Pressure drop – Cinelli launches Pressure aero road bike for 2021

Italy’s Cinelli is introducing a new Pressure aero road bike for 2021, with disc brakes and fully internal cables/hoses.

The Pressure’s T700 carbon-fibre frame is said to be designed with the reduction of drag in mind, and you get well-established aero bike features such as dropped seatstays, a seat tube that curves around the leading edge of the rear tyre, and a short head tube with an integrated fork crown (complete with a little smiley face that’s revealed when you corner!). The seatpost is aero profiled too.

The Pressure, which is UCI approved, takes a Press Fit 86.5 x 41mm bottom bracket while the fork turns on 1 1/8in (upper) and 1 1/2in (lower) bearings. The thru axles are common 12x100mm and 12x142mm sizes.

There’s enough space for tyres up to 700C x 30mm.

Cinelli claims a weight of 990g for the frame (in a medium size) and 390g for the fork.

For comparison, Giant's Propel Advanced SL Disc aero road bike has a claimed weight of 982g and a fork weight of 378g, and Bianchi claims a frame weight of 990g (+/-5%, 55cm version) and a fork weight of 420g for its Oltre XR4 Disc. Both of those bikes have been around for a while now. Several bikes launched in 2020, including the Specialized Tarmac SL7, have combined aero features with lower weights; the FACT 10r version (the more affordable model) has a claimed frame weight of 920g.

Cinelli uses FSA’s ACR (Aerodynamic Cable Routing) system to plumb all cables (mechanical or electronic) and hoses internally through the handlebar/stem and into the frame and fork. It’s a really neat design.

The Pressure will be available in the UK in a Shimano Ultegra spec (so not the same as the bike shown in these pictures) with hydraulic disc brakes, an FSA Gossamer 50/34-tooth chainset, and Vision Team 30 TLR Disc wheels. It’ll be priced £3,799. 

If that build doesn’t float your boat, the Cinelli Pressure will also be available as a frameset for £2,399. This includes a seatpost that’s specific to the frame. Stock is expected in the UK at the beginning of February 2021.

Get more info from Cinelli's website or UK distributor Chicken CycleKit.