2018 CIPOLLINI RB1K The One

[kgt]

Thanks for the review!

[Lafolie]

So between both the nk1k and The One.. .....there isn't much difference. Which do you prefer to ride ?

[Apv]

In reality if I compare BMC sl01 caliper and RB1K ONE.

I do not even consider bmc, I exclude this immediately.

Is the BMC SL01 that bad?

[Wookski]

This whole discussion seems based on rumour. Better construction just as its made in Italy? - there are numerous threads about defects with cipollini's work. Better carbon - there are NO italian carbon cloth manufacturers. They get it from the asian and US mills like everyone else.

Incorrect- Plenty of carbon cloth manufacturers in Europe.

[zappafile123]

I was at the launch event. Will post some pic soon.

Ride impression: if you like climby bike. This is not for you. It climbs well, but not light-foot like the R5/ Ultimate / Tarmac / Speciallisima. Which means it's ability to handle descent and sprinting ability are terrific. Very confident inspiring. The position is long and low. Very easy to get flatback. Colour is good, but can be better. The blue doesnt look that good in real life.

The design principle is get the look first, and try to bed performance in there second. This does not mean it doesn't perform well. It's just a different kind of bike than your ultra engineered american/ german racin bikes. It was windtunnel tested but the brand manager said that they have to make compromise about look, weight, stiffness. I.e. It if is aero but doesn't look good, they will reconsider it. Same thing for weight. They prefer to use the weight to solve ride quality puzzle (which works, which is why previous gen Italian bikes handle so well.) Reason? If you have to race at 6.8kg anyway why does it matter? Use other lighter parts but not the frame is what i was told.

The brand cares deeply about the look of the bike (like it or not), and said so when the brand manager describe their philosophy. If you cant justify spending 6 grands for a frame that weight more than a kg, look elsewhere.

Who is this for? If you have to ask it's not for you. It's the real depiction of Mario. He sprinted and win 5 giro stages, and said f*ck it when the road tilt upwards. Went back home mid race and didn't care about not finishing. Very masculine / alphamale-ish sort of bike and ride accordingly. You will find better climbing bike elsewhere. For handling and descent, this is one of the best for sure.

Overall, i like how it rides but prefer a more agile, spritely bike. I don't like the look nor the color.. heck even the brand itself, but i can appreciate their effort to be different here. There's a market for this, but it's not for everyone.

I just got my hands on a One after also recently acquiring and retiring an RB1000 and flipping an NK1K. Unfortunately, the RB1000 had a number of issues I hadn’t picked up when I did a quick scan when collecting it (e.g. fork tips had fatigue cracks that could only be seen with the wheels off). The long and short of it, IMO the RB1000 is the best of the three.

To my surprise, The ONE is rides quite differently to the RB1000 and is frankly pretty mediocre. As Ichobi correctly points out, this is not a climbing bike. In fact, this thing feels like a boat anchor up climbs. The sensation of needing to push for every pedal stroke is oddly accentuated on this rig - you feel the climbing struggle more than on other bikes. Stand up out of the saddle and you're refreshed by the solidity of the pedalling platform but, sit back down, as you must inevitably do, and you're back to feeling slow.

Acceleration off the mark is a pale slouch compared to the RB1000 which was insanely responsive. That said, it's still decent and in the middle ground of responsiveness compared to other similar frames. Once you get it up to speed, out of the saddle sprint efforts are rewarding as it's a fairly muscular frame. Comfort has been improved over the RB1000 which is a very harsh riding frame. That said, the ONE is still a harsh frame compared to other all-rounders like my Storck, Tarmac SL6 etc.

I have my 3.7km loop at Centennial Park in Sydney which is a good litmus test for how fast a bike is. Take this with a fist full of salt, but the ONE is not an aero bike. Two bikes (the Tarmac SL6 and Storck) will get me generally high 31 to low 32km/h average for 5 laps at ~160 watts (with the same wheels/tires and bars, same lycra etc. similar riding position). The ONE is in the second tier which has me sitting around high 30 to low 31km/h average. I would have thought the slightly lower riding position would have given me a faster averages... but I guess not! Like I said, fist full of salt. Bike is 7.5kg.

As far as geometry is concerned, the One and RB1000 are unique in the market given how aggressive they are. Once it's set up, it turns out to be less aggressive than you'd think and I'm perfectly comfy riding it with the riser headset with no spacers. The trick is to go up a size - normally I'd go for a small, but the medium has just a little more stack and fits perfectly (173cm). There is something about the geo which helps open out my hip angle which stops my knees hitting my chest despite being low. It's great! On the downhill the front end is probably too responsive for me. It’s a shade off being twitchy which isn’t great with strong crosswind gusts. But for those with skills and balls, the handling is very directly and will give you fine control on the descents.

