Colnago to be taken over by Giant
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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Keith Oates
Janner
I hope it's not true although I do like Giant bikes they don't have the charisma of Colnago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nicensleazy
Guest
Nicensleazy
Guest
Well, Harley have just bought MV Agusta!
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
And Fiat own Ferrari.
Lotus have been owned by Nissan and I think Proton.
Lotus have been owned by Nissan and I think Proton.
OP
OP
dellzeqq
pre-talced and mighty
Rob S said:
the word is one year.
I know this means nothing to most people, but I like the idea of men and women putting tubes into lugs, and fixing them with copper pins. I like the idea that no two paint jobs are precisely the same, and that two brothers have been painting Colnagos for fifty years. I think when that stops we'll all somehow be a tiny, tiny bit poorer.
mondobongo
Über Member
Another small piece of history and tradition will be chipped away, until one day there will be none.
Flying_Monkey
Recyclist
There are still Pegoretti and a few other proper Italian framemakers around - Colnago have been moving more and more towards being simply a brand for a good few years now.
OP
OP
dellzeqq
pre-talced and mighty
They've read the UK market wrong if nothing else. They're chasing the TdF teams, without really having the financial clout to compete with the big boys, and that means monocoque. You only do the HP chainstay thing once.
The paint jobs they're putting out now could reasonably be described as flashy, and, if you were feeling grumpy, trashy. The UK market is middle-aged men with more money than sense. The old 00F paint job is perfect. That's been given the push. The old people love the master section and lugs, and those are going out the door.
They also made a really big mistake in dropping Madison and following an ex-Madison employee to Windwave. Ernesto did this in a fit of pique - Madison told him they were going to stock Cervelo, and he said, right, you're on your bike. The sales have dropped for reasons I can't really go in to, but Cervelo are having a marvelous time because Madison are a marvelous distributor. The thing that Ernesto missed was that Cervelo is not a competitor with Colnago in this country. Cervelo riders are in their 20s and 30s and (god help us) ride triathlons.
So, as far as we in the UK are concerned, they've buggered up. And it really says something when it's easier to find a bike through Maestro than through a 'proper' dealer, and, furthermore, Maestro are still copying the old paint jobs (although they're not as good).
The paint jobs they're putting out now could reasonably be described as flashy, and, if you were feeling grumpy, trashy. The UK market is middle-aged men with more money than sense. The old 00F paint job is perfect. That's been given the push. The old people love the master section and lugs, and those are going out the door.
They also made a really big mistake in dropping Madison and following an ex-Madison employee to Windwave. Ernesto did this in a fit of pique - Madison told him they were going to stock Cervelo, and he said, right, you're on your bike. The sales have dropped for reasons I can't really go in to, but Cervelo are having a marvelous time because Madison are a marvelous distributor. The thing that Ernesto missed was that Cervelo is not a competitor with Colnago in this country. Cervelo riders are in their 20s and 30s and (god help us) ride triathlons.
So, as far as we in the UK are concerned, they've buggered up. And it really says something when it's easier to find a bike through Maestro than through a 'proper' dealer, and, furthermore, Maestro are still copying the old paint jobs (although they're not as good).
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
I've never ridden a Colnago, but I've often wondered whether the esteemed names like that and Pinarello, for example, are actually any better than a Trek or a Ribble. I mean, frame fabrication is nothing more than fairly basic engineering whether in cf, aluminium or steel.
If you took the transfers off, could anybody really tell one decent quality make from another?
If you took the transfers off, could anybody really tell one decent quality make from another?
OP
OP
dellzeqq
pre-talced and mighty
Transfers! Transfers! (Fans brow with scented silk handkerchief and lies on divan to recover. Calls for heart massage and nitroglycerine pills).
Yes and, then again, yes. Yes they are middle-aged male jewelley. But, yes, the ride on a C40 is exquisite, and, on a long distance ride in the company of people on Treks and Specialised bikes I did always have a better afternoon because, I think, the bike looked after me.
Worth the money? There's no sensible answer to that.
Yes and, then again, yes. Yes they are middle-aged male jewelley. But, yes, the ride on a C40 is exquisite, and, on a long distance ride in the company of people on Treks and Specialised bikes I did always have a better afternoon because, I think, the bike looked after me.
Worth the money? There's no sensible answer to that.
