Cielo Cycles - since 1978/USA
The road behind Santa Barbara offered wonderful views of the Pacific, but it was death for any bike. For Chris King, it was both an inspiration and a test track. King then wrote Cielo, the name of that road, on the frames with which he made his first attempts as a welder. Production was dormant for thirty years. King had risen to superstar status in the scene with his headsets. Now he is welding again. www.cielo.chrisking.com
Bike: Cielo 29
The expectations are hypergalactic, after all, the frame comes from the hand of an almost god-like being of mountain bike culture: Chris King, the headset artist. He wants to live out his old days once again. To be a craftsman instead of a company boss. To have oily hands instead of just shaking hands. And you can already see the chrome-plated reinforcement rings flashing on the massive head tube and the engraved caps on the side-mounted seat stays. The dropouts, which can move forwards and backwards in perfectly shaped slides to adjust the wheelbase to the desired temperament. The combination with a singlespeed hub is ideal, as the chain can be tensioned perfectly, but limits the area of use to moderate terrain. Which suits the Cielo better than the race track anyway. The frame is welded from True-Temper OX tubes, which are about as good a frame material as Tabac Original is in the scented water segment. Heavy, slightly smelly from the day before yesterday. A frame weighing 2139 grams can stimulate erotic sensations with its beauty. But it is definitely not contemporary. The Cielo rolls off without any sporting ambition. And you almost want to go crazy with the orchestral madness of the Chris King freewheel, which makes every Metallica concert sound like a squawking noise. There should be CDs of it. The sound is a thousand times more exciting than the driving experience. The Cielo rolls dutifully along the trail and lacks character. It can do everything, but nothing particularly impressive. It's not a sprinter. It's not a cornering speedster. It's just an orange bike with thin tubes. Almost a bit boring. At least if you measure it against the hypergalactic expectation. The Cielo virtually forces cosiness and inner balance upon you. You could also call it crank yoga.
Test summary: The Cielo is a classic car with a touch of modernity. Indestructible, beautiful, but a little sluggish.
Price: 4800 Euro /Frame 1798 Euro
Weight: 10.9 kilos*/frame 2139 grams
Material: Steel
Delivery time: about 2 months
Geometry: Standard or on request
Equipment: Chris King, Race Face
* Complete weight without pedals
