Born from Chris King, Cielo offers beautifully made bikes worthy of the boutique badge, yet produced on a larger scale. This year, Cielo will be bringing 7 different bikes to NAHBS including the new Cross Racer Disc pictured above. The Racer is built with a PF 30 BB which utilizes King’s soon to be released PressFit bottom bracket, as well as disc specific dropouts, a 44mm head tube, and aggressive race honed geometry. To take advantage of the 44mm head tube, a custom painted ENVE cross disc tapered fork is used and the bike can be equipped with King’s InSet 7 headset, and new R45 Disc hubs and will be offered in two color schemes.
We got a chance to chat with Cielo’s Design Manager, Jay SyCip, about what they have in store for NAHBS after the break.
BIKERUMOR: What materials do you build with? Which is your favorite and why?
CIELO: Cielo builds with steel tubing purposely drawn for bicycles. We use quality tubing mostly from Columbus but we do use some from Dedaccai as well as True Temper. If Tange Japan still made the Prestige tubesets, I’m sure we’d use some as well. These days it is hard to build from one brand or source. Bike design is not just about a classic road bike, it is more complex with a wide number of disciplines and user types there isn’t really one brand that offers everything a company like ours need.
BIKERUMOR: What have you been working in since NAHBS last year?
CIELO: We’ve been hard at work coming up with a new model that evokes the essential idea of Cielo from aesthetic and design to usage and what we perceive the Cielo rider wants from a bike. The bike will feature classic styling with adventure and experience in mind. I would love to tell you more but we are saving this surprise for NAHBS.
BIKERUMOR: Any killer custom bike builds?
CIELO: Cielo does not build custom frames rather we build high quality handmade production frames. Our build method utilizes the same experience based procedures that any custom builder practices and we combine them with the opportunity to hone and focus a specific methodology or technique during the production process. This gives our bikes a truly precise finish that echoes the focus on precision and performance that has defined Chris King components for the last three decades. Production is a science not just in manufacturing but also in sales and delivery that most builders do not get exposed to.
BIKERUMOR: Did you see anything at NAHBS last year that’s inspired you?
CIELO: Too much to list, I love the details that builders put forth at NAHBS. Some are just over the top and generally for one off creations, its super. I tend to focus on the details and designs that are simple, elegant, and timeless. Useful innovations.
Builders like Steve Potts, Inglis, Soulcraft, SyCip, Steelman and Hunter are on top of my list of builders due to the history, reliability, and no their nonsense approach to bike building, design, and riding. I guess I like Bay area builders. I did leave part of my heart in CA.
BIKERUMOR: What are you bringing to the show this year that’ll have every other builder standing slack jawed in awe?
CIELO: All 7 bikes are jaw droppers in my book. They are all so well executed and all so beautiful. I can never get to tired to looking at them. The Cielo build team is top notch and with that comes very high levels of craftsmanship. It helps that we are backed with the experience and expertise of Chris King. They are a big help with the machined frame parts and planning for production amongst others. Building these bikes is a huge team effort. If I had to choose I think the CX racers will truly shine as well as the always-popular Sportif Classic. Though I can’t forget the MTB and the CX classic. See, Its hard not to mention them all.
BIKERUMOR: Scenario: A customer commissions you and one other builder to create the ultimate bicycle using the same parameters, same base material and same budget in an Iron Chef style competition. Who would you want to build against that would push you and elevate your game?
CIELO: Any and all? I think we would pair nicely with another production brand that has an emphasis on team builds. I would put our bikes up against any other builders out there especially the Sportif Classic. It’s got so many cool details under the paint. These bikes are so lucky to be made and born at the Chris King factory in Portland. Each one of these bikes gets frame parts made at Chris King attached to them, some more than others. These bikes are special and ounce for ounce every one of them is a champion in the bike world. At least that’s my opinion.
