Verenti Rhigos 03 vs Colnago Ace Veloce

Rumplestiltskin

Hi, I've been scouring the internet for weeks now trying to decide on a new road bike.

What I want is a full carbon bike with something other than Shimano ( I already have a Specialized Allez Comp about 7 years old and I fancy a change).

I suffer a bit with my back so thought a Sportive type bike is the way to go, and I've narrowed it down to these two. I really like the look of the Colnago but the only place selling it in my price range is Chain Reaction and I'm not sure about their customer service etc. On the other hand, I love Wiggle with their 30 day test ride policy etc, and their customer service is brilliant, and they are selling the Verenti.

Which is actually the better bike? Should I take a chance on CRC and get the well known name at a fantastic price or play safe and go for the Verenti?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

alanmunro

I swithered long and hard about the Colnago Ace and came close to buying it but Chain Reaction ran out of it in my size. Be very careful with the sizing on the Colnago, the sloping frame makes a huge difference to the one that you need to choose. There's a good geometry guide on the Colnago website though so you can check there.

My situation is pretty much the same as yours. I searched long and hard for something that would be a little more forgiving on longer rides and there are quite a few bikes out there that fit the bill. The two you've identified get very good reviews as does the Specialized Roubaix Elite which is also round that price point. The CRC discount on the Colnago makes it very tempting (Evans has it at £1699 too - and they'll price match if CRC have the EXACT same bike in your size).

Some friends of mine were quite surprised that the Ace only had Veloce on it - remember that it has a list price of £2200 but the frame is meant to be really good.

It's hard to decide though because it's difficult to do any more than research the bikes and look at pictures before jumping in and ordering one. In the end, I plumped for a Cannondale Six Carbon (yes, I know, bike of the year and all that) which I managed to track down in Germany at £500 off the price. Now I can't wait until it arrives.

clx1

Wiggle own brand or an Italian classic?

No contest in my opinon although I am biased as I have a Colnago CLX.

There is nothing wrong with the Veloce groupset, the Ace frame has had excellent reviews.

Some will say but the Ace is made in Taiwan, so what, it's still a Colnago designed in Italy.

Rumplestiltskin

Thanks for your responses chaps.

The Cannondale Six is obviously a good choice being bike of the year but I can't find one on the internet at my price range of £1400- £1500.

I really like the look of the Ace, it gets great reviews and if Wiggle were doing it for £1500 I'd order one NOW. I asked them if they could price match CRC and they said that it was less than they were paying TRADE for the bike. However, I noticed that Wiggle have now reduced the price to £1800, but it's still too much for me.

The problem I have is that I'm unsure about CRC and their customer service, as I've read some bad reviews about them. Will the bike come properly set up? If there is a problem am I going to have a nightmare sorting it out? Don't forget I can get a bike from Wiggle, ride it for 30 days and then if I don't like it they'll come and collect it and refund my money, now that's what I call good service.

Has anyone got any experience of ordering an expensive bike from CRC and can put my mind at ease? I want to be convinced because I really want that Ace.

lemuppet

I bought an Ace from CRC about a month ago and I'm very happy with it.

The service from CRC was good, with the bike arriving in France 4 days from ordering. It comes in the original box and there is a small amount of assembly to do, like fitting the bars,front brake, seatpost and wheels. You'll also need to re-route the brake cables if you want your front brake on the right, you might have to check how the gear cables are threaded through the derailleurs too as on mine the rear one was wrong and the front had the excess cable catching on the chainset. Other than that it's just a case of checking that all the bolts are properly tightened, pumping up the tyres and getting out for a ride!!!

If you're not comfortable with building it up, you could always pay your LBS 50 quid or so to do it for you, it still makes it a very good buy.