# 1 out of 8,000?



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

I did the Sea Gull Century with my wife (her first ever century) this past Saturday. Nice sunny day on the Eastern Shore of MD. but super windy 30/40 MPH winds with 50+ gusts.

Well I did not manage to see all 8,000 riders, but was quite shocked to only see one Colnago the entire day. I am guessing it was a Master. Beautiful deep purple paint with nice lug work and a straight chrome fork. Very nice bike. They sure do stand out against all the Treks and Specialized out there.

With that many riders fom all over the country I expected to see a few more Italian bikes. I did spy a couple of Williers, and on Pinarello (besides mine and the wife's).

I've decided to keep my C-40 and do the Phillidelphia/Colnago Gran Fondo next year. I bet I see a few more 'nags there.


----------



## mapeiboy (Oct 31, 2007)

The reason you did not see many Colnago bikes is because its not flavor of the day . Where I live , I see plenty of pinarello , BMC , Time . I only saw one Colnago on a group ride .


----------



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

True, and they are expensive. Still there were many "old timers" I saw several old steel bike with center pull calipers and the like. Tons of people over 50 and 60 who would not be so FotD types. 8,000+ is a huge ride. I would have guessed at least a dozen Colnagos. Perhaps I was just ahead of them all on my Pinarello ;-)


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

I did the ride and I'm pretty sure I saw that same bike.

I think I saw you and your wife a few times. Easy to pick out a couple both riding Pinarellos haha. Were you on a Dogma with a shaved head? I was looking for different bikes as well and saw a few Pins other than yours, one Dogma that was bright ass yellow. I was on a red/black Cervelo S1 and my buddy has a black/yellow Tarmac. I think you guys sat next to us on the grass at the last rest stop. 


I thought it was kind of funny seeing how many people had relatively cheap bikes with baller carbon wheels on them. That must have been hell with the insane crosswinds we had. I was getting blown all over the road for the last 40 miles or so.


----------



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Yea that was me shaved head but it was a Prince not a Dogma. My wife's is an FP6 with just about every pink bit of trim known to man. How crazy was that wind? I was taking it very easy since my wife is just getting back into biking after several years off. I should have taken my Colnago C-40 with Eurus wheels over the Prince/Enve. The front wheel is a 38 so the winds only got me a few times. All in all I was pleasantly surprised with how well my 38/65 wheels did in that stiff wind.

I do remember a really nice red/black Cervelo, did you have a relativly large amount of seatpost sticking up? If so I remember you passing us but don't recall you at the "pie" stop.

The only Pinarello I saw was a red Dogma. I did however play with a dogma/di2 bike after picking up my number. Man, that electronic shifting is slick...very impressed. Can't wait to see what Campy counters with.

Nice ride but pretty boring being so flat. Good for a first century, but I don't think I would do that ride again. So many people made it a bit annoying at times.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Oh, ok, guess I saw so many bikes that day I couldn't keep em all straight. 

I think I passed you guys a little before the pie stop. I thought I was only a mile or so out, so I started hammering because I knew I had a long wait ahead of me. Turns out I was about 3 miles away, so it was just a bad idea. Yeah, that wind was terrible. During the last leg, I almost got blown off the pavement once or twice by a strong gust. My wheels aren't a large profile, but the frame certainly isn't made for crosswinds. 

I think I'd do the race again, but switch to the snow hill route. My friends said it was much less crowded and nowhere near as much wind. 

Here's my bike. I ended up dropping the stem all the way to the head tube so that I could get lower for more aero against the wind. Really the only way to fight it was get super low and push through.


----------



## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

I'm sure Cervelo makes great bikes

but they are gawd awfuly ugly.

maybe their art department could invest some time in estetics improvements :idea: or perharps they don't have an art department ?


