How does a colnago master descend

[Bantamben]

I'm looking at getting a master. I usually ride a 57-59 top tube on most bikes I've had so pretty big bikes. I have had a lot of problems with bikes being too whippy while descending. I've got speed wobbles on a few of those bikes and I live in a really hilly area where I can get up to 50 mph probably once a week.

So for those of you who have had master's did they feel stiff or did you have problems with speed wobbles.

Btw currently riding a peg love #3

[Bantamben]

Anyone have any scary wobbles on a colnago or have it been solid

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

May have a bit more to do with weight, yours. I have a Master X Light, size 56. When I was at my (so called) fighting weight, 170-ish, no wobble whatsoever, but at my heaviest, 225-ish, and living in a very hilly area, no hands at 50 mph, yeah some very slight wobble, but gone when I was on the hoods, tops, drops. Back under 200 and no wobble. Not sure on a 57 59, although with those longer pipes......... Fwiw the Colnago is one of my favorite bikes, still in regular rotation.

[douglas]

I have a late 90's Colnago Master. It descends and handles just fine. I've never experienced a speed wobble on it. Of, course I'm old and slow.

[Vientomas]

I am at the opposite end of the spectrum - 140 lbs and 49cm Master Piu. Rock solid descender. However I keep my hands on the bars at 50 mph!

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

I am at the opposite end of the spectrum - 140 lbs and 49cm Master Piu. Rock solid descender. However I keep my hands on the bars at 50 mph!

Same here, had them off for maybe 2 seconds. I'm fearless on descents, not insane.

[breezerboy]

I have a Colnago Master (60cm Freuler with 58 top) and it is very stable at all speeds, well balanced and comfortable. All in all a great bike, with no complaints. It's now mostly used as my daily commute bike, but was my "best" bike for 10 years.

I also own a Pegoretti Duende (pretty much stock 58) with identical positioning and find the stability on fast descents to be very similar. All in the Peg is a little more responsive without loosing stability, a little stiffer under power and a touch more comfortable on poor surfaces, although some of that could be the 25mm corsa sc tyres vs the 23 corsa cx on the master, both on H Plus Son Archetypes.

If buying new I would spend the extra on the Duende, if second hand, the Master comes pretty close and far better chance of getting one at a good price.

[mktng]

I float 180-190 lbs. 58cm X light. Never had any issues. Ever. Not even descending on the tt at 95+km. Going up the hill though.... Not the stiffest Haha.

[Nags&Ducs]

Anyone have any scary wobbles on a colnago or have it been solid

So did you have problems with wobbles on the De Rosa Neo Primato? A shop owner that sells both has told me that the Master was stiffer and therefore better for heavier riders. But I'm only 180-185 lbs.

But besides the stiffer tubes, IMHO, Colnagos are the best descending bikes EVER! I have a lot more confidence descending my Extreme C and C40 than when I'm on any of my other 8 roadies. I attribute that to the geometry of Colnagos.

[cbresciani]

IMHO, Colnagos are the best descending bikes EVER! I have a lot more confidence descending my Extreme C and C40 than when I'm on any of my other 8 roadies. I attribute that to the geometry of Colnagos.

I would have to agree! My C40 HP is rock solid at speed, but so is my De Rosa Primato.

[thwart]

I have a Colnago Master (60cm Freuler with 58 top) and it is very stable at all speeds, well balanced and comfortable. All in all a great bike, with no complaints. It's now mostly used as my daily commute bike, but was my "best" bike for 10 years.

I also own a Pegoretti Duende (pretty much stock 58) with identical positioning and find the stability on fast descents to be very similar. All in the Peg is a little more responsive without loosing stability, a little stiffer under power and a touch more comfortable on poor surfaces, although some of that could be the 25mm corsa sc tyres vs the 23 corsa cx on the master, both on H Plus Son Archetypes.

If buying new I would spend the extra on the Duende, if second hand, the Master comes pretty close and far better chance of getting one at a good price.
Agree. My descents almost never go over 45 mph, but my Duende is the most comfortable and stable bike I've ridden downhill. Corner at the bottom or a pothole to dodge… no big deal. The Master X Light I owned was close, though. Never any wobble or instability.

[gone]

I've got a Colnago Oval Master ti that I've had to 55 MPH. I weigh 171 lbs and am 6'2" - it's plenty stiff enough for me.

[Dead Man]

I hear guys talk about wobble on descent... I think every bike I've ever owned (which hasn't really been that many, actually) wobbles if I let it start to resonate, off the saddle. I generally clamp the saddle with my thighs automatically, as soon as I get up off the saddle and tuck, to prevent it.

Is this what people are talking about when they talk about descent wobble? Up off the saddle, aerotucked? Or are we talking while still seated? With saddle thigh-clamped? Other?

[ultraman6970]

BantamBen there is a detail you know... that everybody is telling you that the bike doesnt wooble at fast speeds doesnt mean it wont happen to you, the reason I say this is because probably all the users answering your question are fitted right in the bike.

In general lines there are bikes that have a geometry that pretty much everybody will have problems getting fit, bikes you can't ride no hands or that wooble from giving them the evil eye. But if the fit is wrong any bike will behave like crap you know.

If are we talking about high end racing bikes and having problems with wooble or handling is almost sure the fit is wrong, AKA, the weight distribution you have in the bike is wrong big time. If you fit a colnago wrong it might do the same weird stuff the others had been doing to you too you know. Specially if you have like 95% of the weight in the back of the bike.

