Cinelli Nemo Tig Ultegra Disc Di2

£5,799 Classically inspired, modern steel speedster

- Warren Rossiter

4/5

Weight 9.44kg Frame Columbus Spirit triple-butted tube set 1,850g Fork Columbus Futura Disc Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2 12x Brakes Shimano Ultegra Di2 Hydro disc Wheels Deda Route SL4 DB Carbon Finishing kit Zero stem, Zero bar, Zero seatpost, all Deda; Prologo Scratch Tirox saddle, Schwalbe One Performance tyres

THE NEMO IS CINELLI'S RACEbred, TIG-welded steel dream machine. The frame is made at Cinelli's Milan headquarters from triple-butted, Columbus Spirit tubing, where each tube uses three wall thicknesses to enhance the ride and lower the weight.

The frame weighs 1,850g for a size 56cm, which is more than double the weight of a top-end carbon frame, and the total weight of 9.44kg for this 59cm/XL test bike is middleweight for a complete bike at this price. However, that really doesn't matter when you get to the heart of the Nemo's charms.

The frame is paired with Columbus's Futura carbon fork (440g). Both are finished with a glorious in-house semimetallic paint scheme that brings out the quality of the TIG (tungsten inert gas) welds and the beautifully shaped lugs at the bottom bracket and seat-tube junction. From the polished 'Nemo' name plate on the bottom bracket shell to the Cinelli wing logo on the shaped rear dropouts via the integrated seat collar and tapering stays, this is a bike that's as much art as it is engineering.

Built for black-top