Not many brands can say that their latest aero bike is “shaped by more than 75 years of relentless Milanese innovation”, and Cinelli probably doesn’t even need to say it. Who can forget the Cinelli Laser, which changed bicycle design forever with its radical razor-sharp profile and baby blue-sparkle tubes that fused futuristically together as if it was 2081 and not 1981?
Also in Cinelli’s palmarès are the iconic aluminium 1A stem and 65 bar, as used by Eddy Merckx; the legendary Supercorsa, ridden to the Hour Record by Ole Ritter in 1968, the Unicanitor, which was the world’s first plastic saddle, and Cork Ribbon – the original cushioned bar tape which replaced the shiny, thin sort such as Benotto’s Cello-Tape that required leather-palmed track mitts to grip it. And then the Spinaci extensions that were banned by the UCI in 1997.
So perhaps it was apt that Cinelli’s first carbon aero bike was called ‘Pressure’. It didn’t buckle, despite Cinelli jokily setting themselves up for it. When I reviewed the Pressure back in 2021, I said: “It has a lot of appeal… it's something different and original, the geometry is good, it looks great and it's no slouch performance wise”.
But underneath the punk attitude, the Pressure was actually relatively safe for Cinelli, even verging on generic, whereas the new Aeroscoop, launched at the end of 2025, is a much edgier creation despite the friendly hipster stickers instead of the angry, Clash-inspired slogan.
Frame and fork
According to Cinelli, the Aeroscoop is the most aero road bike it has ever produced, “an unapologetic reimagining of the ultimate carbon road racing machine, infused with rebellious Cinelli design DNA. This entirely new model is stiffer around the bottom bracket for even greater power transfer, yet a touch more compliant at the head tube to keep things smooth through sketchy corners.”
I was glad to hear the stiffness had been slightly scaled back – the Pressure was a bit too rigid – and relieved too that the weight had been reduced. The Pressure I reviewed weighed 9.4kg in an Ultegra build. Now Cinelli was claiming that with an off-the-peg build with SRAM Red AXS and a Fulcrum Wind 57 wheelset the Aeroscoop weighed 6.98kg, scraping in just above the UCI legal limit of 6.8kg.
It’s all-over truncated airfoil tube shapes to improve aerodynamic performance, but the design highlight or focal point is the double-arm seatstay design, which Cinelli says is inspired by aerospace dynamics. The dual arms and central channel are designed to guide air around the frame for reduced drag and increased rider efficiency.
According to Cinelli, the frontal area has been reduced by four per cent compared to the Pressure II, and the front end itself is completely new, featuring a Columbus Spirit integrated aero cockpit. Other aero improvements include a reshaped fork that integrates more seamlessly with the head tube and down tube; a hidden rear seatpost clamp and a new profile for the down tube that widens to shield water bottles and bulges to to minimise the gap to the front wheel.
Cinelli wind tunnel tested the Aeroscoop using German Tour magazine’s protocol with a static mannequin, and says it ranked in the top 10 fastest bikes, beating the Specialized Tarmac SL8 in frontal flow with identical wheels. There’s a graph included in the press materials to illustrate this. Our friends at Cyclingnews got different results using their protocol, but either way, the takeaway is that unless you’re a pro riding at 50-plus kph and trying to eke out every last marginal gain, it’s close enough that you probably won’t feel the difference in aerodynamic drag between the Aeroscoop and the SL8.
Geometry
As we now know, the rider’s position has a bigger impact on aerodynamics, and the Cinelli Aeroscoop’s geometry is similar in bike fit terms to that of the other WorldTour race bikes, with a stack/reach ratio of 1.4, which is actually a little more aggressive than the SL8’s 1.43 if we’re still comparing. The Aeroscoop was developed with Cinelli’s sponsored teams – it is ridden by ProTeam MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort – and it is a full-blooded race bike despite the urban paint job (other schemes are available).
The frame itself is made from a mix of Toray T700, T800 and T1100 fibres in the highest stress zones, with a claimed weight of 950 grams. The fork weighs 370 grams and the handlebar 350 grams. There’s UDH compatibility, a T47 threaded BB and tyre clearance is 34mm.
Build and specification
I reviewed the Shimano Dura-Ace build, which in pricing comes in behind the SRAM Red and Campagnolo Super Record versions. There’s the full suite of Dura-Ace components (but no power meter) with the Di2 battery stashed in the seatpost.
