agirlnamedlaura

Hi there,

I'm looking for a new road bike, and got my eye on this colnago super.

https://fietsen-brommers.marktplaats....fta_ind=5&fs=1


It is for sale for 600 euro, which is around 775 usd.
Although i have a big heart for vintage bikes, i do not have much experience with them.

I've been exploring the net on this super frame, but can't get clear information on it. So i'm wondering if anybody can tell me if it is a nice ride, and if it's worth the money.

Thanks!

Italuminium

That's a very nice bike. Tubing and parts are top notch, and condition is very good. 600€ is a lot of money, though, but not unreasonable. A lot of effort has been put in it to make it look the way it does now. To get a bike of similar quality, assuming you piece it together on marktplaats, would easily cost as much as the seller is asking.

Btw, assuming that you are a girl named laura, this bike may be a bit big for the average (dutch) woman.. Be sure to buy a bike that fits you! On road bikes the correct size is far more critical than on the average city bike!

BTW, the seller has some other nice bikes as well, I can highly recommend the ALAN he is selling, I have one of those as well and it's my nr. 1 ride.

Sixty Fiver

I thought the average Dutch woman was six feet tall...

Italuminium

Yes, but that still doesn't warrant a 58x58 frame if women specific frame sizing chartsare to be believed. Btw, the average dutch woman is something like 5'8"-5'-9". Gives a 5-11" pygmee dutchman like me all kinds of masculinity issues. But there's an upside too, my gf probably fits 54 cm frames too (if I ever succeed talking her into roadies), so there's a lot of n+1 potential there

Sixty Fiver

You are really short... for being Dutch.



My daughter goes to a school where there is a high number of Dutch students and although she is a little above average in height says she feels like a midget among some of her friends.

Interesting that the Dutch were average a few generations ago and have now become the tallest people on earth.

Italuminium

Yes, and when napoleon drafted his army he complained about the smalness of the dutchies... He was 1.64, as tall as my sister, who is indeed dwarfed by some of our female friends

agirlnamedlaura

Thanks for the reply!
Good to know the bike is worth the money. And since i'm this 'average' 6 feet tall dutch woman i think the bike matches my size.
I'll also check out the Alan bike!
Do you (or anybody else) also have experience with the colnago super? I've read somewhere the bike was a little twitchy.
Basically i'm looking for a smooth comfortable ride. Who doesn't

Italuminium

The "twitchiness" that gave colnago's their reputation is based on steep angles of the headtube and seattube, comined with a bit short top tube (which, incidentally, is what many woman specific frames have too - women generally have shorter torso's in relation to the legs. Look up the site of terry bicycles for an indepth explanation of all this). This mainly effects the steering, so you bet this bike needs little movement from the handlebars to dive into a corner. This is what is called oversteer: the bike has a tendency to amplify your steering movements. Compare this to a normal dutch city bike: it has shallow angles and a fork with a big bend in it, so it understeers: it basicly pulls itself straight against your steering movements.
The ALAN has frame angles that result in a very "neutral" handling, very predictable and a little more relaxed than the colnago. Neither understeer nor oversteer, or at least not in a big way. Still racy though!

The smooth ride has more to do with the frame material. The colnago is made from steel, and is thus pretty plush compared to modern alu and carbon roadbikes due to the resonating characteristics of the material.
maybe you can meet the seller and try a few bikes to see which one fits and rides the best? He seems from the ads like a knowledgable collector that could offer you good advise. At any rate, all the bikes he put on marktplaats today are regular favourites of the crowd here, so no worries that you'll buy a bad bike from him. In the end it's all about the riding, so giving advice based on pics is kind of hard to do!

And I almost forgot, welcome to the forums and greetings from a fellow dutchie.

miamijim

Seems kinda steep for Eurore. It doesnt even have 'Record' on it.

Italuminium

Well it's expensive for a barn find, unrestored or otherwise presented as-is bike; but for a restored and probably pieced together bike 600 is reasonable. Breaking it down for you:

Tape, tyres, cables 100
frame (based on guestimation of recent colnago prices) 250
chorus group 150
nos saddle 50
odds and ends, maybe some labour for jobs the seller couldn't do at home and miney for the beer fund rounds this numer up to 600 easily.

Picchio Special

I personally think that Chorus group is superior to the Record group of the same era. I don't think the bike is too expensive, given that fact and the condition. Especially as a rider. The Supers of that time were not top of the line, but no reason to think it won't be a great rider. Colnagos were perhaps a bit more aggressive than some other Italian racing bikes of the time, but I don't believe they were truly "twitchy," to an extent that would call for constant attention to avoid losing the reins.

gomango

I'd probably buy it at that price pronto.

I sold a cobbled together Super at almost the same price a year ago.

Wasn't nearly as nice. That one is pretty!

agirlnamedlaura

Thanks for the explanations and the kind greetings! This newbie feels welcomed

Seems that what I find pleasing to the eye is contradicting to what I like in a ride, since I have a soft spot for the steep angles, and forks with small bent. But then again, i say function before form. So maybe i have to look for somewhat different shaped frames. I took a look at the Alan bike. It's in any way a lot less expansive, and still looking nice! I'm afraid though it's a little on the small size.

In any case trying some bikes from this seller seems like a good advice.

I'll let you know how it works out!

agirlnamedlaura

Interesting to read you find the Chorus group of that era was superior to the Record group. Seems I have to take it for a testride and see if the bike is to aggresive for me or not. Thanks for the reply!

agirlnamedlaura

Yeah, i believe so too!

Picchio Special

I believe it functioned better - it had a slant parallelogram rear derailleur I believe the monoplaner brakes work better, by amd large, than the deltas. I have that Chorus group on one of my bikes, and like it a lot. The Record group of that time period was more about design; the Chorus group just plain worked better, and I think was also very attractive.

bikemig 

The shortish top tube might make this a really good fit for you; perhaps it will even give you that smooth comfortable ride you are looking for. . . It's a nice bike and probably worth the asking price if it is in great shape.