Colnago Bought by Middle East Oil Money
05-12-20, 11:01 AM
#51
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Back in college I had a summer job one year as a valet at a country club. Got to "drive" a few nice cars and usually chat a bit with their owners. I was (and still am) a little judgmental, so if they were driving a Ferrari and didn't know who Michael Schumacher was (he was driving for Ferrari at the time), they got a look of disdain. Sad to say, that was almost every single one of them...
I'm neither surprised nor saddened by the announcement. My respect for Colnago (both the man and the bicycle) started going downhill in the late 1970s and by the turn of the century, I considered Colnago the most over-rated of the high end Italian brands.. He shamelessly pursued free advertising by giving bicycles to high ranking religious figures, monarchs, head of state and celebrities. The flow of designs from his shop became prodigious and perplexing. It was like to throwing a handful of darts, hoping one would stick and become his next breakthrough. All the while, workmanship was getting worse...
That said, celebrity endorsement isn't exactly scandalous.
See above. I don't think it's such a big deal, and it happens all the time. I think the watch world may be the prime example of this...
I had been collecting bikes since the 1970's and had only had one red bike which happened to be my first Italian bike, a red Daccordi. The Daccordi was my daily ride for a number of years but then I traded it on a beautiful Pinarello in the late 1980's. I really missed the Daccordi, still do, and went without a red bike until I found a beautiful second hand, mid-eighties, red (re-paint) Colnago Superissimo frame in the late 1990's. On first seeing the frame I remembered Robert Millar's article as well as the many times I had drooled all over the Colnago's in my local bike shop. It wasn't my first Colnago but it was the one that was (up until then) the most satisfying purchase.
Now the news that Colnago company has been sold. I suppose I should have considered the prospect as Ernesto is getting on in years but it never crossed my mind. I suppose I thought Colnago, the man and the company would go on forever. How do I feel about this news? I really don't know? It's been about a week since I heard of the company's sale and I still can't mentally process this news. You see, for me Colnago more than just a bicycle brand, it's a feeling or state of being. It's a microcosm of all things Italian; brashness, flair, confidence, art and flavour with a splash of arrogance but with a background of real knowledge and experience.
Bicycle brands are always in a state of flux, they come and they go but as far as steel frames go, they can last forever. Colnago will always be there as long as the collective memory of those of us that care for the brand continues.
Now the news that Colnago company has been sold. I suppose I should have considered the prospect as Ernesto is getting on in years but it never crossed my mind. I suppose I thought Colnago, the man and the company would go on forever. How do I feel about this news? I really don't know? It's been about a week since I heard of the company's sale and I still can't mentally process this news. You see, for me Colnago more than just a bicycle brand, it's a feeling or state of being. It's a microcosm of all things Italian; brashness, flair, confidence, art and flavour with a splash of arrogance but with a background of real knowledge and experience.
Bicycle brands are always in a state of flux, they come and they go but as far as steel frames go, they can last forever. Colnago will always be there as long as the collective memory of those of us that care for the brand continues.
Which Daccordi model did you have? I know they didn't always put the model names on their bikes, but I'm dipping my toe into the brand so I'm curious...
05-12-20, 04:04 PM
#52
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The latest Ford GT gets noticed, most others, do not.
05-12-20, 04:23 PM
#53
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Best scene in the movie was the opening, NYC, you hear the Ferrari but do not see it, but you KNOW what is coming.
Best real life LA Ferrari audio/visual, riding my bike to work in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd at the LA Country Club- I hear a V12, it is coming quick, also the noise of a V-8 with vacuum secondaries fully open, look back and sure enough, Daytona, with a co-worker glued to the rear bumper NASCAR style, driving a '73 Gran Safari wagon with a 455... When I got to work, he proudly advise, He is my Witness! Where else can you see that?
05-12-20, 06:35 PM
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Always wanted to know the shunt the Cobra was involved in off camera near the end while driving through the LA river.
Best scene in the movie was the opening, NYC, you hear the Ferrari but do not see it, but you KNOW what is coming.
Best real life LA Ferrari audio/visual, riding my bike to work in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd at the LA Country Club- I hear a V12, it is coming quick, also the noise of a V-8 with vacuum secondaries fully open, look back and sure enough, Daytona, with a co-worker glued to the rear bumper NASCAR style, driving a '73 Gran Safari wagon with a 455... When I got to work, he proudly advise, He is my Witness! Where else can you see that?
Best scene in the movie was the opening, NYC, you hear the Ferrari but do not see it, but you KNOW what is coming.
Best real life LA Ferrari audio/visual, riding my bike to work in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd at the LA Country Club- I hear a V12, it is coming quick, also the noise of a V-8 with vacuum secondaries fully open, look back and sure enough, Daytona, with a co-worker glued to the rear bumper NASCAR style, driving a '73 Gran Safari wagon with a 455... When I got to work, he proudly advise, He is my Witness! Where else can you see that?
05-13-20, 01:23 AM
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I really liked the Daccordi and I commuted on it for about 4 years doing about 50km per day and a weekly 160km one-day commute. Before the Daccordi I commuted on a track bike. The Daccordi, with its higher gearing, did give me a much faster, more comfortable commute.
Good luck with your 'toe dipping'.
Last edited by Gary Fountain; 05-13-20 at 02:17 AM.
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