Colnago Primavera - best buy for around £1000

frenchfighter

I am looking to buy a bike around £1000 and the Colnago Primavera is currently one of my top contenders. I was wondering if anyone who owns one or knows anything about them could give their opinion on them.

Also, all the ones I have found are either Tiagra or 105 groupsets - do they actually do them with a higer Campag groupsets. If so, can someone recommend a store?

Slow Downcp

It's not a great buy for a grand TBH - there's a lot of carbon framed bikes with better groupsets on for that money now.

redddraggon

You can get a Bianchi Veloce 1885 for less than £1000

Ste_S

Not worth the money, you're paying extra for the Colnago stickers.

Bianchi 1885, Boardman Team, Focus and Kiron from Wiggle + a fair few others are all better value

ademort

Hi you can get a planet-x for a grand, full carbon frame and good groupset, (if you like shimano). greetings Ademort

frenchfighter

Thanks for the replies so far.

I don't quite unbderstand though - am I to go for an unestablished or at least not particularly established brand as I get better value for money? Colnago are one of the best bike builders around and have built quality bikes for a very long time, therefore I accept that they can command a slightly higher price for something similar groupset wise - it is only natural.

I have only ever heard great things about Colnagos and so think that there must be something there that you are paying for that is worth having, I just wanted opinions on it's ride quality etc.?

Not only that, but Colnagos are amoung the most attractive bikes in the world imo and I would be much happier riding one than a planet x, giant, trek, kona, specialized or boardman for instance. I don't want Shimano either, as I have it on my current bike and, having never ridden Campag, would like to experience the difference (I do not want to go into which is better as there are a huge number of threads covering that!).

http://www.windwave.co.uk/colnago/2008/ ... a_wbm8.jpg

Lagavulin

I've never seen a Primavera with Campag, only Shimano Tiagra and 105.
Haven't seen a framset only option either for a custom-build. Entry-level frame and fork option is the CLX I believe.

Slow Downcp

I admit I like the look of Colnago's but the cheaper entry level ones are just that - cheaper entry level bikes. They're built in the same factory (or similar) in the far east to many other much cheaper options.

The Bianchi 1885 is a much better bike IMHO - better frameset, groupset, and finishing kit. If the Primavera had a Trek or Spesh badge it would be around £600-£700, so I guess it depends whether you like the paint scheme enough to pay £300-£400 for the badge.

antfly

Hi,I`m new here.
I have a Colnago Ramarro which is last year`s model,the same frame as the primavera with the tiagra groupset.It is true that they are made in Taiwan,so what. I paid £800 for it but I think it`s a great first road bike.The spec isn`t that great but it`s the frame and forks that make it so good.These other people can`t judge it as they haven`t ridden it,it`s great fun. I tried a £1000 carbon bike in the shop and didn`t like it,and the Colnago looks better too,but If you can stretch your budget what about the Colnago Arte,it gets a great review on here.I think the difference with Colnago bikes is that rather than being good value for money they are actually fun to ride.Whatever you get make sure you ask for a discount,you should get at least 10% off the full price.Oh,and they only come wih tiagra or 105 groupsets {primaveras}.

Monty Dog

Firstly, I have a Colnago and it's a fantastic bike, but I wouldn't recommend one for a beginner - far better value can be had at this price point and probably the Planet-X carbon with DuraAce at £999 has to be a killer deal. Likewise, a Focus or a Ribble are great bikes too for the money too - all the frames are made in the far east, like the Colnago, but the brands don't demand a 25-30% price premium. For a beginner, you can't afford to get too precious about your kit because crashes are almost inevitable as you learn to handle a bike in all conditions - chucking a £1k bike down the road isn't too heartbreaking..

antfly

For a beginner, you can't afford to get too precious about your kit because crashes are almost inevitable as you learn to handle a bike in all conditions - chucking a £1k bike down the road isn't too heartbreaking..[/quote]
The one he`s talking about is a grand.Anyway how crap a cyclist do you have to be to fall off all the time.I know i`ve been road cycling for a year and have never fallen off,I don`t intend to either.

redddraggon

antfly wrote:

I know i`ve been road cycling for a year and have never fallen off

Are you using clipless pedals?

sward29

I've got one of the 2006 105 equipped Primavera's as my training bike which I bought in early 2007 for only £799. (activesportskit.co.uk and JE James were doing them for that price at the time). If you afford to hang on for a month or two then it is almost certain that you should be able to pick one up for a similar price. There were a few new ones on Ebay recently for £849 from a shop somewhere in the UK so keep your eyes out for some more in the near future.

