# Recommendation for Ridley or Colnago Cross Bike



## pharding (Sep 30, 2009)

I am in the process of purchasing a cyclocross bike. I have narrowed down my choices to the 2010 Colnago Cross Prestige and the 2010 Ridley X-Night. Both are fine bikes in the same price range. The Ridley seems to use slightly more advanced technology with concealed cable routing and concealed lugs on the frameset. The Colnago has a tradition of fine ride and build quality. I am not going to race the cross bike that I purchase. I am going to ride crushed limestone trails as I recover from my serious injuries incurred when hit by a car on July 5. Thank you for any thoughts and recommendations.

http://www.colnago-america.com/collection.php?name=CROSS PRESTIGE

http://www.ridley-bikes.com/pd/us/en-gb/4/118/cyclocross/x-night


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

You might be looking at the wrong type of bike for your intended purpose. Neither the Colnago nor Ridley have water bottle mounts (Although you can special order the Ridley with them). These are full on race bikes, The Ridley has a high bottom bracket (not sure about the Colnago) which makes it less than ideal for cruising. If I were you I'd look at bikes like the Salsa LaCruz or something custom steel.


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## pharding (Sep 30, 2009)

The Colnago Cross Prestige has lugs set flush the surface for water bottle cages. The Ridley X-Night does not, however could use the Two Fish Water Bottle Cage with their Velcro mounting strap for the water bottle.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm just curious why these two bikes?


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## Jawn P (Nov 14, 2008)

If you want the bling factor, but want something that will hold up to your intended purpose, how about a custom steel frame? Zanc, Kirk, Goodrich, or something of the like?


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## shocktch45 (Dec 9, 2008)

Dajianshan said:


> I'm just curious why these two bikes?


to ride to the coffee shop?


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## velociped jones (Mar 21, 2005)

when i saw the new price point on the colnago presitige, i started saving my money. but if you don't have a preference, i'd check the geometry and go with whichever one is closest to the perfect fit. the colnagos have a 2 year warranty. the ridley has a five year warranty as well as a bb30 setup. it's certainly more trick. you could probably find a colnago for hundreds less...


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## elmar schrauth (Feb 19, 2007)

*x-night*

Look at the photos here http://forum.cx-sport.de/showthread.php?t=472&page=2&highlight=2010
mud-clearance and cable routing are poor


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

elmar schrauth said:


> Look at the photos here http://forum.cx-sport.de/showthread.php?t=472&page=2&highlight=2010
> mud-clearance and cable routing are poor


Not sure why mud clearance or cable routing would make much difference for the OP's intended use on crushed Limestone trails.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

Something like a surly long haul trucker or a nice steel road bike either new or used would be perfect for your uses. I ride my steel Eddy Merckx on surfaces like that, if it rains though something with fenders would be nice. The surly is a great riding bike for a low price. Riding around on a cross race bike is no thrill, I do it a lot this time of year.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

elmar schrauth said:


> Look at the photos here http://forum.cx-sport.de/showthread.php?t=472&page=2&highlight=2010
> mud-clearance and cable routing are poor


I dunno. The pros seem to have pretty good luck with them...


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## limba (Mar 10, 2004)

I think both of those are overkill unless you're planning on racing once your body is back to normal.


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## cogswell23 (Aug 15, 2007)

I'd back up jroden here. For crushed limestone, gravel roads, whatever, steel is the way to go. You obviously have the money to spend on something high end, but there's no shortage of custom builders who could build you a bike that's perfect for what you want; fenders, canti brakes, maybe a front porteur or rando rack, big gearing, fat 28 or 32 road tires (no need for Cx tires for your purposes), sounds like a dream bike to me.

That new Colnago? It's ugly. If you must get one of those two frames, go with the Ridley. But you know the saying, "horses for courses"--I'm thinking these ain't the right beasts for you.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

be aware the ridley is a very tall bike. It looks like you have to buy a pretty big colnago to get a longer toptube, if I read the chart right. Neither of those bikes would be my choice even for racing on the basis of fit.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

hate to pile on (maybe not), but do you really want a highend full bling carbon frame for riding a surface that has a good chance of rocks flying up/around? a strap-on bottle cage on a frame like that seems like pure jive


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

Hey...the guy wants to buy a schooner, so why recommend a barge?

