Colnago and Campagnolo

Fermapiedi

Am I missing something? Why is it that Colnago bikes are routinely sold with Shimano groupsets. Is it a contractual thing or is there some history I'm not aware of?- Or is it I just don't know where to look?

jimycooper

i think it is a crime to have shimano on a italian bike, e.g. conago or bianchi, And it wouldn't be right to see campagnolo on a trek. Does anyone else share this opinion?

OffTheBackAdam

No.
My Bianchi came with a Shimano set.
Since I won it in ProCycling's TdF competition several years ago (Armstrong won with a 6-06 gap, IIRC) I wasn't complaining then & I'm not now.
Your answer is to buy frame & the rest seperately, then build it yourself, as we used to do years ago with the likes of the Paramounts & Aendes that were the dream bikes of my youth!

robbarker

Fermapiedi wrote:

Am I missing something? Why is it that Colnago bikes are routinely sold with Shimano groupsets.

It's because it is reliable, it looks good and it works, and it's not so far to ship the components to Taiwan ;-)

Slow Downcp

A few years back Colgano could only be bought with Campag, but Shimano's ever incresing grip on the new bike market (probably with big discounts on OEM for frame manufacturers) means that very few brands can now be bought with Campag.

I prefer the build up myself route - if you buy off the peg you invariable end up swapping bits (saddle, bars, wheels, tyres etc) to suit personal preference.

giant_man

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

No.
My Bianchi came with a Shimano set.
Since I won it in ProCycling's TdF competition several years ago (Armstrong won with a 6-06 gap, IIRC) I wasn't complaining then & I'm not now.
Your answer is to buy frame & the rest seperately, then build it yourself, as we used to do years ago with the likes of the Paramounts & Aendes that were the dream bikes of my youth!

Well this makes no difference as Bianchis are not made in Italy anymore.

mrushton

Well they are assembled and painted in Europe

Bugly

who give a st*FF? Both Campag and Shimano make top gear - the manufacturer puts on what allows them to have the best margin. If you dont like it buy a frame and the groupo of your prefence

Fermapiedi

I take the point you can build up your own bike. I've doine it with my TT bike and a retro Colnago Mexico. It certainly is a very satisfying way of getting your ideal/dream bike. However it is a very expensive way of doing things, and I was just interested in if there was any reason why Shimano were routinely used in preference to Campag. I take Bugly's point about margins.

redddraggon

Fermapiedi wrote:

However it is a very expensive way of doing things

I've always found it to work out cheaper, to self build a bike, especially if the bike will cost >£700.

You just need a bit of patience and know where to look for the bargains.

Slow Downcp

redddraggon wrote:

Fermapiedi wrote:

However it is a very expensive way of doing things

I've always found it to work out cheaper, to self build a bike, especially if the bike will cost >£700.

You just need a bit of patience and know where to look for the bargains.

I agree with Red - just built up an Enigma Etape with Centuar and Kysrium Elites for less than the complete model option with lesser wheels. Plus I won;t need to swap the saddle, bar width etc.

mercsport

I agree with red and slow .

Even gone a little further than 'slow' ( he won't like me saying this probably ) by buying the etape frame from source and saved a further six hundred quid or so . It just lacks the head tube badge and tube transfers . Stuck a Chorus gruppo on it . Again , shopped around and saved two to three hundred on my LBS price .

I haven't seen a production bike that I wouldn't 'improve' in some way or other . So , ultimately , paying more in the end . Begin from scratch .

Slow Downcp

mercsport wrote:

I agree with red and slow .

Even gone a little further than 'slow' ( he won't like me saying this probably ) by buying the etape frame from source and saved a further six hundred quid or so . .

I did then put mine through the work bike scheme, so only cost me 50% of the sum of the parts, so I'm happy

mercsport

Slow Downcp wrote:

mercsport wrote:

I agree with red and slow .

Even gone a little further than 'slow' ( he won't like me saying this probably ) by buying the etape frame from source and saved a further six hundred quid or so . .

I did then put mine through the work bike scheme, so only cost me 50% of the sum of the parts, so I'm happy

That' s top stuff 'Slow...' !! !

Now , if only we could somehow make it attractive to the guys who mend the roads to cycle to work ..... :roll:

DavidBelcher

Slow Downcp wrote:

I prefer the build up myself route - if you buy off the peg you invariable end up swapping bits (saddle, bars, wheels, tyres etc) to suit personal preference.

Me too - good for honing maintenance skills, easier to get the bike specced just how you'd like it, and by shopping around and dipping into the 2nd-hand market, you can get a pretty good bike on a limited budget.

David