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Cipollini launch NK1K aero road bike

It's fast, it's cool and it's aero. But Cipollini have made the NK1K more rider-friendly than the RB1K, and there's a disc brake model too

As you can imagine, when Cipollini launch something they tend to do it in a calm, understated fashion very much similar to the persona of their eponymous founder. They’d certainly never make, say, a big budget short film about it…

Last year Cipollini unveiled their Nuke TT bike and this year, following on from that, they’ve launched the NK1K, a full-on aero road bike.

Never lacking in confidence, Cipollini describe the NK1K as the ‘revolution over two wheels’, and the bike’s monocoque frame is made from top-end Toray T1000 carbon, as is the matching fork. Frame weight is on the heavier side, in line with the rest of the Cipollini range, at 1,120g for an unpainted medium.

That frame weight reflects the extreme aero tube profiles, with a downtube that flows neatly into the chainstays, an integrated fork crown and seattube cutaway. However, the frame does away with the Cipollini RB1K’s integrated seatpost, with the Italian firm instead opting for a traditional removable post, albeit an aero one, similar that already used on the Bond.

While the geometry is race-oriented, Cipollini say they’ve tried to make the bike more accessible to more riders, using an aerodynamic headset cover plate to effectively offer two headtube heights, giving the NK1K a front end which is noticeably taller than on the notoriously aggressive RB1K, as well as having a slightly slacker head angle.

The frame will be able to accept either mechanical or electronic shifting, but the interesting thing is that Cipollini are also making separate rim brake and disc brake compatible versions, making the NK1K their first disc-ready bike. The rim brake frame will accept direct mount calipers, while the disc frame will use the new flat mount standard. The disc version will also have clearance for up to 28mm tyres.

Unfortunately, if you want to get your hands on one of these it won’t be cheap. The NK1K comes in at £4,200 for either the standard or disc brake version, and that’s frameset only.

And if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, remember that video we said they didn’t make? Well…

Website: Cipollini
UK distributor: Paligap