Hello,

I think I've talked about the rapid enough in another post but now I've got it narrowed down to 2 bikes (unless I find a pinarello marvel to compare these against then I may have 3 :)

The Colnago Rapid is full aluminum with carbon street fork (carbon with alu steerer). Full veloce group (including campy hubs with mavic rims).

The Bianchi is full alu frame with carbon fork has full centaur group.

The colnago is actually cheaper but the Bianchi is on sale so its now in my price range (still a few hundred more than the colnago).

Which would you choose and why??

Chado

I bought a Bianchi EV3 AL/Carbon Chorus this past spring, and absolutely love it. I think the Bianchi you are considering is basically the same bike, just with Centaur rather than Chorus components. I didn't have the chance to ride the Colnago you're looking at (no local dealer) but I love my Bianchi. The bike is responsive, and IMO quite comfortable. It's not as jittery as a pure AL frame, but doesn't have the (IMO) slightly numb feeling of full carbon. I even preferred this setup to the Ti bikes I road (incl. a very nice Litespeed that just didn't have the "zing" of the Bianchi). And it always feels fast, even on the days when I don't!

I don't think you can go wrong with either of these bikes, but I would be leaning towards the Bianchi. But I'm obviously biased! :)

Thanks for the input. I'm getting really sick of the LBS's.

They want to sell me what they have in stock and aren't really interested in exactly what I want...just exactly what they have to sell me the quickest.

*sigh* I'm getting tempted to mail order myself a bike and go back to my old bike store (100kms away) and have them build it...but I'll be screwed for service after that...and although I'd like to start working on my own bikes (I work on cars just fine but never worked on bikes) I don't think the best way to "Learn" is to scratch build a bike. (It may seem like a good way to learn...and if it wasn't my $1000's in parts I'd be happy to try :)

I''ve looked a a Bianchi ML3 w/ full centaur and some mavic wheels. Nice bike, nice price but its celeste and I'm not a big fan of that colour and I don't know if I'll be happy with that bike next year when i start racing...

I have been given a price of 3300$CDN on a 2003 XL EV3 alu / carbon w/ full centaur and mavic cosmo rims. Nice price for that bike but were now in Colnago price range and I have this lust for colnagos for some reason. Bianchi's are really nice but I just dont get as excited about them for some reason :(

And I even BRIEFLY considered the XL EV4 5000$CDN (retails for 7500$CDN) full record w/ mavic ksyrium elite SC SSL's 15.6LB weight (no pedals) but this is getting way over my price range and I'd still need accessories (pedals/road shoes/computer) and now I've exceeded the price of the colnago dream b-stay bike I originally wanted (4700$ w/ same wheels but centaur instead of record) and even though its one heck of a bike I have to wonder if I"d be happier on a colnago.

And the WORST part is that I can't ride any bike thats worth more than say 3K because they are either built to order or not in my size (which I've decided 100% is 59CM). Therefore how can I decide if I'd rather spend more $ on a bike or not if I can't make a valid comparison of how they ride? I have to pick a bike from a book and go mmm that one looks nice :)

I just don't know what to do. I'm getting sick of this, I want to figure out what I'm doing so I can either buy something I can't afford and put a deposit on it / work a few more weeks OT and then go pick it up. Or pick something thats less than what I planned on spending and start riding it now. It's not like I'm bikeless I have my mountain bike but its not the same...and I want to get in on local group rides (another reason to not mail order, the store that has the Bianchi's has some really nice people that do a group ride every sunday but they are all customers...wouldn't fit in with my mail order bike in that group the store owner leads the pack).


Sorry for the rant I guess I just needed to "say" what I'm thinking and maybe someone will comment :(

Chado

If the Colnago is what you really want, then that's what you should get. Nothing is more likely to get you on your bike and out the door than having exactly what you want sitting there calling your name. That's why I bought my Bianchi, so I'd tell you to get the Colnago. Buy what speaks to you, you're looking at a couple of great bikes, so just get the one that really connects with you.

That's my two cents anyway ...

I went with the Colnago Rapid and had the wheels upgraded to the Campagnolo Zonda's. Also ordered the top end Colnago EVA seat, using thsi sel italia until it comes in.

Pictures speak louder than words though so...

http://fastcomp.ath.cx/bike/

Yes I bought Shimano shoes and my entire bike is Italian...no I didn't want to. But my feet dont fit italian shoes to well (at least not the ones the stores have in stock :( ) I was going to get Nalini's but anyway, specialized fit my feet well but since I'm not a specialized fan and I really liked the service and prices I've gotten so far from this bike shop I took last years Shimano Carbon shoes (model # is upstairs you can see them in the pic) only thing they dont have is the ratcheting top buckle...which I don't really care for that much anyway, velcro works just fine for me! (and the price was almost half of retail so I'm not complaining)

Chad

Check out gvhbikes.com. He has some nice colnagos and you can not beat the price.

With what you saveyou can pay for repairs/maintenance at you LBS if needed.

That is one sweet ride, Chado. Congrats!

BTW, I went with Sidi shoes and Look pedals on my Bianchi ... everything on that bike is either French or Italian. My Yeti has SPD pedals w/Specialized shoes though.