Colnago CLX

heavymental

Cor...that looks like a nice bike and at a reasonably affordable price too.

http://www.ileach.co.uk/post/2005/colna ... index.html

Obviously theres lots of comments knocking around about it being made in taiwan and only available equipped with Shimano but those things aren't that important to me. It looks sweet and has had some good reviews.

Nicer alternatives in the same price range?

fluff.

Cheap-ish for Colnago but still not that cheap, £2200 for a 105 equipped bike that comes with Aksiums?

heavymental

Hmm yes thats true. Still paying plenty for the frame and the name I guess. What are the better options for 2k then?

heavymental

The Arte looks like not a bad option though. £1650 for an alu/carbon frame with Ultegra. What are the thoughts on these models? I'd have thought they fitted quite well into the market of people looking for the top brands in the 1500-2500 price range?

Ste_S

A quick search reveals :-

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?productID=8046&categoryID=47
Giant TCR C1 £2,350 with Ultegra/Dura Ace and Kysrium Elite's. Giant make the Taiwanese Colnago's if i remember correctly.

http://www.awcycles.co.uk/brands/Bianchi/928_Carbon_L_-_Chorus/11899/index.aspx
Bianchi 928 £2500 with Chorus and Zondas if you want Italian.
http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70431
or £2100 with Ultegra and Kysrium Elite's

There's probably a ton of other stuff that's just as good too. You're paying a premium for the Colnago name unfortunately.[/url]

heavymental

Cheers Ste. Just to mention, unfortunately (!) I've decided that I want something fairly exclusive. I don't want to get into a debate as I recognise its largely about style and snobbery but I won't be touching a Giant or Trek and I'm not that keen on Bianchis either. I'm thinking of something by Wilier, Pinarello, De Rosa, Time, Colnago etc. Unfortunately I think with my budget I may have set my sights too high?

Ste_S

Funnily enough I see more people riding around on the entry level Taiwanese made Pinarello's than I do on Giant TCR's.

Your money of course, but bare in mind in that price range for the above bikes you'll be paying a lot more for a lot less bike because of the stickers.

You could always buy from Italy, I think some people on here have bought from Comobike.com

eg DeRosa Avant, 2490 Euros (about £1700) with Chorus and Fulcrum 3's - £2500 at GB Cycles in ths country

or Wilier Izoard, 2685 Euros (about £1800) with Chorus and Fulcrum 3's - £1100 frame only on various UK sites.

gkerr4

I like the arte - appreciate it's an entry level colnago, that its a taiwan made model and there is a premium for the name on the downtube - but I stil like it as a bike.

I think the thing that gets me with it is the cheap wheels - they are shimano 550's which are like £50 wheels - on a £1600 bike! - it could at least come with aksiums or better yet some of the 105 spec wheels (R5600s) - but 550s!!

small thing I guess, but by the time you have changed those for something half decent you would be up to two grand - which is a whole load of money for an ultegra equipped, aluminium framed bike - colnago stickers or otherwise!

I am in the same boat as you - I fancy something with a bit more pedigree than the usual trek (which I have at the moment) - Spesh etc.

I like the wilier mortirolo too - which of course for that money gets you a carbon frame, but appreciate the more 'sportive' position of the arte and, in particular, the CLX

heavymental

Hmm...como bikes eh? That seems like a good idea. I'll have a look through the forum now to see if it involves a trip to italy or a heavy customs charge...or both?

heavymental

I agree by the way gkerr. I'm not really prepared to shell out all that money on a bike that comes with a set of rubbish wheels. I guess its the premium you pay for a top brand hence the como option looks attractive.

Jashin

Add 20% to the price on Comobikes to pay fpr Italian VAT. However, once this is paid, there are no further UK charges like VAT and import duty to pay. The prices will still be way cheaper than UK shops, and the service is top notch. If you're interested, email Brent at Comobikes - he's the only guy there that speaks English.

richa

So...

Wilier Mortirolo 2007 Centaur with Fulcrum Racing 7
Como = £1,096 + 20% = £1,315
Epic Cycles = £1,600

Saving = £285 less shipping costs...

andyp

HM - have you emailed or spoken to Mike Perry at Maestro about a price for just a CLX frame?He's an unofficial Colnago dealer and gets his frames via the Benelux importer but they are kosher and he's significantly cheaper than the official dealers. I bought a C40 from him a few years ago and it was smooth sailing all the way.

heavymental

Andy. Thanks for that. Might be worth a call.