The Fulcrum Wind 57 wheels are not the Dura-Ace equivalents, however. They’re more Ultegra level – the range-toppers are the Fulcrum Speed 57s – and at 1,585 grams are not the lightest by today’s standards. But they do have the latest dimensions – a 23mm internal rim width, which is wide but not so wide that you can’t run 28s – and they’re 57mm deep, which is deep but fine in all conditions and crosswind strengths. I was a little surprised to see them fitted with Vittoria Rubino 28s, which are more about durability and puncture resistance than outright speed, though the latest version does look the part with tan sidewalls.
The price of the complete build is very competitive at €9,900 (April 2026), and it looks as though Cinelli has saved a little bit on the wheels and tyres.
So it’s really to the Aeroscoop’s credit that the size medium I have on test weighs just over 7kg with these sturdier wheels and tyres. I weighed it and I was impressed. I’m also someone who likes a light bike – who doesn’t? – so if you wanted to put some ‘best’ wheels and faster tyres on it for racing and special rides, you’d have a real rocketship on your hands. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve ticked off aero and lightweight – what about stiffness and ride quality?
Ride impressions
Of the five sizes on offer, I found myself between medium and large. When this happens I generally prefer to size down for a smaller, lighter frame and a more aggressive position with the shorter head tube. With the Aeroscoop I found myself with considerably more saddle-bar drop than I expected – about 15 centimetres’ worth with the slammed stem. The stem section of the Columbus Spirit cockpit for the size M is only 100mm, so I was going to be short and low.
I found this worked very well with the character of the bike. With its low weight and high level of stiffness, which is perfectly balanced so that it makes the bike nimble rather than harsh, it was immediately great fun to throw it around in lumpy lanes. Bunny-hopping potholes, sprinting up kickers and nailing fast downhill bends – all the joy of riding a light, fast bike.
Despite the name and the aero angle in the marketing, the Aeroscoop felt to me more like an all-rounder with a definite climbing forte. The direct handling and the connectedness with the terrain are beyond what a pure aero bike traditionally offers, and then there’s the fabulously low weight.
That’s not to say the Aeroscoop doesn't do aero too: I rode an early-season sporting time trial in the Surrey Hills on it and was only marginally slower than I was in 2017 on a TT bike. The cockpit is shaped so that it’s possible to get forearms flat and in line with the slightly turned-in shifters that measure 32cm between the hoods. The bar is compact so that despite the big saddle-bar drop I was able to comfortably use the drops for the potholed descents – of which this course has a few.
I didn’t switch out anything for the TT, but if it was my own bike I might think about lighter, faster tyres. Having said that, there’s nothing worse than puncturing in a TT, wheeling your bike to the next nearest marshal (the walk of shame can be literally miles) and then standing at a roundabout in your skinsuit waiting to be rescued. So the Rubinos do have their practical advantages.
As I mentioned, there’s also an opportunity for some lighter, faster wheels for racing or best rides. With some of the latest carbon-spoked wheelsets that weigh around 1,100g – I would choose the new Parcours Strade GT – you’d have an aero bike that’s under the UCI minimum, and that’s something worth bragging about.
Conclusion
I’m not going to get involved in nit-picking about wind tunnel protocols – the Cinelli Aeroscoop is a fast bike that can prove itself out on the road where the real riding takes place, and that works for me.
I also really enjoyed riding it in an unexpectedly aggressive setup – it seemed to fit Cinelli’s rebelliousness quite neatly. Burn your bike fit measurements and slam that stem! I hope my bike fitter isn’t reading this…
There will be people who say “Oh, it isn’t a Laser” or who reminisce about the glory days of the original Supercorsa, but for me Cinelli has created a totally modern, high-performance bike, while adding something a bit left field – the double-arm seatstays – and keeping the playful Cinelli personality of the messenger/fixie years with the pink stickers paintjob. Incidentally, if you don’t want this paintjob there are more traditional colours.
And the price: €9,900 (about £8,600) for this Dura-Ace build is pretty competitive by today’s superbike standards. The wheels and tyres aren’t at the top of their respective ranges but I don’t have anything against Cinelli doing this to bring the price down a little. Many people already have their own favourite wheelsets that they will use if they’re racers, and are happy to save some money. If not, these ones that come as standard are more than good enough for regular fast riding.
For me, the Aeroscoop is a modern Cinelli classic that deserves its place in the famous palmarès and absolutely earns the winged C on the front of its head tube – it's an exciting new chapter in the Cinelli story.
Visit Cinelli’s website to see all the specs and build options.
