Two incoming

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by weisan

The wishbone B-stay seatstay design was introduced in 2002, so this bike is at least 16 years old.

Some very early first impressions from taking it through its paces on my usual route.

The thing that keeps reminding me throughout the ride is this:

"If you can't win on this bike today, you don't deserve to win anyway."

The C40 is a pure racing thoroughbred. It's predictable. It's responsive. You are not giving up on ANYTHING by racing it in today's race tracks or even among the pro peloton. I reckon Viviani will still contest favorably in the sprints and come up tops if he rides on this instead of the latest 2018 carbon-whatever special edition his competitors are on. Same with Niki Terpstra in the Tour of Flanders.

A well-designed bike is a well-designed bike.

I can say this a thousand times and it may never resonate with some people or get inside their heads.

You don't need to spend $8k to get the latest equipment in order to enjoy or get the most out of the sports. It's your money, U can spend it in any way you want but....there are tons of used bikes out there, some 10-15 years old, but they ride super nice and fully capable. Right now, I am so in love with my 15-yr-old Merlin Agilis that I wouldn't shed a tear if I get rid of all my bikes and just keep it as a daily driver for the next 10-15 years.

Now, on to the second point. I prioritize riding nice over looking good but if the bike comes with some insane level of artistry and craftsmanship, then it's just icing on the cake, extra bonus. This Colnago fits that category. It's got the complete package.



I would much rather ride on something like this than the cookie-cutter these days - black, stealth, sharp, light, new, expensive.....er...boring. A lot of the bikes today looked almost the same to me. Zero personality.



I mean, don't get me wrong. I am not a retro-grouch. There's no stopping the forward march of time. I am a guy who advocates open-mindedness and always willing to try new things personally especially before I comment or complain about something, I like to back things up with some sort of direct personal experience or else I would just be pushing around hearsay, misinformation and repeating what others have said.

We got pals asking about this everyday: "hey I want to get a new bike, what are your suggestions?"

Please don't just point them to the newest and the latest in the market. Tell them to look at the classifieds. They are great bikes posted there almost everyday. So what if a bike is 10 years old and has an older gen components? That doesn't mean it's slow or bad.

Oh oh...another thing. This whole fitting thing. Yes, making sure that the bike fits you is important. But this whole fitting thing is not some black magic art we like to make it out to be that only a selected few possess. Once you understand how it works and what's within an acceptable range of parameters, it's easy to find and buy bikes that will work very nicely with your budget and serve your needs.

Ok, that's all I got to say so far. Time to get ready for my ride...it's gonna be hot! Been close to a 100 degrees almost the whole week. Will ride to the start about 25 miles, join the group ride for 57 miles, and ride back - will definitely cross over the century line (>100 miles) before it's all said and done.

See y'all later.

its an interesting statement but for the price of a 16 year colnago you can get newer carbon... lets say, parlee, people are pretty much giving them away in the classifieds. I can't say anything about colnago because I never been on one but I think they are expensive, a 16 year old carbon bike should not cost $1000 which seems what C40s are 50s are going for. I bet they are great but its interesting that we are talking about bang for the buck but imo colnagos are the opposite of that.

as far as black carbon bikes, yes, not a fan. we need to have a little fun, black bikes are borinnnngggggg

[weisan]

Good point, R3 pal. Yeah, Colnagos do fetch a premium. The Parlee you mentioned are great value.

[weisan]

[C40_guy]

C40 looks great weisan!

[Cicli]

Originally Posted by weisan

Looks good.
I had a green one. I hated it. Rode and handled like a big old truck. Eventually it broke where the top tubes meet the seat tube. Only steel frame I ever cracked. I gave it away.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Cicli

Looks good.
I had a green one. I hated it. Rode and handled like a big old truck. Eventually it broke where the top tubes meet the seat tube. Only steel frame I ever cracked. I gave it away.

A well-designed bike is a well-designed bike.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Cicli

Looks good.
I had a green one. I hated it. Rode and handled like a big old truck. Eventually it broke where the top tubes meet the seat tube. Only steel frame I ever cracked. I gave it away.

Hahaha...thanks Cicli pal.

[Cicli]

Originally Posted by weisan

Hahaha...thanks Cicli pal.

Your looks like fun though. I just wasnt sure what to do with mine.

[texbike]

Originally Posted by weisan

The wishbone B-stay seatstay design was introduced in 2002, so this bike is at least 16 years old.

Some very early first impressions from taking it through its paces on my usual route.

The thing that keeps reminding me throughout the ride is this:

"If you can't win on this bike today, you don't deserve to win anyway."

The C40 is a pure racing thoroughbred. It's predictable. It's responsive. You are not giving up on ANYTHING by racing it in today's race tracks or even among the pro peloton. I reckon Viviani will still contest favorably in the sprints and come up tops if he rides on this instead of the latest 2018 carbon-whatever special edition his competitors are on. Same with Niki Terpstra in the Tour of Flanders.

A well-designed bike is a well-designed bike.

I can say this a thousand times and it may never resonate with some people or get inside their heads.

You don't need to spend $8k to get the latest equipment in order to enjoy or get the most out of the sports. It's your money, U can spend it in any way you want but....there are tons of used bikes out there, some 10-15 years old, but they ride super nice and fully capable. Right now, I am so in love with my 15-yr-old Merlin Agilis that I wouldn't shed a tear if I get rid of all my bikes and just keep it as a daily driver for the next 10-15 years.

Ok, that's all I got to say so far. Time to get ready for my ride...it's gonna be hot! Been close to a 100 degrees almost the whole week. Will ride to the start about 25 miles, join the group ride for 57 miles, and ride back - will definitely cross over the century line (>100 miles) before it's all said and done.

See y'all later.

So, how about a ride report on the Colnago? How did it do on the longer ride on Saturday? What did you think?

And yes, I agree - there are plenty of great riding, pre-owned bikes available at a fraction of the cost of new bikes that are more than capable. The C40 fits that bill and I would say that a person would struggle to find a new bike that rides much better than that Merlin. Mr. Kellogg knew what he was doing when he designed the geo on those bikes.

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

its an interesting statement but for the price of a 16 year colnago you can get newer carbon... lets say, parlee, people are pretty much giving them away in the classifieds. I can't say anything about colnago because I never been on one but I think they are expensive, a 16 year old carbon bike should not cost $1000 which seems what C40s are 50s are going for. I bet they are great but its interesting that we are talking about bang for the buck but imo colnagos are the opposite of that.

There is just a ridiculous number of exceptional bikes available at a fraction of what they sold for originally. Massive over-supply. I would say that the Parlees struggle to bring the prices that something like a Colnago brings due to the lack of name recognition with the general public. The potential market is much smaller. Parlee specifically seems to occupy a strange place between a better-recognized brand like Colnago and the "gotta have it" brands like Sachs, Vanilla/SV, Moots (yes, I did lump Moots in with Sachs - they seem to maintain their demand), Crumpton, and a few others. They're essentially in a "no mans land" from a brand perspective that erodes value. It's bad for sellers, but great for buyers who appreciate a nice bike.

Texbike

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Cicli

Your looks like fun though. I just wasnt sure what to do with mine.

[Salsa_Lover]

Nice Frame

deserves better components though