Overall, the ONE is literally slower than other bikes, its harsh, has middling ride feel, but has really nice geo that’s not as sinister as the chart suggest. It's a thumbs down from me. The RB1000 is legitimately fun to ride because it’s so absurdly stiff and responsive. The NK1K is a better overall performer, but feels wooden to ride.

[C36]

That’s quite a nice feedback here! When people are able to « criticise their own bikes » it shows some depth of analysis going beyond the « what I ride is fantastic ».

[Roadrocket]

I owned Bond, RB1K, NK1K and I am glad I sold them.

[Steve Curtis]

That’s quite a nice feedback here! When people are able to « criticise their own bikes » it shows some depth of analysis going beyond the « what I ride is fantastic ».

It makes a refreshing change. People don't like to admit when they've spent money on something and it doesn't meet their expectations.
The "Who do you trust" thread is worth a mention. The only person you need to trust is yourself. If you don't like it, it doesn't matter what the press, or anyone else thinks.

[Aress]

I owned Bond, RB1K, NK1K and I am glad I sold them.

Could you explain why ?
I'm considering a AD. ONE as my next bike

[itsacarr]

I had the opportunity to help test out the RB1K when it first came out.

It's been a while & I was a different rider back then but 3 things I distinctively recall. Super aggressive & quick thanks to that steeeeep HT angle. Super stiff to the point of being less than enjoyable unless forced to ride it. I set a handful of PR's down my local mountain descents - it was incredibly fun to descend on. But not a bike I would have ever recomended to someone who wasn't comfortable with that kind of twitch. Oh - and everyone on planet earth asked about it at the time if they saw it in person.

[Mr.Gib]

That is some very interesting feedback on frames we don't hear a lot about. Thanks for the contribution.

And if owners have an issue with their bikes, they should be able to communicate with Mario Cipollini himself, as he will be in prison and looking for pen pals.

[Roadrocket]

I owned Bond, RB1K, NK1K and I am glad I sold them.

Could you explain why ?
I'm considering a AD. ONE as my next bike

Heavy, poor manufacturing quality, too stiff and overpriced (although I was far from paying full price). Bond was very stiff, but somehow dead feeling compared to TCR Advanced Pro I was riding at the same time. RB1K The One bare frame weighed almost 1300g without any hardware (Naked Matt L size).
RB1K and NK1K were good looking once built up, but still weren´t as fast as other aero bikes and both were always trying to knock out filling from my teeth. All frames had paintjob imperfections which I couldn´t understand on frames in this price range, also the inside of the frames was extremely messy (epoxide wrinkles). To be honest I asked the shop if they didn´t sell me some B grade stock or aliexpress junk. I got answer from Cippolini for this: ´´There´s no B-grade stock and the imperfections are proof of excellence´´. Insane.

I have no experience with Ad.One, it may be a great bike, who knows. But remember the brands are paying for reviews... Try it before purchase if you can.
If I´d be considering Italian high end bike, it would be Sarto or Basso. I haven´t tried the Sarto, but had the Diamante SV and can´t say anything bad about it. Light, fast, responsive and gorgeous looking with no defects.

[Mr.Gib]

I got answer from Cippolini for this: ´´There´s no B-grade stock and the imperfections are proof of excellence´´. Insane.

Surely the demise of this brand in the near future is inevitable. Below the most basic industry standards in so many areas.

[zappafile123]

I owned Bond, RB1K, NK1K and I am glad I sold them.

Could you explain why ?
I'm considering a AD. ONE as my next bike

If I´d be considering Italian high end bike, it would be Sarto or Basso. I haven´t tried the Sarto, but had the Diamante SV and can´t say anything bad about it. Light, fast, responsive and gorgeous looking with no defects.

I've had a Sarto Seta and a Lampo (both rim brake). The Seta was a really nice classic rig. I was really bummed when it died in a crash (the water bottle rivets ripped out of the frame on the seat tube leaving two unsightly holes in the frame). The Seta is simply a very well balanced – its plenty stiff to reward hard (and out of the saddle) efforts, but its got a lovely floaty smoothness which takes the sting out of the road. If you want a sweet riding bike for leisurely strolls and long days, I definitely recommend the Seta. If going as fast as can be is your agenda, look elsewhere. The Lampo OTH wasn’t as good. I had it about 4 years ago now so I can’t quite remember. It just didn’t have punch but was still pretty harsh.

I also had a second gen Basso Diamante from 2015ish. It was a bit dead to ride. No fun. But hands down the best geometry of any bike I’ve ever ridden. I suck down hill, but the Diamante made me way more confident.

[C36]

And if owners have an issue with their bikes, they should be able to communicate with Mario Cipollini himself, as he will be in prison and looking for pen pals.

Not the case. The sanction was suspensive meaning that it will apply in case of new incident in a determined timeframe. That doesn’t remove him being guilty but explain why he is not jailed.