I have ridden the Ridley...and I haven't ridden the new Colnago ( do they even exist?)...but I have a C50 cross that I'm sure rides very simular.

The Ridley is a little stiffer riding, a little heavier(compared to the C50...don't know what the new style weighs) and has a higher b/b. Ridleys also are sized a little differently than most bikes...so pay attention to the top tube numbers...or ride one if you can.

Both are great choices.


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## ZoomBoy (Jan 28, 2004)

Jawn P said:


> If you want the bling factor, but want something that will hold up to your intended purpose, how about a custom steel frame? Zanc, Kirk, Goodrich, or something of the like?


+1

Custom fit for riding while recovering from serious injury would be the selling point for me here. The Colnago or Ridley might have geometry that works for you but then again maybe not. Those are pretty race specific frames.

Jeff


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

Those bikes are not in the same price range, unless you are getting screwed on the price of the Ridley. 
That said, Ridley's have short top tubes for a reason. It's called cross geometry. A shorter top tube is ideal. Yes they have a higher BB, so they make for a tall bike. Ridley knows their stuff when it comes to cross. They have a very prolific history in the euro pro ranks.
Anyway, the Colnago is nice, but pricey. The X-Night may not be a better choice if you are over coming an injury. It is very harsh and unforgiving.
You may want to look at the X-Fire. It has a slightly different geo than the X-Night. More "North American". Longer wheel base, longer top tube, lower BB. Plus it does not have the integrated post, and I'm fairly certain it has bottle mounts. Still has the tapered fork, still really light, still a very nice bike. That is the way I would steer you.


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## pharding (Sep 30, 2009)

I appreciate everyone's insightful comments. This is where I am at after considering your input and information from other sources. I had ordered the Colnago Cross Prestige 3 in size 60 3 weeks ago with the understanding that the bike was on the boat and would be here by today, end of September. I did this after a professional fitting. Before placing the order I called Colnago America, located here in Chicago, twice to confirm that the size 60 was on the boat because of Colnago's reputation of being less than dependable. When placing the order the dealer called Colnago America to confirm that it would be here at the end of September because of the seasonal timing here in Chicago. On Monday I called Colnago America to confirm delivery to my dealer for this week. I was informed that the mold in Taiwan was defective and that I would get my size 60 Colnago Cross Prestige in late winter or early spring. The dealer encouraged me to take a size 58 which was on the original boat scheduled for the end of the September, but now would arrive in mid-October. Colnago America also offered a reduced price on a C50, but then he reneged on that offer. I thought it over and I pulled the plug on the Colnago deal today because it is the same old story on Colnago. They had claimed that it was U.S. distributor that caused all of the past screw ups and that the new Colnago America, owned by Colnago would now be well run. Undoubtedly it is Colnago the parent company that is hopelessly inept and totally clueless about customer service. That frameset is not cheap and I decided that I am not going to tolerate the same Colnago poor service and extreme undependability that they are known for. Another reason that I turned away from the Colnago Cross Prestige is the goofy curved piece on the frameset makes no sense whatsoever and is just added weight.

Today I focused on the Ridley X-Night, Ridley X-Fire, and the Parlee CX. I like carbon fiber framesets because I find the lighter weight more practical. I am leaning toward the Ridley X-Night. Knowledgeable cycling enthusiasts that actually own it like it a lot and it has a fine reputation. I can have the water bottle bosses installed locally. The X-Fire has been extremely popular and it is impossible to find in size 58 right now. The Parlee CX has a lot of appeal for me, but I just do not want to spend that kind of money right now. According to the manufacturer's literature, the horizontal dimensions are nearly identical between the two Ridleys, both are slightly stretched out for a cross bike. The bottom bracket is 1.2 inches higher on an X-Fire in comparison to a X-Night which I would prefer. According to people that own the X-Night that I spoke with, the X-Night is stiff in terms of handling yet it is vertically compliant enough to be satisfactory in that area. I'll decide in the morning but the X-Fire is the leading candidate right now. If I buy it and I don't like I'll sell it next summer.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

why do you want a higher bottom bracket for your intended use?


