tottenham21

Finally in about 2 more months I'll be able to upgrade my current bike for a carbon frame one, being doing some research and narrowed it down to the brands I mention on the subject above, my buget will be no more than $3,400, I know it really comes down to which bike fits & feels better but ultimately I would like to hear from any of ya that has or already have own some of this specific bikes and could give me some good feedback pro & cons on each one..Thanks in advance & wait for replies.

deacon mark

I bought a Wilier Grand Turismo last January 10 spd with Ultegra. I bought because I still prefer the threaded Bottom Brackets easier to service and shimano cranks. I also was looking for a name bike that was not one of the BIG 3. After 2600 miles it has been great no issues. Rides well very stable and moves did an 85 mile ride on it today in fact. The internal cable routing looks good but frankly I do not mind the regular cable routing easier to service and deal with also. Rides as good as anything you can buy for the price and the bike looks so cool. I just put Conti GP4000 II with red sidewalls on it to match the frame accent looks great.

Now here is the kicker for those Bike Direct haters. I also have a Motobecane Immortal Spirit 2010 with Dura Ace 7800 that I also ride. This bike has 8600 miles on it and actually is a bit lighter than the Wilier but not much. The Moto is a tad bit twitchier with steering and not quite as stable on high speed descends but other wise I like that bike just as well. If I had it to do over again I probably would have bought an new 11 speed Motobecane for about the same money.

Please note I am my own mechanic and wheeler builder so going through Bikes Direct and having to put it together myself is no issue. Frankly I would build my own bike but it is just cheaper to buy the whole bike.

clausen

After fit, good material A is better than entry level material B.

From your list I own a aluminum Bianchi and a steel Colnago. Both are great bikes. The only carbon frames I've ridden that I would think of buying are out of your budgets range just for the frame.

rangerdavid

Budget is your problem. $3400? Who cares what you buy.

bikerjp

Why those brands? Not sure where you live, but around here it would be hard to find any of them. If that is what you have locally then go ride them and see what you like. $3000 is a good budget for a solid mid level bike and if you shop sales you can stretch your funds. However, focusing on less common brands may mean just the opposite.

tagaproject6

All great bikes. Just get the one that you think will impress complete strangers while hanging out at the local coffee shop.

rms13

Because they're fancy Euro brands. But yeah finding some of the bikes to test ride might be difficult so if you really want one you might be special ordering it blind

hamster

Right. Colnago, Bianchi and Wilier are all Italian, and Ridley is Belgian, though, in a bike at this price level, only the final assembly and possibly some painting is going to be happening in Europe, with the frame made in Taiwan and most other parts made somewhere in East Asia. Colnago makes C60 in Italy but it wants upwards of 6 grand for the frameset alone. I don't think any of the other three do any manufacturing in the Old World.

It's not clear what kind of research would result in the choice being narrowed to these brands. Especially since the question is "Wilier vs Ridley" rather than, say, "Wilier Cento1Air vs Ridley Noah".

StanSeven

Yep. You need to say what models of each brand you are looking at. Components are also important as well as fit and geometry.

tottenham21

Ok lads sorry for the late reply but here it is, all the bikes I'm looking at I am able to find in the area local bike shops near my house, I live in Dallas Tx so have no problems finding a good reliable lbs, as far as models go was thinking of Bianchi sempre pro with ultegras, Colnago cx30 I think also ultegras, Wilier grand turismo same thing and the Ridley noah also with ultegras, personally I'm leaning more towards the Bianchi sempre pro, that bike just feels great and it flies at supersonic speeds hahahaha, hope that answered some of the questions.

tottenham21

Also I already own a trek 2.1 aluminum as my first road entry bike, don't really fancy another trek nor like the other common brands you see all the time on regular rides like the likes of Cannondale, specialized, cervelo and of course the trek.

MikeyBoyAz

I'm not bias, but I am taking home a Bianchi Infinito CV Chorus tonight after I get off work...

tottenham21

I like that Infinito cv too but is out of my price range that's why I was leaning towards the Bianchi sempre pro, good on ya & ride that baby hard..

tottenham21

Funny enough the bloke in charge of one of the LBS I went to the other day to look at Bianchis told me that the Intenso is exactly the same frame on the Infinito but without the CV, what's your thoughts on that?

MikeyBoyAz

The only reason I am purchasing the Infinito is the CV, else I would have picked up a Roubaix, or steel

mlander

If exclusivity is what you seek, exclude Ridley from your list. They are sold at Performance Bikes now. The appeal amongst bike snobs is thus instantly undermined.

coldehammer

I would take a Colnago, their vintage bikes are a classic for a reason. I have a 15 yr old De Rosa and it handles like a dream (them Italians are proud of their products).

gsa103

The Intenso is basically the previous generation Infinito. I've got an Infinito (non-CV) and its a great bike, its a nice blend of endurance and race feel. I would definitely test both the Intenso and Sempre.

JamesRL

Ridley is also sold at Mountain Equipment Co-op, a Canadian firm. I am a co-op member, and I know most of their equipment is quality stuff, as a co-op they do like value, but are less brand conscious than some places. It is nice to see a full line there.

Shuffleman

Those are all great bikes and yes they are hard to find in the right size to test out. All of those bikes were on my recent list except for the Noah. I was looking at the Fenix instead. They are all beautiful. I narrowed it down to the Colnago CLX and the Wilier. In the end, I went with the CLX but I would have been just as happy with the Wilier. I actually looked at the Wilier GTR instead of the GTS. They are essentially the same but I liked the black/lime green of the GTR, which I would have had to order from Europe.
I also went with Campy Athena as opposed to Ultegra. If you are going to go Italian, go Italian. (So says the Irishman)
Good luck with the search. It is half the fun.

Shuffleman

Who cares where the bikes are made? We would all probably be surprised if we truly knew. Almost all bikes are made in Taiwan or China at this point. Colnago, Bianchi,Wilier and etc. are not stamping their brand on cheap bikes. The bikes are built to their standards. Your tires and components are all coming from someplace different than their parent company. Who cares? I have not heard a slew of people complaining about the quality of any of the top companies bikes. In fact, I have never heard anything but admiration from anybody who rides those Italian brands.
I am not knocking any other bike company. They all build good bikes. The OP just wants something different from the masses. I have heard this before and I have also heard a million times that Trek is made in the U.S. Yes, Trek is the largest builder in the U.S. They only build about 10% of the bikes here though. Their frames are made overseas as well. Who cares. Trek is a great bike, just like the Italian brands are great bikes. I have owned both and been very happy with both. Like the OP, I wanted something different. Thus, I went Italian.

topflightpro

Colnago, Bianchi and Willier will be overpriced for what you are getting.

tottenham21

Between the Intenso and the Infinito cv the frames are the same but the intenso does not have the cv module but another thing is that also the intenso is about nearly $ 3,500 cheaper. I like the sempre but will have to definitely decide if it's worth paying the difference between sempre and the intenso. I haven't had the chance to test ride the Wilier yet.

RollCNY

How tolerant are you of people mispronouncing the name of your bike?

jsmil4901

What isn't overpriced?