfer than weight or comfort. Not to say they were bone-rattlers, but you know…Though subsequent frame releases addressed this issue, with lighter, more user friendly ride qualities, it’s with the Dolomia that the designers really seem to have turned a corner and focused on something that Cipollini was never all that interested in doing: climbing. You get a hint maybe from the name, which we can only surmise is a combo of “My Dolomites” in Italian (though grammatically, is should be le mie Dolomiti or Dolomie, but who cares?). The Dolomites in northern Italy of course being one of the most majestic mountain ranges in the world to ride a bike.

To be considered a climbing bike, you really have to get below that 800 gram barrier, which the Dolomia does quite handily, weighing 780 grams in a size medium. The fork adds just another 370 grams. They can make it this light without losing any of the typical Cipo stiffness because they have been perfecting their TMC monocoque production methods, which means the entire frame is one unified solid piece. Many “monocoque” frames are actually only front triangles that are one piece, with the rear stays bonded. That’s obviously not a terrible way to do it, since so many very great bikes are made that way, but when you do the full frame monocoque, you can be more precise about the amount of material needed in order to elicit the ride qualities you want. In the case of the Dolomia, they wanted to make certain they could make sure the bike could be lightweight without losing that rigidity that keeps the snappy acceleration and sharp handling in all Cipollini bikes.

The choice of carbon is also an essential element in getting the weight, stiffness, and ride quality mixture right. In this case, they used a combo of unidirectional and 3K carbon fiber. You can see the exterior is clearly the 3K weave, but the Cipollini designers say that is not just because it looks great, but because it is a way to keep the weight down without compromising structural rigidity. The dropped seatstay is another nod to rear triangle responsiveness as well as a way to add a more modern aero look to the package.

Size and Color Options of the Cipollini Dolomia

Internal cable routing helps keep the frame looking sleek especially with the disc brakes. The frame is available in five sizes and three color options, though you can also get a customized color combo using the My Cipo configuration system. It is also available either as a standalone frameset or in four different prebuilds. Fabulous climbing adventures await you and your Cipollini Dolomia.

Also check Pinarello road bikes.