Cinelli Pressure Review

The Cinelli Pressure embodies pure performance for the Italian brand, which is usually more traditional in its productions. With aerodynamic lines, excellent integration, and rock-solid rigidity, the Pressure distinguished itself with Filippo Baroncini, the 2021 U23 World Champion in Leuven. This is a test of a very high-end bike designed to beat the clock, and at a relatively competitive price.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: @3bikes.fr / Cinelli / DR

Cinelli offers a complete range of bikes, most of which are traditionally made of steel. This collection is somewhat distinct from current productions and retains its passionate fans, especially since it emphasizes a certain artistic side. However, the brand does not forget the performance aspect, with four carbon bikes to cover all needs. The Veltrix Disc with Shimano 105 is, in a way, the entry-level model in the carbon range, intended for sport cyclists. The Superstar Disc is a slightly more responsive bike designed for long climbs. It is offered with several builds, from Ultegra to Sram Red eTap AXS. The WYSIWYG is a pure time trial bike, still equipped with rim brakes. Finally, the Pressure is the latest addition to the range, launched in early 2021. It is a bike that follows the trend of the biggest current brands, with an aerodynamic profile, disc brakes, full integration of electric wires and brake hoses, and rock-solid rigidity with its T800 carbon construction. But with the added Cinelli touch, both in terms of aesthetics and handling. Because it proves to be a little more reactive than it appears at first glance.

This bike is offered with several builds, from Shimano Ultegra to Campagnolo Super Record EPS (our test model), each time with slightly lower prices than the competition for equivalent equipment. In short, in many respects, this is a bike that deserves our full attention.

The Cinelli Pressure: a rigid frame

The monocoque frame, mainly made of T800 carbon fibers, features aerodynamic tube shapes, with the Kamm Tail concept (truncated at the rear) for the down tube, head tube, and seatpost. Added to this are a profiled seat tube and lowered seatstays, as well as a particularly refined junction between the fork and the down tube. There are three bottle cage mounts, allowing them to be lowered as much as possible to reduce aerodynamic drag. The seatpost is clamped by a system located under the top tube.

The integration of hoses and electric wires is total, to minimize aerodynamic drag. To achieve this, Cinelli uses a Vision Metron 5D ACR integrated handlebar. A somewhat surprising choice, knowing that the Milanese brand produces its own handlebar of this type, the RAM3, but it may not be adapted to the ACR system of the head tube and its cable routing.

The Cinelli Pressure is available in five sizes (from XS to XL) and the frame, available in two colors (Rock the White like our test bike, and Team Limited like Filippo Baroncini’s Colpack team bike), is announced at 990 g. For the Columbus carbon fork, count 390 g, which brings the weight of the bike in size M to 7.4 kg (without pedals but with two bottle cages), with high-end equipment. Note that despite its sporty ambitions and fairly compact geometry, the Cinelli Pressure is compatible with 30 mm tires, which allows it to provide a bit of comfort if necessary. In terms of prices, the frame kit is offered at €3,490, and complete bikes range from €4,690 to €11,590 depending on the equipment.

The high-end equipment of the Cinelli Pressure

In this test version, the Cinelli Pressure is equipped with very high-end material, including a complete Campagnolo Super Record EPS Disc 12-speed groupset, a groupset we published a detailed review of a few days ago.

For the wheels, the excellent Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 45 were chosen. Announced at 1425 g per pair, they are stiff and versatile, and are aerodynamically optimized for 25 mm tires, like the Vittoria Corsa tubeless mounted here.

The rest of the equipment is completed by a Selle Italia SLR saddle and thus a Vision Metron 5D monocoque cockpit, which is also very stiff and has an airplane wing-shaped top. Beautiful and effective, even if this type of handlebar may not suit everyone, especially due to the impossibility of adjusting its inclination.

The Cinelli Pressure, on par with the best?

The Cinelli Pressure is dedicated to performance, and this is confirmed on the road. Its rigidity is high, but here we particularly note a perfect coherence in the choice of components. The wheels and cockpit show no weakness, and are in line with the frame. The result: almost nothing moves when the bike is pushed hard, and it seems almost lighter than it actually is, without any weak points. It thus appears very responsive with nervous pedaling and during changes of pace. As for its road holding and rolling qualities, characteristics often common to Italian brand bikes, they provide a feeling of security and good inertia, which allows for fast riding and maintaining that high speed quite easily.

Things get a little tougher, of course, on the steepest slopes or when strength runs out at the end of a ride. The Pressure can be classified among “demanding” bikes, especially since passive comfort is not its primary quality. For a trained rider perfectly positioned on the bike, there are no particular problems to report on poor road surfaces, but it can be more complicated for a recreational cyclist with a more contemplative than sporty riding position. On short climbs, its rigidity and responsiveness allow it to overcome the difficulty without issue. On longer climbs, however, it is better to play with the gears and adopt a more linear pedaling rhythm. Nevertheless, the gear range offered here (52-36 and 11-32 in 12 speeds) provides plenty of options, especially since the Campagnolo EPS drivetrain is very pleasant to use. On descents, the bike proves stable and precise in trajectory changes. Thanks to faultless braking, it inspires confidence regardless of the conditions.

With the Pressure, Cinelli offers an ultra-performing bike, but one that is more suited to competitors and, more generally, to those who ride in a hilly rather than mountainous region. It is not the lightest of current bikes, nor even the most versatile. However, it is largely on par with the best aerodynamic bikes, with a little extra touch of dynamism due to the coherence of its build in this very high-end version. In short, it’s a very pleasant surprise.

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