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## pharding (Sep 30, 2009)

Lower to the ground is more stable. However according to one owner the benefit of being able to peddle through corners and over obstacles, more than offsets stability issues.


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## mike6108 (Jun 12, 2004)

pharding said:


> The bottom bracket is 1.2 inches higher on an X-Fire in comparison to a X-Night which I would prefer.


I think you've got this backwards, and even then, the difference is nowhere near 1.2 inches. The X-Night has the higher BB by 4mm. These are the specs from the Ridley website.

58cm X-Night BB drop: 57mm
58cm X-Fire BB drop: 61mm

From bikeradar.com: "The US$3,000 X-Night frameset features a more Euro-traditional tall bottom bracket height...Riders favouring a more conventional bottom bracket height can look to the heavily revised X-Fire..."

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/artic...w-lots-of-changes-for-aluminium-models-21992/


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Hold the phones.*

Okay here's what I think.. After reading your intended reasons for your bike and all that jazz.. I STRONGLY recommend you go with something like an IF Planet Cross or something along those lines.. The bike will be custom made to your measurements and will give you a bike that will TRUELY meet your needs. I've got one and ride dirt roads a lot.. You can put fenders on it if you want, has water bottle mounts, you can get a pump peg if you want.. I mean this is really a no brainer.. Is it heavier than carbon YES.. But I'd go with it 10 out of 10 times vs. something else for your intended purpose.. I even race mine.. Race wt. is 18 lbs.. Not bad at all.. 

I think you're trying to make one of these Ridleys fit a need that they are not intended for. IE: Your buying a Porche to take the kids to school in.. 

Just give Independent Fabrications a call.. What do you have to lose.. www.ifbikes.com or www.ifrider.com 

Oh, and customer service is SUPERB!!


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*I forgot..*

Here's a pic of my IF going for a long dirt road ride..


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

pharding said:


> Lower to the ground is more stable. However according to one owner the benefit of being able to peddle through corners and over obstacles, more than offsets stability issues.


 But it makes a high bike higher, by quite a lot. You really feel the tippy handling on the road, sometimes I ride my cross bike in crits and they corner like a bread truck-


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## g-Bike (Jan 25, 2006)

Also something to bring to light is that if you decide to fly with your bike I am not too sure that the integrated seatmast will fit in a bike bag? This is one of the reasons I decided to not go this route with my custom cx bike. Just a thought.


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## vwvoodoo (Sep 22, 2007)

You could also get a custom stainless Waterford in ~ a month or a custom carbon Cyfac in 6-8 weeks. CX bikes are quite tippy - If anything I would have them build it lower than normal for your intended use. If you're pedaling through corners, treat it like a crit bike and pause in the apex of the corner. 

The X-Fire would be the better of the Ridleys to consider - X-Night is definitely more expensive and has less appropriate handling. Ridleys are also hard to get at this point, as the new US distributor had a huge jump in orders from the previous supplier and they are waiting to fill in their demand. My shop still hasn't gotten any of its preseason, though I just saw that Competitive Cyclist got some.

You could also consider the Pinarello carbon CX bike. At $3500 complete it is a pretty good value and rides more like a road bike w/ tire clearance.


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## Float (May 27, 2005)

*Fork Offset/Rake*



vwvoodoo said:


> You could also consider the Pinarello carbon CX bike. At $3500 complete it is a pretty good value and rides more like a road bike w/ tire clearance.


I've ridden a 09 Pina Carbon and would be very hesitant to make a general recommendation for racing cross with this bike.

I would highly recommend it for single track use, the fork offset helps you plow into corners confidently. For gravel road use the OP mention it may work if you like slow handling.

With a 50mm fork offset proceed with caution, as always YMMV.

BTW I liked the Pina a bunch, just not the race CX bike for me.