Having owned a Colnago C50 and a Giant TCR advanced the Primavera doesn't offer the smoothness that you might get from a top end carbon frame but it is still a great ride, especially at the discounted price I got mine at, and offers similar handling to the more expensive Colnagos. It's light, rigid, and comes with a good spec although I don't think it is possible to buy a Campag equipped version unless you buy the frame alone.

Is it the best bike for a grand? I have no idea as I haven't ridden the Ribble, Planet X, and Focus mentioned by others. What I do know is that just because a bike has a carbon frame doesn't mean that it will offer a smoother ride than aluminium, and that the Primavera is a great bike both to ride and look at.

It all depends on the price you can get one for and how much you want to have a bike that you actually look forward to riding/owning. If you do buy one though I don't think you would regret it.

antfly

redddraggon wrote:

antfly wrote:

I know i`ve been road cycling for a year and have never fallen off

Are you using clipless pedals?

Yes.

Slow Downcp

antfly wrote:

Hi,I`m new here.
I have a Colnago Ramarro which is last year`s model,the same frame as the primavera with the tiagra groupset.It is true that they are made in Taiwan,so what. I paid £800 for it but I think it`s a great first road bike.The spec isn`t that great but it`s the frame and forks that make it so good.These other people can`t judge it as they haven`t ridden it,it`s great fun. I tried a £1000 carbon bike in the shop and didn`t like it,and the Colnago looks better too,but If you can stretch your budget what about the Colnago Arte,it gets a great review on here.I think the difference with Colnago bikes is that rather than being good value for money they are actually fun to ride.Whatever you get make sure you ask for a discount,you should get at least 10% off the full price.Oh,and they only come wih tiagra or 105 groupsets {primaveras}.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with frames made in Taiwan - just pointing out that a lot of the others the OP mentioned would be built in the same factory/region, and not to get too hung up on the Made In Italy tag.

Also, the question was "Best value for £1000?" - which it isn't. If the question had been "should I stop listening to my head and let my heart rule?" there would have been a different response. Similarly how can you say that the Colnago is better than the carbon framed bike if you just tried it in the shop - as you say how can you judge it if you haven't ridden it? If the OP gets a discount (say to £800), then it becomes more of a reasonable buy, but there is still a premium being paid for the Colnago badge. I bought a Bianchi to use in the winter two years ago, and I did pay more than a similar spec Spesh or Giant but I'm happy with that as I liked the bike. If I had been looking for best value I would have bought a Ribble or similar.

antfly

Slow Downcp wrote:

antfly wrote:

Hi,I`m new here.
I have a Colnago Ramarro which is last year`s model,the same frame as the primavera with the tiagra groupset.It is true that they are made in Taiwan,so what. I paid £800 for it but I think it`s a great first road bike.The spec isn`t that great but it`s the frame and forks that make it so good.These other people can`t judge it as they haven`t ridden it,it`s great fun. I tried a £1000 carbon bike in the shop and didn`t like it,and the Colnago looks better too,but If you can stretch your budget what about the Colnago Arte,it gets a great review on here.I think the difference with Colnago bikes is that rather than being good value for money they are actually fun to ride.Whatever you get make sure you ask for a discount,you should get at least 10% off the full price.Oh,and they only come wih tiagra or 105 groupsets {primaveras}.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with frames made in Taiwan - just pointing out that a lot of the others the OP mentioned would be built in the same factory/region, and not to get too hung up on the Made In Italy tag.

Also, the question was "Best value for £1000?" - which it isn't. If the question had been "should I stop listening to my head and let my heart rule?" there would have been a different response. Similarly how can you say that the Colnago is better than the carbon framed bike if you just tried it in the shop - as you say how can you judge it if you haven't ridden it? If the OP gets a discount (say to £800), then it becomes more of a reasonable buy, but there is still a premium being paid for the Colnago badge. I bought a Bianchi to use in the winter two years ago, and I did pay more than a similar spec Spesh or Giant but I'm happy with that as I liked the bike. If I had been looking for best value I would have bought a Ribble or similar.

When I said I tried it in the shop what I meant was I took it out for a ride in the street.

gkerr4

i wouldn't pay £1000 for the primavera - i think it's too much of a 'badge premium' - and I am a 'brand-fan' (if that makes sense).

I do, however, like the 'Arte' - it's a real smart looking frame and not too bad value if you can find them around £1500 with ultegra.

