Suggestions for a Colorado Build

[influenzadoc]

I have a Colorado that I thought I would sell but have changed my mind after looking at the frame for a while. I have a couple of questions. I have the original fork but was curious if I should leave it or change to a carbon. Would I gain any advantage changing to carbon over the steel? Second is that I have had it totally restored and now I am stuck for what to use to rebuild. At one point I thought original era Campy but now I am not so sure. Any thoughts from the collective minds here about groups?


thanks,

[MorganColeman]

In my opinion, a carbon fork won't improve the ride quality. If anything, it can lessen the ride quality if the rake isn't right for the frame's geometry. It will, however, drop some of the weight. But if you're even considering going with a vintage Campy group, weight probably isn't an issue.

Before you decide how to build it up, I'd ask yourself what you plan to do with the bike. Are you going to put a lot of miles on it, really ride it. Or will it be more for admiration and the occasional weekend spin. A friend of mine recently pondered the same question with his newly-restored Davidson from the early 80s. He decided to build it up with "period appropriate" components. It now sits in his garage, very pristine, very unridden. Seems a waste to me, as all bikes deserve to be ridden hard.

Personally, I'd go with newer components, as I like the look of an older steel frame with modern components. The other issue to consider is that (and I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here) older components, especially the brake levers, don't perform nearly as well as the new stuff. If you ride the heck out of this bike, I'd expect sore hands and periodic trips to the shop to replace the rear axle in the hub. But that's just my experience. And the old Cinelli bars look really cool--but they're just not as well designed as any of today's bars.

Whatever you do, don't use a carbon fork and vintage components.

Morgan

[Aaron O]

I would go with keeping it original and I think the post above truly nailed why.

If you DO decide to replace it with CF, pleae let me know...as I'd very much like your Serotta fork. I bought a used Colorado II that the owner respec'd with an Alpha Q and I'd prefer the original.

I agree with pretty much everything above...for me, the ultimate bike combines the advantages of classic steel frames with the advantages of far superior components. I'm a fan of hot rodding and I love the later production steel frames.

[influenzadoc]

I think I am going to enjoy the ride. I don't want to just look at it. Machinery needs to be used an although I am fussy about keeping my possessions in nice condition I think it would be a shame to build it up and then not ride it. Among the current groups Campy, Shimano and SRAM, which would well suit a 90's steel frame? My other bikes are essentially original. I have replaced parts from time to time but with NOS parts. It seems that I could benefit from some firsthand knowledge of the current groups.

[Joachim]

What is your budget? I prefer Campy Chorus, but there are cheaper and more expensive options out there. If you want to keep it period correct, SRAM is not an option (they were not around then).

[Aaron O]

I think I am going to enjoy the ride. I don't want to just look at it. Machinery needs to be used an although I am fussy about keeping my possessions in nice condition I think it would be a shame to build it up and then not ride it. Among the current groups Campy, Shimano and SRAM, which would well suit a 90's steel frame? My other bikes are essentially original. I have replaced parts from time to time but with NOS parts. It seems that I could benefit from some firsthand knowledge of the current groups.

I know of a source for alloy Campagnolo 11sp Athena, 2010 version, for a very solid price. That's where i'd go! You want 2010 instead of 2011 because the 2011 uses an inferior internal mechanism and can't jump multiple cogs.

For wheels, I'd use either white hubs laced to Mavics or campy...maybe you can find a set of silver hubs on ebay.

Let me know if interested and I'll make some calls to see if they have any left.