The Cielo Cycles 29er is here and what a beauty! Let's take a closer look at this hand crafted, U.S.A. made frame and at the parts hung off it. Seeing as how Cielo is Chris King's marque, you can bet well be taking a look at some Chris King Precision Components along with this frame!
The Cielo Cycles Mountain Bike, which this model is named in the Cielo line, cuts a more classic profile than most 29er hard tails they get to look at here. The top tube is more level, the chair stays are definitely retro, plus you won't see much chair post here! Still, there's innovative details, like the âInsetâ head set, the Paragon Machine Works sliding drop outs, plus high performance disc brakes. (No retro Mafac cantilevers here!) It is possibly what would have happened had anybody like Joe Breeze, circa 1980, been crossed with Gary Fisher, circa 2001. There definitely are elements of both visible in this rig. Classic steel construction in the chair stay/seat tube intersection mixed up with massive wheels plus a longish geometry. A more level top tube connected to an integrated head set. It is definitely a unique take on the 29er mountain bicycle.
Here’s a great example of the Old/New mix in the Cielo. The Chris King take on the integrated head set set off by stainless steel reinforcement rings and bracketed by an impeccable TIG weld bead at the top tube junction. Super sano and good looking!
Attention to detail is evident everywhere. (That’s some morning dew on the drop out, by the way!) It is obvious that the team at Cielo is a discerning outfit.
The classically inspired seat stay/seat tube junction is reinforced by this well executed steel plate. It is hard to
find a place on this frame that isn’t worthy of geeking out on! (If you are in to that sort of thing!)
The wheels are built with Chris King hubs, of course! The “angry hive of bees” is definitely an attention getter.
And yes, that is a Chris King bottom bracket down there. A TruVativ Noir crankset spins on the stainless steel bearings.
A real brass head tube badge exudes class
.The business is conducted by way of a Ritchey control set including the stem and riser bar, fitted with SRAM X-9 shifters, Avid Elixir CR brakes, and suspended by a 2011 Fox F-29 fork set at 100mm travel. The cassette is a 9 speed shifted by an X-0 derailleur. The seat post is a Ritchey item and is topped off by a Fizik Gobi saddle.
Well, there is the visual tour de force. Next time, in the “First Impressions” post, I will lay out the hard numbers and get into just how all these cool details work out on trail.
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