Also - there was a place on ebay which always sells off Arte Frames - not sure how they come buy them - it's a regular bike shop too so quite legit. anyway the arte frame tends to go for around £500-£600ish and this could be build up with campag (of course) into quite a good bike.
Say you got it for £600 + £400 for campag centaur carbon + a set of say Fulcrum racing 3's for £360 and budget £240 for saddle, seatpost, bars, stem, tape & tyres and you would have a cracking bike for £1600

N0bodyOfTheGoat

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COLNAGO-Bikes-and ... m153.l1262

antfly

gkerr4 wrote:

i wouldn't pay £1000 for the primavera - i think it's too much of a 'badge premium' - and I am a 'brand-fan' (if that makes sense).

I do, however, like the 'Arte' - it's a real smart looking frame and not too bad value if you can find them around £1500 with ultegra.

Also - there was a place on ebay which always sells off Arte Frames - not sure how they come buy them - it's a regular bike shop too so quite legit. anyway the arte frame tends to go for around £500-£600ish and this could be build up with campag (of course) into quite a good bike.
Say you got it for £600 + £400 for campag centaur carbon + a set of say Fulcrum racing 3's for £360 and budget £240 for saddle, seatpost, bars, stem, tape & tyres and you would have a cracking bike for £1600

I agree the primavera is overpriced which is why I suggested the Arte.The arte retails at £1500 with ultegra.You can get it for £1300 and probably less when the new bikes come out.Not everyone has the know-how or the inclination to build their own bike.

acorn_user

Planet X might be good value, but you have to buy it online. That is not a good way to buy a first bike unless all the local shops are hopeless. I'm sure a Primavera would be a great bike, but I'm also sure it is not available with Campagnolo parts in the UK (according to the importer's website). And it is oh so pretty.

Monty Dog

I just wanted to qualify my statement - if you are going to ride hard and learn about the handling traits of a bike, a crash is almost inevitable, particularly if you're riding in all weathers in a group. I've been riding and racing for 20 years and still expect an 'off' every couple of years - it's part and parcel of the sport. If you've never crashed or come close, you're not trying hard enough! Likewise, if you have any plans for road racing, again expect a crash whether you or someone else caused it is immaterial - £4k bikes 'crunch' the same as £1k ones!

antfly

I ride hard but I don`t ride in a group and I don`t race and I don`t take unneccessary risks.I`d rather stay on the bike than have a broken collarbone or slide under a car.Anyway i`ve only been riding a year so maybe i`m due a fall in the next year.
I`m sure most people who own a racing bike just ride for fun,like me, and never intend to race and don`t consider crashes as an inevitability.

Rich-Ti

My Ti Omega in the classifieds could be build for £1100!

I just planned a build for a mate who might be interested in it from a 'frame for life but might have to put up with low end components for a while' perspective - Mirage group, Askium wheels, EA50 bars, Charge Spoon saddle and a set of pedals would come out at less than £1100 if you shop carefully - now that is a bargain for a Ti frame!

frenchfighter

Thanks for your replies. I am still interested in the Primavera, but will also look at the Arte and some of the other brands mentionned. I guess I will have many years ahead of me to buy Colnagos and Looks etc, so should probably be looking at value for money rather than pure style!

The point about crashing an expensive bike is a good one. It is one of the reasons I have avoided full carbon frames. They may be great (although in my price range I don't think much better than aluminium) but a creash that puts sufficient force on the top tube and it will crack and be useless. I even kow of a guy who had a carbon Focus and it fell over at home and the frame cracked!!

So I would go for carbon fork and seatstays as a max - I only know of Bianchi doing this combination - does anyone else know of other bikes?

And for info, I have been riding for two years, done many thousands of miles and have crashed at least four times. I am currently riding a C2C Bianchi Sora which I am very happy with but which is relatively heavy and is built more for comfort than pure speed and responsiveness.

Juju_uk_68

Just bear in mind your cheap end of the range Colgnago is built in the same factory as a myriad of other makes. If you still think it's special, then it must be the specific geometry that appeals to you of the frame.

The Colnago that rolls out of the Taiwanese factory on the same day that 1000 Giants, Planet X', Halfords specials or what ever, wearing a groupset that would embarass another brands at £200 less, isn't a bargain.

But you take heart that it was designed, and signed off, by people serious about cylcing, who have high standards. Theframe might have the compromises "you" prefer, over those of a typical giant/Planet x/Whoever consumer.

It might be stiffer, lighter, racier, or cheaper, but unlikely to be all four. And part of cycling is about pride in ownership, joy in the product. If the Colnago name is going to make you happier, then buy it. ITs your money and your choice.