Although, I'm actually already in a fairly privaledged position as I am able to get the Colnago at trade price. However, the 105 CLX still comes out at over £1870 and the Arte at £1400 (ultegra). Still quite alot of money really for what you get....?

andyp

Heavymental wrote:

Andy. Thanks for that. Might be worth a call.

Although, I'm actually already in a fairly privaledged position as I am able to get the Colnago at trade price. However, the 105 CLX still comes out at over £1870 and the Arte at £1400 (ultegra). Still quite alot of money really for what you get....?

Lucky man.

I've said it elsewhere on this forum recently, but every cyclist should own a Colnago once in their cycling life. They handle beautifully and are a joy to ride. They are definitely worth the money.

heavymental

Well yeh...I am lucky that if I did decide to go for one I could get it cheaper but I still only save a couple of hundred quid so its still an expensive bike!

Oh dear. That Maestro site is tempting isn't it! I love the sunflower graphics you can get on Colnagos. I had thought it was only the President frame that you could get it on but now I see that Mike has a Cristallo with those graphics. http://www.maestro-uk.com/colnago-cristallo.asp godammit....suddenly I'm tempted to raise my budget :?

Dorian Gray

Not sure I agree with Ste_S that you're paying a lot extra for a sticker. The price comparisons he makes aren't very useful because they completely disregard the value of the frame, instead concentrating on the prices for like-for-like groupsets and wheels. But if truth be told, there is more scope for both superlative quality and cheap crap in the frame than the groupset. Ultegra, Dura-Ace, Chorus, even 105: they'll all work really well and the differences are mostly down to style, shifter ergonomics and small differences in weight. The frame on the other hand can vary enormously: geometry (hugely important), stiffness in a multitude of areas and orientations, material quality and build quality (which affect frame life and are especially important with carbon frames), comfort, weight and of course style here too (the frame is the first thing that makes or breaks a bike's look).

I'm not saying that a Colnago CLX, which I haven't ridden, is necessarily a better frame than comparable Giants, but it's certainly possible. At the very least, one can value things that aren't visible on a spec-sheet, so comparing prices purely by spec is a futile endeavour.

Ste_S

Dorian Gray wrote:

Not sure I agree with Ste_S that you're paying a lot extra for a sticker. The price comparisons he makes aren't very useful because they completely disregard the value of the frame, instead concentrating on the prices for like-for-like groupsets and wheels. But if truth be told, there is more scope for both superlative quality and cheap crap in the frame than the groupset. Ultegra, Dura-Ace, Chorus, even 105: they'll all work really well and the differences are mostly down to style, shifter ergonomics and small differences in weight. The frame on the other hand can vary enormously: geometry (hugely important), stiffness in a multitude of areas and orientations, material quality and build quality (which affect frame life and are especially important with carbon frames), comfort, weight and of course style here too (the frame is the first thing that makes or breaks a bike's look).

I'm not saying that a Colnago CLX, which I haven't ridden, is necessarily a better frame than comparable Giants, but it's certainly possible. At the very least, one can value things that aren't visible on a spec-sheet, so comparing prices purely by spec is a futile endeavour.

It's the only way of doing it though. I don't think I've ever seen a proper blind frame grouptest where a number of frames are fitted with identical groupset, wheels and finishing kit.

fluff.

If someone gave me 2k for a new machine, I'd be tempted to run off to somewhere like Brian Rourkes and get me some handbuilt steel. If it had to be Italian, maybe something like a Gios (always loved the blue) or a Casati (pushing the budget slightly I bet). http://www.racescene.co.uk/ was the only place I could find Gios bikes in the UK, looks like they stock alot of other Italian stuff as well.

http://www.colnagonews.com/en/forever/index.php if you like your Colnagos in fancy paint jobs, only 11k Euro!

heavymental

I'm thinking out loud here, just bouncing ideas around....

I could get a Planet X full carbon with Ultegra for £1400. Even with a trade discount the CLX with Ultegra is £900 more. Ok Planet X doesn't have the same pedigree but certainly food for thought there I guess!?

http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/road/inde ... on=421:421

heavymental

Bollox.....looking through a few threads on Planet X's looks like they were doing the Ultegra for £999 as a tdf promotional price. That, sounds like a bargain. Will they be doing it next summer too? Anyone know?