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## pharding (Sep 30, 2009)

I placed an order today for my new cross bike, the Ridley X-Fire. The finalists: No. 2 was the Stevens Carbon Team. No. 3 Parlee Z3 CX. No. 4 S-Works Tri-Cross. No. 5 Ridley X-Night. No. 6 Colnago Cross Prestige. I appreciate the feedback from those that contributed their thoughts and ideas. I considered all of the input and it was quite helpful. The Ridley X-Fire has superb technology, looks beautiful, great value, moderate bottom bracket dimension for a cross bike, fine company with a great future, and water bottle lugs. 

Colnago was a huge disappointment. I initially placed an order in the beginning of September the Colnago Cross Prestige. I checked in periodically with Colnago America. I was repeatedly was told by Colnago America and the dealer that the Cross Prestige in size 60 was on the boat on its way. Two days before the scheduled date for me to pick it up at the dealer, I called Colnago America. I am told that there were problems with the mold in Taiwan and that my size 60 Colnago Cross Prestige bike would arrive sometime in the winter or spring !!!!!!!! The dealer and the Colnago America rep tried to talk me into a smaller frameset, size 58, that would be only two weeks late, October 15. I had mistakenly assumed that with the firing of the last US distributor and Colnago running the US distribution as Colnago America that the awful customer service was being corrected. Colnago is the worst, most inept, most unprofessional bicycle manufacturer on the planet. I will never consider buying a Colnago product again.


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## Turf (Feb 17, 2005)

This is what makes Colnago so special. Someone willing to waite and endure hardship will love their Colnago forever---I do! All the others are just too easy.


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## the mayor (Jul 8, 2004)

Turf said:


> This is what makes Colnago so special. Someone willing to waite and endure hardship will love their Colnago forever---I do! All the others are just too easy.


I must have done it wrong. I made a call and one showed up a week later. The bike is kind of slow...I must have got a defective one.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

pharding said:


> I placed an order today for my new cross bike, the Ridley X-Fire. The finalists: No. 2 was the Stevens Carbon Team. No. 3 Parlee Z3 CX. No. 4 S-Works Tri-Cross. No. 5 Ridley X-Night. No. 6 Colnago Cross Prestige. I appreciate the feedback from those that contributed their thoughts and ideas. I considered all of the input and it was quite helpful. The Ridley X-Fire has superb technology, looks beautiful, great value, moderate bottom bracket dimension for a cross bike, fine company with a great future, and water bottle lugs.
> 
> Colnago was a huge disappointment. I initially placed an order in the beginning of September the Colnago Cross Prestige. I checked in periodically with Colnago America. I was repeatedly was told by Colnago America and the dealer that the Cross Prestige in size 60 was on the boat on its way. Two days before the scheduled date for me to pick it up at the dealer, I called Colnago America. I am told that there were problems with the mold in Taiwan and that my size 60 Colnago Cross Prestige bike would arrive sometime in the winter or spring !!!!!!!! The dealer and the Colnago America rep tried to talk me into a smaller frameset, size 58, that would be only two weeks late, October 15. I had mistakenly assumed that with the firing of the last US distributor and Colnago running the US distribution as Colnago America that the awful customer service was being corrected. Colnago is the worst, most inept, most unprofessional bicycle manufacturer on the planet. I will never consider buying a Colnago product again.


Good choice.

I had an X-Fire before and now the X-Night.

The X-Fire was great, light, responsive, good geometry ( for me ), felt solid and was pretty. Unfortunately I followed all the advice about sizing down because of standover issues and I bought it too small.

So I sold it and got a discounted 08 X-Night from BikeBaron.

Now the X-Night is indeed way better in every sense. But I guess it is too much.

I will do my first race this weekend on it and I still think it is too pretty to trash it on a Cyclocross race , I am even thinking on building a beater bike for racing and ride my X-Night for training LOL, whatever, we'll see how it goes.

Anyhow the X-Night is made with very strong Carbon ( 50ton according to Ridley ) and built for the punishment, and mine was not that expensive at the end.

here it is the beauty.

