# Older Master question for the Experts



## Karbon (Oct 13, 2005)

I just took delivery of a 57cm (it was supposed to be a 58cm, boy am I bummed!) Master. It's in original Mapei colors (no funky rider with a helmet on the top tube), has the rear brake cable going through the top tube, and a number plate hanger under the top tube in line with the cable entrance hole. All the measurements are the same as a stock frame, but the top tube is longer by 5mm and it has a slacker seat angle to my eyes. Could this be a team frame?

It's never been built up, still has the paint in the BB shell, seat and head tubes. I'm debating if I should keep it and live with the size difference (which I could do, with a 14cm stem!) or sell it. But I'm wondering about it's pedigree now I have seen it first hand.


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## odeum (May 9, 2005)

*dunno how expert...*

i may be, but i ride a 58 c40, and the 58 is center to topish, actually the bottom of the clamp, so this is a 56 center to center seat tube, with a 56.3 top tube.
all (mostly) colnago non-sloping road frames were made same sized, yours may be from prior to the current sizing.
possibly you need to measure center to top of seat tube for yours, this would be expected as norm for colnago master.
you may be suprised that many 13 cm stems are measured so as to be close to ~13.5 along the center, this combined with the seatube angle/saddle setback may get you in the fit ballpark, it would be a shame to not ride that, are you sure your current fit is ideal? the trend is toward more setback...the idea is you could hang off the front and rear of the bike a bit more, and a slightly smaller frame is preferable over a larger one.
maybe the saddle setback could be duplicated from your present fit, and then take into consideration the handlebar reach of the bars available, a longer reach bar will get you out there a bit on the hoods and drops as well.
anyway, even if you must need the 14, colnago handling is, i feel, so far from twitchy you will not get a spooky front end if your setback is reasonable. i run a 13 paired with with conservative saddle setback, the front is stable, and the rear end never hops as others will when setup with identical fit parameters.



Karbon said:


> I just took delivery of a 57cm (it was supposed to be a 58cm, boy am I bummed!) Master. It's in original Mapei colors (no funky rider with a helmet on the top tube), has the rear brake cable going through the top tube, and a number plate hanger under the top tube in line with the cable entrance hole. All the measurements are the same as a stock frame, but the top tube is longer by 5mm and it has a slacker seat angle to my eyes. Could this be a team frame?
> 
> It's never been built up, still has the paint in the BB shell, seat and head tubes. I'm debating if I should keep it and live with the size difference (which I could do, with a 14cm stem!) or sell it. But I'm wondering about it's pedigree now I have seen it first hand.


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## Karbon (Oct 13, 2005)

If I was going to buy a C40, it would be a 58 or 59. I wouldn't buy a 57. I measured this right, it's a 57cm (verified from the measurements on colnago.com - particularly the head tube length is the same, top tube is longer though).

Normally I ride frames with a 72deg seat angle, so this will have me pulling the saddle all the way back (Rolls with a '95 round Record post), and with a 135mm Cinelli stem I'll be fine, just at the outer limits of everything but stem height. 

I'm wondering if I should do that, or just sell it and not decide to do so after building it and riding it a little. Right now it's in the same condition as when it was made back in 1992, probably worth a lot more in this condition.


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## handsomerob (Oct 5, 2005)

Just an FYI, I have a Tecnos with a 55cm CTC top tube. My buddy has a Litespeed with a 57cm CTC.

Wanna guess which one has a farther reach to the bars?? 

Actually they are almost identical due to the seat tube angle on the Colnago. I measured it from the tip of the saddle to the center of the handlebars on both. Mine was 1cm longer only because of a 1cm longer stem.


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