Just something to think about.

ps: never had wooble problems ever even with craptastic bikes .

[KidWok]

My Master X Light does not have any wobble, but my Oval Master Ti with the same precisa fork does have a slight wobble if I take my hands off the bars. Assuming something is not aligned because the same wheels were fine on another bike.

Tai

[cd_davis]

While living in Singapore, I bought a 53 cm Master Olympic (X-light) in 1995. Still own it with original 9 speed DA and straight steel fork. I've ridden the bike in NZ, both islands, the Veneto area of Italy and in New England. All can be very hilly with multiple types of road surfaces. Very, very stable on the downhills, tracks true. Although heavy by today's standards, you can have total confidence in the bike going where you steer it. BTW I weigh 155-160, season dependent.

[LJohnny]

Mid 80's Master, no wobble as far as the highest speed I've ever done on it (around 40mph).

[Bantamben]

Yeah all my friends ride 55cm or smaller bikes and they never have issues. I have had it on steel bikes and especially a ti bike I had . It's always going down a fast descent 40 plus mph and I get a gust of wind or hit a small bump and the bike starts moving back and forth and hitting the brakes makes it worse.
Pretty scary

I have a pretty tall seat height at 82.5cm
I'm 6'1" long legs. Most of my bikes are 58-60

I have had 3 colnagos 2 masters I never rode because I convinced myself they where too small and a c59 which was a great bike and descended great no speed wobbles.

Btw I'm a 180lbs

[elong8]

I have a Tecnos and its dreamy for sure.

[bironi]

It depends upon the rider.:beer:

[tumbler]

It depends upon the rider.:beer:


+1... and the fit, and the wheels, and the tires, and the road surface. Too many factors to give a ton of weight to our opinions of a frame's characteristics (which are often suspiciously glowing in every category). I don't think the Colnago will let you down, but you probably have to try it yourself using your setup if you have had persistent issues with this.

[jr59]

+1... and the fit, and the wheels, and the tires, and the road surface. Too many factors to give a ton of weight to our opinions of a frame's characteristics (which are often suspiciously glowing in every category). I don't think the Colnago will let you down, but you probably have to try it yourself using your setup if you have had persistent issues with this.

+1

Tom Kellogg wrote a blog about this;
about half way down the page under shimmy

http://www.spectrum-cycles.com/geometry.php

[oldpotatoe]

+1

Tom Kellogg wrote a blog about this;
about half way down the page under shimmy

http://www.spectrum-cycles.com/geometry.php

Great post. A 'normallly' designed bike generally won't shimmy. Some are almost designed to shimmy..low trail/small tubes. But not a Colnago.

"The inherit stability of the front end of a bicycle is determined largely by trail. Trail can only affect stability in a seriously negative way at higher speeds where low trail (too much rake) can contribute to shimmy"

[rallizes]

Yeah all my friends ride 55cm or smaller bikes and they never have issues. I have had it on steel bikes and especially a ti bike I had . It's always going down a fast descent 40 plus mph and I get a gust of wind or hit a small bump and the bike starts moving back and forth and hitting the brakes makes it worse.
Pretty scary

I have a pretty tall seat height at 82.5cm
I'm 6'1" long legs. Most of my bikes are 58-60

I have had 3 colnagos 2 masters I never rode because I convinced myself they where too small and a c59 which was a great bike and descended great no speed wobbles.

Btw I'm a 180lbs

What size Love #3 do you have? Do you have a photo of it built?
And do you experience wobbles at high speed on it?

[Bantamben]

Here is my current bike and no this bike hasn't had any wobbles it's very stiff. This is pretty typical of my setup the love is a size 60 I think 58.5 TT 120-130 stem 7-10cm of saddle to bar drop. This particular bike is set up at 6 as I've never cut the fork yet.
One thing
Funny thing is the bike that wobbled at the lowest speed was a ton Kellogg designed Merlin agilis titanium it had a tall headtube and sloping top tube. Over 35 it turned into a rapid sign wave trying to shake me off. Really scary. But hey maybe Tom learned from experience.
http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k610/bantamben1/45D7DD4E-C1C4-44A9-B64B-977FEB9EA5F5.jpg (http://s1118.photobucket.com/user/bantamben1/media/45D7DD4E-C1C4-44A9-B64B-977FEB9EA5F5.jpg.html)

[Mark McM]

"The inherit stability of the front end of a bicycle is determined largely by trail. Trail can only affect stability in a seriously negative way at higher speeds where low trail (too much rake) can contribute to shimmy"

I'm not sure how that can be. For a shimmy to be continuous, the forward motion of the bike has to continuously feed energy into the lateral oscillations. How is forward bike motion coupled into its lateral motion, other than through the steering trail? I doubt that a bike without trail even can develop a continuous shimmy.

[elong8]

*off topic** hope you guys can help: I'm a new member and can't find anywhere the number of posts/comments I need before I can post my own topics/comment in classifieds. Can anyone help? Thanks

[enr1co]

It depends upon the rider.:beer:

+2

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/3577307/view/1987-g-toscana-saronni1.jpg

[Keith A]

*off topic** hope you guys can help: I'm a new member and can't find anywhere the number of posts/comments I need before I can post my own topics/comment in classifieds. Can anyone help? ThanksJust look at the top of the classified section...it's right there!
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=153038

[elong8]

Thanks Keith. Dunno how o missed that. I'm using the app, so it's a little weird via Tapatalk.

[tv_vt]

How does a Colnago 'master' descend? He points the bike downhill and steers.

Is that different than what other masters do? :)