Ernesto Colnago: A lot of people don't understand the real quality of a bike

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by colker

Those Merckx built by Colnago?

Well, those were never 'sold', but for the Molteni(Faema also?) team, 60s, 70s..and as has been mentioned, then by Ugo BUT Merckx's hour record bike was a Colnago..in the video, you can even see Ernesto on the infield.

[alancw3]

I don't think anyone can dispute that the C40 and C50 changed the bicycle racing world forever. Kudos to Colnago for his innovation. like other things in life I would think that their is a certain frustration in having invested so much time and money in research and development just to have cheap knockoffs. at least that is what I read in his interview.

[peanutgallery]

Great bikes, historical name, terrible distribution in the US for a looooong time. Fix that and Ernesto would have a brighter outlook

That said, the last few colnagos that I've seen have been Chinese carbon and ultegra/105 affairs. Closeout bin from competitive cycles or whatever. The redeeming quality is that they were the Rabobank color, one of my favorites.

I sort of wanted to cry

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by Tim Porter

I have some lovely and fantastic bikes: Firefly, Richard Sachs, Hampsten, Kirk, Serotta, et al. BUT, this fall I decided to get a 2020 V3RS disc in 54S and it is one of the best riding bikes I have ever had. My particular bucket list item was to get an actual honest to God modern race bike that could be ridden in the TdF tomorrow (with maybe a couple fewer spacers, I can only handle about 6-7 cm of drop at my advanced age). So I really love this thing. If dang photobucket would get its repairs done I'll post photos. I got the white with blue accents; looks stellar and feels bulletproof. I chose it over the C-64 because I affirmatively wanted the model the pros are riding currently. Could not care less about the Asia v. Italy thing.

After reading in bold above, according to conventional wisdom by some here you are the victim of marketing hype and this cannot then be true

The Colnago V3RS looked better than the squarish tubed C64 IMO. And I agree, I don't care about the Asian vs Italian thing either.

A pic of a V3RS, so sweet:

[54ny77]

that looks really sharp.

Originally Posted by Burnette

After reading in bold above, according to conventional wisdom by some here you are the victim of marketing hype and this cannot then be true

The Colnago V3RS looked better than the squarish tubed C64 IMO. And I agree, I don't care about the Asian vs Italian thing either.

A pic of a V3RS, so sweet:

[d.ram23]

Everybody knows Colnago's are fast and hot, especially the red ones. Curious though, since I've never had the pleasure of riding a colnago, how do they compare to modern steel frames? Or even, titanium frames?
Is it the craftsmanship of the original Colnago bikes?

[Dave]

$5,000 is a lot to pay for a made in Taiwan frame, with nothing special paint, but the frame certainly is light at 780 grams. I don't see a fork weight listed.

The cheap made in Taiwan frames like my C-RS are probably weigh 400 grams more, but the paint is a lot fancier. Paint can add quite a bit of weight and is often kept minimal on frames where buyers expect a really low weight.

I'm carrying about 2000 grams in excess weight, so I'll trim that off first.

Another new thing with frames only offered in a disc brake model - the total bike weight can end up being just as much as a cheaper frame with rim brakes.
I've compared Campy disc wheels and groupsets and find about 400 grams more weight with discs

[bfd]

Originally Posted by colker

Why would you order custom geometry? It would be something else w/ colnago paint only. Just get a long stem and ride it the way they want their bike to ride. Their geo numbers. Their geo is their magic. If you don´t like it sell and buy something else. Otherwise get a Sarto or other italian brand doing custom.

I guess for the same reason some people buy say a Kirk or Sachs or any other custom bike. Not everyone fits standard geometry. As one person said he has long legs and short torso. I have the opposite, short legs and long torso. If a bike is designed for a "standard person," then it might not fit either of us.

Yes, you can do adjustments like longer or shorter stem or seatpost or longer head tube or something. But that sometimes doesn't always work or can look weird. So if you provide your numbers to the builder, whether Colnago or others, they can tweak their "magic geometry" to fit you.

But you're right, if a Colnago comes with standard geometry that doesn't fit then buy from someone else. As I stated, Crumpton, Appleman, Parlee, Calfee and as you stated, Sarto, do offer custom geometry. So they would be a better choice for some people. It just wouldn't be a Colnago. Good Luck!

[colker]

Originally Posted by Dave

$5,000 is a lot to pay for a made in Taiwan frame, with nothing special paint, but the frame certainly is light at 780 grams. I don't see a fork weight listed.

The cheap made in Taiwan frames like my C-RS are probably weigh 400 grams more, but the paint is a lot fancier.

I'm carrying about 2000 grams in excess weight, so I'll trim that off first.

Another new thing with frames only offered in a disc brake model - the total bike weight can end up being just as much as a cheaper frame with rim brakes.
I've compared Campy disc wheels and groupsets and find about 400 grams more weight with discs

BUt... how does it ride and how does it look? Anything else: Taiwan, grams, even carbon... matters very little.

[dpdan93]

Sorry Enersto, plenty of American builders doing it way better than you or chinarello

[Dave]

Originally Posted by colker

BUt... how does it ride and how does it look? Anything else: Taiwan, grams, even carbon... matters very little.

The C-RS rides great. I'm using 25mm Michelin power endurance tires with 85 psi front and 90 rear, which is probably high for a 140 lb rider. The frame is quite stiff, as I would expect with the large down tube. It has the same geometry as the expensive models. I have about $3200 in it with Chorus 12 and Zondas. It weighs the same as Trek's lightest Emonda SLR disc with Ultegra 11 that costs $6300.

My 2004 LOOK KG461 rides smoother, but it's more flexy when out of the saddle.




Here's an older picture of the LOOK. It's old, but doesn't have a scratch on it. It weighs 220 grams more, with identical setup.

[colker]

Originally Posted by dpdan93

Sorry Enersto, plenty of American builders doing it way better than you or chinarello

That´s as much true as "Colnagos are the best bikes ever built".

[corky]

I’ve owned an Extreme Power for around 8 years....it’s still the best riding frame I’ve owned and yeah that includes a couple of customs one of which I tried to duplicate the Colnago geometry....... I love my EP.....

Having said that modern colnagos paint Is lacking in imagination and lacking in quality compared to yesteryear.

Having said that Ernies commitment to the business is exemplary

[colker]

Originally Posted by d.ram23

Is it the craftsmanship of the original Colnago bikes?

No. It´s much better.

[shinomaster]

Originally Posted by colker

Why would you order custom geometry? It would be something else w/ colnago paint only. Just get a long stem and ride it the way they want their bike to ride. Their geo numbers. Their geo is their magic. If you don´t like it sell and buy something else. Otherwise get a Sarto or other italian brand doing custom.

Some of us need a really long top tube. I would need at least a 140mm stem on a 54 CC Master.. so I never got one, even though I really, really wanted a colnago back in the day. I wound up with a Custom Atlanta instead. They made custom bike for pro's all the time and still do.