----------



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

dcorn, that looks about right. Pretty sure I remember you and the bike the wheels with low spoke coutn stick out from what I recall. Personally I really like just about everythign Cervelo puts out I like different. The wife and I got passed by lots of groups in pacelines, but not too many singles 2s and 3s, so that had to be you. For my wife the worst part was that last 4-5 before the pie stop. She was kind of losing it and worried about the 20 still to come. After some pie and rest she was good to go and powered through the last 20. I know Salsa and RFly will cringe since this is a Colnago forum but here are the two bikes....like you said hard to not remember two people brightly colored Pins. Especially a guy with shaved head it had to be us.

In Colnago's defence that purple master with chrome fork was probably the best looking bike I saw all day. Classic, timeless and in fantastic shape.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Yeah, I'm always amazed by how the Pins look. Really like the colors on your bike too. Again, sorry for infiltrating the Colnago forum. I don't 100% love the way my frame looks either, but the aero is definitely noticable. Sorry I don't quite have the dough for a fancy clover shaped frame haha. 



rplace13 said:


> The wife and I got passed by lots of groups in pacelines, but not too many singles 2s and 3s, so that had to be you. For my wife the worst part was that last 4-5 before the pie stop. She was kind of losing it and worried about the 20 still to come. After some pie and rest she was good to go and powered through the last 20.


Same thing happened with my friend. The 5-10 miles before the pie stop were reeeeeally windy and he kept dropping back pretty far. Not much I could do at that point, I was slowing down to almost 10mph and he wasn't catching up. I just decided to go all out for the last few miles before the stop and I think that's when I came by you guys. 


A local high-end shop in Arlington, VA has a tuesday night ride and you should see the bike porn that shows up there every week. I feel inadequate showing up on an aluminum bike with alloy wheels lol. I'd guess there is easily $250k in bikes there every week.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

dcorn said:


> A local high-end shop in Arlington, VA has a tuesday night ride and you should see the bike porn that shows up there every week. I feel inadequate showing up on an aluminum bike with alloy wheels lol. I'd guess there is easily $250k in bikes there every week.


oh jeez, don't tell me it's the contes ride. That ride sux!!!


----------



## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

rplace13 said:


> I know Salsa and RFly will cringe since this is a Colnago forum but here are the two bikes....like you said hard to not remember two people brightly colored Pins.


Nah!! Your Prince is a sweet looking bike!!! So is your wife's FP6, pink and all. The color combo on your Prince is probably my favorite of all Pins that I've seen. Love the orange accents. 

I want a steel Colnago too now that everyone in my family has a steel Colnago! But I want a Tecno more than a Master.


----------



## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

Why so Ride-Fly?
A technos in my size , AD-10, full record 9 Speed showed up in the local Market for 800, I hesitated about it and was gone real quick.

I am looking more for a master on a AD paintscheme but I can't find it on my size.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

So back to the original post on why 1 out of 8k 

I've been into the sport for 20 years - and 20 years ago Colnago was sponsoring Word Perfect and that team was bad A$$. Dark Blue frames with a straight bladed chrome fork - so cool. Go forward a few years and you have Mapei with the C40s which were both beautiful and leading edge. 1,2,3 in Paris Roubaix helps, as does great riders like Tafi and Museeuw and Rominger. Then go forward to cycling 2.0 or as I like to call them, the Lance years. You have Colnagos on Robobank - ok, good but not as good as Mepei. Then go forward to now - Milran and then Eurocar. You see my point, it's a step down each time. Add to that the Lance years brought about ugly bikes, the artisan aspect was lost and it was all about weight, weight.

Let me ask you this - do you think, for a second, Cervelo would sell like it does if they never penned the CSC deal to have them ride their bikes? No way, not for a second.

Colnago has to keep on the artisan aspect, the hand built in Italy and the other stuff they do well, if they want to sell more - they gotta get with a world-class team. They get good bang for the buck with euro car, but if they went Saxo, or even Sky - they'd get a lot more that's for sure.


----------



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

ronderman, totally agree on why they are not selling as well or the flavor of the month today. Not to mention at $5K+ for a new frame they are a bit out of most casual riders budget.

