Marquise
07-09-2011, 10:43 AM
I’ve only been a cyclist for just over a year but I’ve been a cycling fan for a few years. Watching the grand tours and other races and attending local Superweek races, I developed an appreciation for gorgeous bikes before I even started riding. The Felt ZW5 I bought a year ago is great and I didn’t need a new bike but, well, you probably know how this goes.
Sometime last year I discovered that a discount site from which I bought cycling clothes had a few bikes for sale, including a Colnago frame. A Cristallo with beautiful lines in bare carbon with paint in the colors of the Italian flag, it seemed a perfect Italian bike. At half the original price it was expensive but if it fit, I reasoned to myself that I could buy it and delay getting it built up to manage the expense. Too bad only a 52 was available and I was riding a 50. It gnawed at my mind. Eventually my husband scrutinized the geometry of my Felt and the Cristallo and concluded it *might* just work but his analysis included a number of things that could work for or against it fitting me. I dithered for a while before ordering it on New Year’s Day. When delivered, the frame was indeed exquisite, but it was missing the fork. We compared it side by side with my Felt and concluded it just wouldn’t work, so I sadly returned it.
A few days later, my husband forwarded a targeted ad he saw when checking gmail; it offered Colnago frames built up to one’s specifications. Being a cycling enabler, he pointed out that the CLX 2.0 has lines similar to the Cristallo, which is no longer made. Soon I was considering not just an older discounted frame but a brand new bike. We tested online fit calculators and I specced a dream build, toying with the idea of an online purchase. E-bay was consulted. I’d never ridden the bike, however, and came to my senses (sort of).
There are no local Colnago dealers but I found one near Chicago with a demo in my size. I made an appointment for a test ride on what turned out to be a nice Saturday in late January (40 degrees F). While I donned my winter gear, the mechanic installed my saddle and pedals. The neighborhood has decent bike lanes and many cobbled streets. (The CLX 2.0 has been ridden by pro men in Paris-Roubaix.) As expected, it was more nimble and responsive than my Felt. Fearing I might dislike the ride of the performance bike on which I had a crush, my husband was relieved when I returned with a good report. The shop confirmed the following Monday that the U.S. distributor had the frame in the color I wanted. They ordered it and a Sram Force groupset and told me they’d have it ready Wednesday or Thursday.
The U.S. Colnago distributor is located in downtown Chicago so my frame didn’t have far to travel. There was a blizzard on Tuesday, however, and I think my frame was in one of the UPS delivery trucks stuck for days on Lake Shore Drive because it took more than a week to get to the shop. The components, meanwhile, arrived from Minneapolis on Tuesday as expected. No matter. The blizzard meant no riding outside for quite a while. I picked up the bike two weeks after I ordered it. My in-house mechanic installed my saddle, pedals, and blingy Vuelta Team V wheels with red hubs and spoke nipples. Then I waited until the temperature rose and the roads were free of snow and ice.
Although the weather this spring presented lots of challenges for cyclists, I now have more than 800 miles on my CLX 2.0. I love the bike and the Sram shifters. I think I’ve gained speed from the lighter frame and wheels and I’m gaining strength, skill, and speed from quality miles on the bike. When it’s not on the road, my new bike resides in the dining room, where I daily admire my Italian work of art!
Sometime last year I discovered that a discount site from which I bought cycling clothes had a few bikes for sale, including a Colnago frame. A Cristallo with beautiful lines in bare carbon with paint in the colors of the Italian flag, it seemed a perfect Italian bike. At half the original price it was expensive but if it fit, I reasoned to myself that I could buy it and delay getting it built up to manage the expense. Too bad only a 52 was available and I was riding a 50. It gnawed at my mind. Eventually my husband scrutinized the geometry of my Felt and the Cristallo and concluded it *might* just work but his analysis included a number of things that could work for or against it fitting me. I dithered for a while before ordering it on New Year’s Day. When delivered, the frame was indeed exquisite, but it was missing the fork. We compared it side by side with my Felt and concluded it just wouldn’t work, so I sadly returned it.
A few days later, my husband forwarded a targeted ad he saw when checking gmail; it offered Colnago frames built up to one’s specifications. Being a cycling enabler, he pointed out that the CLX 2.0 has lines similar to the Cristallo, which is no longer made. Soon I was considering not just an older discounted frame but a brand new bike. We tested online fit calculators and I specced a dream build, toying with the idea of an online purchase. E-bay was consulted. I’d never ridden the bike, however, and came to my senses (sort of).
There are no local Colnago dealers but I found one near Chicago with a demo in my size. I made an appointment for a test ride on what turned out to be a nice Saturday in late January (40 degrees F). While I donned my winter gear, the mechanic installed my saddle and pedals. The neighborhood has decent bike lanes and many cobbled streets. (The CLX 2.0 has been ridden by pro men in Paris-Roubaix.) As expected, it was more nimble and responsive than my Felt. Fearing I might dislike the ride of the performance bike on which I had a crush, my husband was relieved when I returned with a good report. The shop confirmed the following Monday that the U.S. distributor had the frame in the color I wanted. They ordered it and a Sram Force groupset and told me they’d have it ready Wednesday or Thursday.
The U.S. Colnago distributor is located in downtown Chicago so my frame didn’t have far to travel. There was a blizzard on Tuesday, however, and I think my frame was in one of the UPS delivery trucks stuck for days on Lake Shore Drive because it took more than a week to get to the shop. The components, meanwhile, arrived from Minneapolis on Tuesday as expected. No matter. The blizzard meant no riding outside for quite a while. I picked up the bike two weeks after I ordered it. My in-house mechanic installed my saddle, pedals, and blingy Vuelta Team V wheels with red hubs and spoke nipples. Then I waited until the temperature rose and the roads were free of snow and ice.
Although the weather this spring presented lots of challenges for cyclists, I now have more than 800 miles on my CLX 2.0. I love the bike and the Sram shifters. I think I’ve gained speed from the lighter frame and wheels and I’m gaining strength, skill, and speed from quality miles on the bike. When it’s not on the road, my new bike resides in the dining room, where I daily admire my Italian work of art!