Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE Road Frame

Introducing the innovation and excellence of the Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE

Have a thought for the committed bicycle designer. Once they finish one design, it is their job to start all over and make it even better. In the case of the Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE, the Italian designers have outdone themselves. They’ve taken all the best parts of the RB1K THE ONE, combined it with the aero advances found on the Cipollini TT bike, and added a few very modern touches like disc brake only and 1x compatibility to make the RB1K AD.ONE an exceptional racing bike.

You may know Cipollini bicycles primarily as a result of the brand’s colorful founder and former professional racer, Mario Cipollini. It’s only natural that an ex-pro would start some sort of bike brand as a way of cashing in on any name value. But Cipollini the bike brand has become so much more than that. They are innovative and rule breaking. For one thing, they have kept their carbon frame production entirely within Europe, which is a very rare thing. And they have been doing it long enough to be as skilled at carbon layup as any carbon frame manufacturer anywhere in the world.

Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE - True Monocoque Frame Technology

Keeping production close to home also makes it easier to take risks and to make something unusual. The Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE ably demonstrates that. For one thing, when Cipollini says monocoque frame, they mean monocoque. With most carbon monocoque frames, only the front triangle is monocoque, and then the rear stays are later bonded on. But Cipollini makes all their frames as one solid piece, a process they call TCM true monocoque frame technology. It allows them to use less adhesives and sealants, thereby keeping the frame not only lighter but a much more naturally strong structure. Recognizing that people of different sizes often require much different stiffness and compliancy characteristics, each size has been designed with different tube thicknesses and tube junctures to ensure every bike rides the same and handles incredibly well across all sizes. And each section has been designed according to the specific stresses it must withstand.

This is not just an update of the RB1K THE ONE; it’s a completely new design from the ground up. The aerodynamics have taken the lead, with the developers building on many of the lessons learned from the Cipollini NKTT time trial bike. Interestingly, they have also made the RB1K AD.ONE 1x compatible. You can run it with a front derailleur or roll without the front mech and take advantage of the weight and aero savings. Going 1x on a road bike is not everyone’s cup of tea, but the simplicity of the set up and an ever increasing choice of 1x road groupsets makes this a seriously neat option to consider.

Such attention to detail makes the Cipollini RB1K AD.ONE a fantastically well made disc brake racing bike that gives you immediate feedback from the road without shaking you to death.

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