tNuvolari

Hi, I have recently upgraded my 80's Italian Torpado (Columbus Aelle steel tubing) with campy 10 speed index shifting and have been loving the new experience but I wonder about upgrading to a newer frame in hopes that the new frame would be lighter, more comfortable and less twitchy. This bike handles well and while I love it, it is very twitchy. So twitchy in fact that I can not ride with no hands even for a second! Also, sometimes the bike will catch a groove or narrow hole in the road and it's a fight to keep from going down. Also, it's fairly rough over bumps. I know Italian frames from the period had steep angles and this one definitely has that.
Anyway, I'd like to find an affordable Colnago, De Rosa, Pinarello or Wilier frame and on the cheaper end, I usually come across aluminum, titanium, or aluminum with carbon forks and rear stays. Does anyone have riding experience with these different materials and brands to offer any insight? Is an aluminum with carbon fork still rough and uncomfortable? Does having rear carbon stays change that? I'm assuming all aluminum isn't a good choice. How about titanium? And finally, I sometimes see lower priced all carbon frames although they are usually in rough condition or damaged. I'm not going to get into discussing the repairing of carbon as I know the pros and cons of that but I want to know how carbon compares to steel and aluminum. I know the weight differences; I'm just curious about the feel for both handling and comfort.
And any experience with the four brands mentioned is appreciated. From what I've read so far, I tend to find that Colnagos have the most favorable reviews, often portrayed as having a certain magic which the rider has never experienced before.
Many thanks...

repechage

Find a different frame about 2 cm bigger.
assuming your position is good, will probably allow a stem of 110mm, a longer top tube and a longer front center on the bike.
all will calm down the bike.

materials? Nah, a steeplechase with no end

Road Fan

Those are all good thoughts, but I would suggest investigating whether the frame is aligned correctly. If you know how to no-hand a road bike (the steering can be sensitive and the response quick), the veering could be because of lateral bias forces developed due to the frame being asymmetrical, wheels not in the plane of the main triangle, wheels not dished, seat tube not parallel to head and perpendicular to BB axis. Or even that your saddle somehow tends to prevent your weight being laterally balanced.

All these things can be compensated with hands on the bar, but not otherwise. There’s also such a thing as going too slow, lol!

The frame material will not make a difference.

Road Fan

Another point about this. It looks to me like you owned and rode this bike before you did the Campy 2x10 upgrade. Were you able to ride it no-handed before that? If yes then I wonder if your cable installation is at fault. The derailleur and rear brake cables could exert leverage on the fork relative to the frame if they are bunched up or in some ways too long or too short as they transition from the bottom of the bar to the top or down tubes.

I don't really know any formal rules for this routing,but maybe some experimentation is in order. Can you show a photo of your bike from the front, at the height of the top tube, and the handlebar held so the wheel is pointed straight ahead?

Another thing relative to cables: Some people do not get their handlebar actually pointing forward with no bias. It usually takes me a few tries to get this right.

What size is the frame and what kind of Columbus is it made of? What is printed on the tubing sticker on the seat tube just under the seat lug?

Steelman54 

Don't know how tall you are, but I agree with Repechage and Road Fan.

Looking at your handlebars, I see a the fork tube extends way above the top of the headset. To me, this suggests a frameset that is too small for the rider as you have brought the handlebars up to near saddle height.

My very first bike was a Centurian sold to me by a bike shop that did not know or care about proper sizing. It was too small like the bike in the photo and I compensated with a Nitto taller stem. Whoa, was that bike a handful at speed. It was OK just cruising along, but on downhills it was really scary. Just my couple of cents worth of opinion for your use.

VtwinVince

I'm running a Bianchi ti frame with carbon stays and fork with similar components. The ride is cushier than other steel or aluminum frames I've owned, especially in the BB.