However, there were a ton of old people at this thing like *ME* and I am guessing you are. When I worked in a shop in the 80s/90s just to feed my biking habit part time I lusted after a Master with a straight chrome fork. 

This sort of multi-thousand-person no competition century should have (at least I expected) the perfect place for retro bikes all decked out in their C-Record grandeur of days gone by.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

Yea, I think Colnago also started to lose it with the C50. At that point everyone wanted thicker carbon (regardless if it's actually better). They had the EP, but it was just a different animal - the Milran team looked great with Zabel blue but it was too little too late.

And yes, the 5k aint helping anything. I do know a guy like each of us who EVERY year gets a new specialized. Rides for the local shop type thing. Told him I was getting a colnago and he said he had a C40 and wished he never sold it. That seems to be the order of the day.

FYI - order my EPS (I got the EPQ) a year ago from England and Maestro - I paid $3,600 and justified it as retail for every other high end carbon frame (cause I can still get deals), Am I glad I did it? Yes. Can I get it again for that price? Probably not. Would I pay 5k? No.


----------



## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

well, I haven't riden the new models, and although I have read lots of good things about the newer Colnagos I have to say 2 things.

1. The C-50 and his sisters the Extreme-C and the EP (which I have) are truly great frames, I keep being amazed by the sweet ride the C50 gives, the responsiveness of the Extreme C on the slopes, however EP is surely stiffer and performant but doesn't manage to give me the sensations I get from the other 2. 

Sure I am no racer, but I guess I am quite representative of the larger target market for racing bikes.

I did have a Bianchi 928SL which is a monocoque frame one of the first advanced nanotechnology High Modulus on the market, and I loved it, but when I got into Colnagos it simply lost its attractiveness, it was too harsh and unbalanced in comparison.

2. The market nowadays is flooded with so many high tech offers, that the Colnagos "look" dated. This was something that really impressed me on the last Eurobike show, after I wandered on all pavillions looking at so many bikes I finally reached the Colnago booth, and well the bikes looked underwhelming in comparison.

Sure the regular joe who buys bikes would be much better served with a C59 but with all the "High Tech" offer around he doesn't look into it anymore.

Should Colnago switch to the new kind of bikes ? or should stay on the tradition and land an sponsoring deal with a bigger team ?

I don't know. I think Colnago is doing quite well in Italy for example, they sponsor the Colnago/CSF team that is winning a lot on the domestic races, but those are not seen across the pond....


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

Personally I would love to see quick step or at least Liquigs on some colnago's, but I digress.


----------



## Mike Overly (Sep 28, 2005)

Salsa_Lover said:


> Should Colnago switch to the new kind of bikes ? or should stay on the tradition and land an sponsoring deal with a bigger team ?
> 
> I don't know. I think Colnago is doing quite well in Italy for example, they sponsor the Colnago/CSF team that is winning a lot on the domestic races, but those are not seen across the pond....


They were one-rider-who-doesn't-bonk away from some good world press this year, but I'm with the crowd that can't make a case for lugs on a carbon frame. Lugs were/are for steel, and every time I hear the "more sizes" explanation for lugged carbon Colnagos my brain translates it to "We're _really_ all in on this charade." With the bulk of sales headed toward farmed-out Far East monocoque production I don't suppose it makes a big difference to the brand's bottom line. Someday there will be some value in the "Ernesto never gave up on lugs" charm of the Made in Italy line.

(rplace13: Gorgeous pair of Pinas)


----------



## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

rplace13 said:


> True, and they are expensive. Still there were many "old timers" I saw several old steel bike with center pull calipers and the like. Tons of people over 50 and 60 who would not be so FotD types. 8,000+ is a huge ride. I would have guessed at least a dozen Colnagos. Perhaps I was just ahead of them all on my Pinarello ;-)


I bet there were at least a dozen of Colnagos. You only saw one.


----------



## rplace13 (Apr 27, 2011)

ph0enix said:


> I bet there were at least a dozen of Colnagos. You only saw one.