Only difference to this years model is it has not internal routing, what I reckon would be good as the cables are exposed and partially to the sides as the top tube is hexagonal ( the X-Fire had them on top of the square section top tube ), and you get to touch them often with your legs when dismounting and remounting.









Here is a pic of the X-Fire for comparison purposes, you don't really want the bottle cages if you race


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## cogswell23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Strange saddle position, Salsa Lover. It's really nose down--less so on the X-night than on the X-Fire, but still remarkably downward.

Is that comfortable to you?


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

cogswell23 said:


> Strange saddle position, Salsa Lover. It's really nose down--less so on the X-night than on the X-Fire, but still remarkably downward.
> 
> Is that comfortable to you?


Yep, there really is no logical reason for a saddle to be set up that way, clearly a sign of poor bike fit.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*X night..*

That X Night looks nice!


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## astrat (Oct 6, 2009)

Jawn P said:


> If you want the bling factor, but want something that will hold up to your intended purpose, how about a custom steel frame? Zanc, Kirk, Goodrich, or something of the like?


I agree.

Especially when recovering from an injury, I'd assume you want a comfy bike. These two bikes are designated race bikes, won't be too comfy at all and will require an insane amount of maintenance. If you want comfy go for steel. If you want reliability don't go for the top of the line groupo either, go one step down. For example, the reason you see so many CX bikes running 105 or Ultegra rather than Dura Ace is because DA takes so much ****ing maintenance. Its not only because CX riders are usually poor fcukers. Furthermore, the difference in shifting is impossible to notice and the weight savings are minimal. Ultegra actually makes a better CX groupo than Dura Ace, in my opinion. The same thing goes for Sram Red vs Sram Rival, and Campy Record vs Chorus. 

Now, seeing that you are looking at a Ridley and a Colnago, there is obviously a certain amount of "my bike is more exclusive and cost more than yours" going through your head. If this is the case then do what Jawn said (see quote at beginning of my post) and build it up with some sexy parts. But, if you were just interested in the Ridley and the Colnago because you knew you were guaranteed a good bike, and dont really care about the bling factor, I'd go for the Gary Fisher Presidio. The Presidio is a nice steel tube set w/ carbon fork, and it has the Sram Rival groupo - with nice carbon appointments. You could spend the money you are saving by investing in a new wheelset, Thomson components where suitable, and even a nicer carbon fork and bar - if you really feel the need. AND You'd still have enough money left over to fly yourself to a nice resort in the Caribbean for a week. 

But the bottom line is, in your case, ride steel. 

Ps. I'm not really an advocate of steel, in most cases I prefer Aluminum and Carbon, but when it comes to comfort - steel is the way to go.


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## zoro (Feb 1, 2007)

I know it's late, but Hampsten makes a very nice dirt road road bike...


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

zoro said:


> I know it's late, but Hampsten makes a very nice dirt road road bike..



You know Hampsten doesn't "make" anything, right? They "spec" nice bicycles though.


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## zoro (Feb 1, 2007)

I do, but still, I would not mind if my frame was made by Co-Motion or IF!


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

cogswell23 said:


> Strange saddle position, Salsa Lover. It's really nose down--less so on the X-night than on the X-Fire, but still remarkably downward.
> 
> Is that comfortable to you?



No, I was setting my saddles very nose down during the two last seasons as I was recovering from pudendal nerve imflamation.


Now all my saddles are level and are much better.


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## rugbycyclist (Nov 22, 2009)

Indy Fab....


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## TheRealKTrain (Nov 10, 2009)

wow!?!?! way to rez a dead thread.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

TheRealKTrain said:


> wow!?!?! way to rez a dead thread.



Ya, especially from Pharding the train wreck. That Ridley fiasco was hilarious.


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## NextTime (Oct 13, 2007)

*Let's hear from Pharding*



OnTheRivet said:


> Ya, especially from Pharding the train wreck. That Ridley fiasco was hilarious.


Let's hear the trip report. Maybe it all worked out for the best.

It's all good.


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