Cino Cinelli's brother Giotto had been making steel stems since the late 1930s in Florence, Italy. They moved the business to Milan after the Second World War. In 1963 Cinelli began making alloy stems and it wasn't long before the Cinelli stem was the choice of serious athletes and connoisseurs.

The 1A ("A" stood for aluminum) was first shown at a trade show at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Production of these new aluminum stems didn't begin until 1963. Those first stems and matching aluminum bars had a polished, non-anodized finish. The classic clear anodization that gives Cinelli stems that luxurious "milky" finish began in 1965. The 1A stems were made in 5mm increments from 6cm to 14cm in both 22.2 and 22.0 (French) quill diameters. Late in 1A production black anodized stems were also made.

The 1A become the iconic Cinelli stem and seemed to be used by most top pros of the era as well as the go-to stem for Italian pro bike makers. The original production of the 1A stem ceased sometime in the 1980s.

Important note: Stems on this page are made for 22.0mm diameter (French diameter) steering tubes.

Cinelli 1A 22.0mm x 26.0mm bar diameter x 11cm black French diameter quill stem. Used, $80.00/each

Side view

Here's the other side of the stem.

It is a Cinelli stem.

Front view, from above

From behind

Scuffed areas on the quill that will be mostly hidden when it is in use.