Guess I should have phrased my post differently. Out of 8K riders I would have expected 100s of Colnagos and I would have seen a dozen or so of those 100s. Not a huge deal, just struck me as odd.

Mike O, thanks for the kind words. I feel lucky to be able to "waste" so much time getting all the matching parts for them. It has been a lot of fun. I can't count how many men and women commented on my wife's pink princess. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Yeah, I guess I'm the wrong guy to be in this convo. I'm 26 and have only been road cycling for a year now. I think the new modern style frames look awesome. Plus I'm a mechanical engineer, so anything that is designed for function over form is kind of right up my alley. Aero frames, more advanced carbon fiber weave, electronic components, etc. And I'm sure you guys will hate to hear that I'm lusting after the new Venge. Sorry haha.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

The Venge - REALLY. But wait a sec, if you're an engineer than come on - you have to know that BS like BBRight, aero this and that are complete and utter BS. Especially for an amateur (which EVERYONE on this board is - least we forgot). Do you really think the Venge will be lusted after in 10 years? The whole arched top tube is there for what . . . . . . cause it's not function, that's for certain, it's more for form and something different. 

I will say this, electronic shifting does rock and I will have it someday soon, but irony of irony - you are aware Colnago was one of the first to make frames specific for electronic housing.

Also, more advance carbon weave? Sure, maybe sometimes. more often than not - it's cheaper fiber and cheaper labor - there is a reason this stuff is made in China and it's on assembly it's not for quality.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Not trying to start an argument, just putting my 2 cents out there of what I like about modern design. Any difference between me lusting after a Venge and you a Colnago? Nope, personal preference of 'art'. And just because I like things functional doesn't mean they have to be ugly. 

Also, do you think McLaren would throw their name on just any old POS bike? I don't think it's worth $18k, but any argument you make can also be said for the Ferrari Colnago.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

dcorn said:


> Not trying to start an argument, just putting my 2 cents out there of what I like about modern design. Any difference between me lusting after a Venge and you a Colnago? Nope, personal preference of 'art'. And just because I like things functional doesn't mean they have to be ugly.
> 
> Also, do you think McLaren would throw their name on just any old POS bike? I don't think it's worth $18k, but any argument you make can also be said for the Ferrari Colnago.


No, I didn't think you were trying to argue, and neither am - just two dudes talking.

However, I will say this - come on, for real, McLaren - yea, they wouldn't put their name on any POS bike, they had to get paid and Specialized was all too willing. Say what you want on the colnago ferrari - I wouldn't get it, but at least they tried to do some art with it.

I guess my last point is that Colnago and the Italian heritage is very much about art and the bike. Eddy's hour record, a bike for the pope, the first real carbon bike for the pro for all races (calfee was first, but the C40 was the first for all races), hand painted masterpieces (some look like ****, but that means they are trying). 

Let me sum it like this - for the 90s documentary "revenge of the nerds" Steve Jobs was asked about Microsoft and he said they deserved their success, but "they have no taste." Now, let me ask you - if he were alive and if were to ride do you think Jobs would ride a Colnago or a Specialized? Better yet, Ernesto and Mike - who is Steve Jobs and who is Bill Gates?

I ride a Colnago for the same reason I started using macs in the 90s and bought the first ipod ten years ago. I don't ride a specialized for the same reason I don't but MS products.


----------



## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Again, you are talking to the wrong person haha. I have an ipod because its the most efficient way to carry music and every electronic device known to man is compatible with it. I had a Dell DJ Jukebox before, but I wanted something to connect to my car and my Alpine HU had an ipod hookup. I'd never buy another Apple product though, just not a fan. 

You obviously care much more for the history and asthetics of the Colnago bikes and that is totally cool. Like I said, we just have completely different views on what makes a bike lust-worthy (and expensive haha), plus I'm not as sentimental about the bikes because I don't know the history of the sport.


----------



## ronderman (May 17, 2010)

I am totally not surprised you purchased a Dell DJ.


----------

