Vancouver-tijuana- colnago c40 NEEDED!!!

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T

tristantyson

New Member
Hi! i am new to this whole riding thing but i am in desperate need of some help !!!! I and 4 other good friends are riding from Vancouver to tijuana to raise money and awareness for the MS society and a local hospice in cambridge which goes under the name of the Arthur Rank Hospice. I have no history in riding, apart from growing up in holland and cambridge (two very bike orientated places), but am embarking on this adventure for two brilliant causes! HOWEVER, i am in desperate need of a bike, after speaking to an uncle (an ex keen road rider) i have been advised that the best bike for the job would be a colnago c40! However finding one is proving rather difficult! my price range is around the 600-800 pound mark. which obviously doesnt give me much room for maneuver (obviously i am looking for a 2nd hand one)! Can anyone help me out?!?!? oh and if you guys are interested in checking out the ride look at our blog which is: http://van-to-tij.blogspot.com. thank you so much any comments and help and links would be amazing!!! (ps. i require a 54-56cm frame!! haha)
 
Fiona N

Fiona N

Veteran
I think your uncle was leading you on - a C40, though light and stiff (and with Italian bling factor, of course) is probably not a good idea for a novice on a long distance tour. I reckon you'd be better off with something with more forgiving handling, not a race thoroughbred, and a more shock absorbing frame unless you're only going to be riding a few hours a day. You don't say whether you're going to be fully supported but I assume so, if you were even contemplating a C40, so it's not like you need a fully fledged touring bike just something more like an Audax bike - built for secure handling over long hours and long distances in all types of terrain (on-road, of course).


And you'd need to find an angel who'd consider giving/lending a C40 to an unknown, inexperienced rider ...


FWIW this opinion is based on a lot of long-distance, solo, unsupported tours e.g. Perth W.A. to Melbourne (3000miles) in 3 weeks etc.
 
Dave Davenport

Dave Davenport

Guru
Location
Hampshire
+1 re the suitability of a C40 & can you tell us;

when are you doing it?

over how long?

how are you funding it?

will you have any type of support?

why did you choose the route?

You might get a bit more advice / encouragment / offers of cheap surplus kit if you give us a bit more info.
 
vorsprung

vorsprung

Veteran
Location
Devon
On ebay old second hand c40 frames only- no wheels no saddle no handlebars, just the frame go for your entire budget

A complete bike would be £1200 - £2000

If I were you I'd contact a Specialized Dealer in Vancouver

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCDealerLocR2.jsp and then type "vancouver" in the box

Email the dealers on the list

Explain you budget is approx 1000 Canada dollars and that you'd like a long distance road bike for whenever the date is

If they suggest a "Secteur" then this is probably a good choice. See if they will throw in a bike fit. Specialized are good at this and comfort is very important on long distance bike rides.

Once you have the bike sorted out to buy in VC, arrange a charity auction in Tijuana

Then you don't have to ship the bike out or back
 
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
I've toured on a C40 and it's a little like riding a jet-propelled cloud. Two hundred miles in the saddle and your bottom thanks you for the experience and begs to go out again the day after. Your legs glow with the satisfaction that usually comes from being kissed softly up and down, hither, thither and yon. And, actually, it makes a far better tourer than the later Colnagos. Your uncle is a man of taste.

But, if you were to ask me to lend it to you...................the answer would be no. Sorry. And I'm with Vorsprung. Get a Spesh. They are the next best thing for long distances.
 
Garz

Garz

Squat Member
Location
Down
For that price maybe look at second hand dawes galaxy, or their entry level vantage.
 
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
well........I did 40,000 miles on mine and would have thought it ideal

I like the idea of a C40 being NEEDED, though. They've not made them for what - six years?
 
OP
OP
T

tristantyson

New Member
Wow guys a whole load of confusing responses (but definitely all massively appreciated)!!!!!!! Ok just a few answers to the questions! I am doing this ride over three weeks at the end of may. We are funding the ride totally off our own backs ie. none of the funds raised for the charities will be used to pay for anything. luckily we have a support team driving down the coast with us carrying equipment and tents. (support team= 2 girlfriends). However my friends and i will be paying for them too! We have been training up to 5 times a week (four 30-70 mile rides and one 100 mile at the weekend) however i have been training on my fixed gear single speed around the fens of cambridgeshire (not many hills!!) which means i have to get some gears and head to some hills soon.
(and breathe!!!!!!!)
I must admit i still have my sights set on the colnago the reason for this is i am a bit retro and i love italian bling (ha) i would also like a bike with a pedigree, especially as i will probably continue to use it afterwards. I forgot to mention in my previous post that my uncle was happily riding 200 miles a day on his c40, however he decided to buy an eddy merckx and completed a few tour (de france) stages through the pyrenees on it and hated how uncomfortable the merckx was compared with the c40, hence him advising me on the colnago. He also told me about the paris to roubaix road race in which the c40 was supposably a favorite choice and after watching some footage on youtube i think i fell in love with that race!!! Now! i have seen a c40 go on ebay for under 700 pounds tis week however the frame size was only 52cm and therefore a little small for me, so i am hoping and praying that something will come my way (PRAYING!!!!!!).

Again thanks guys for all of your responses, i apoligise for my delayed reply, but i was not anticipating any responses at all and didnt check the forum until today!! and thanks for reading this too! ( i have just re-read it and my english language teacher will be turning in her grave).

Thanks again guys and please follow our blog!!!
 
Dave Davenport

Dave Davenport

Guru
Location
Hampshire
Thanks for clarifying all that, the bike choice makes sense for a supported ride but I wouldn't limit yourself to a c40, there are lots of 'sportive' style bikes i.e Specialized Roubaix that would be ideal.

Glad to hear you're funding it yourselves and it's not just a free holiday like a lot of charity rides, good luck and just keep getting the miles in.
 
vorsprung

vorsprung

Veteran
Location
Devon
tristantyson said:
i have seen a c40 go on ebay for under 700 pounds tis week however the frame size was only 52cm and therefore a little small for me, so i am hoping and praying that something will come my way
Click to expand...

The odd sizes like XXL and extra small sometimes go cheaper but TBH you will either have to pay more than your budget or get a different sort of bike
 
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
http://www.colnago.com/news/[colsys-i18n-term-year-raw]/five-roubaix-wins-for-colnago-in-six-years

I rode my C40 offroad at considerable speed. I've done a five mile stretch of dirt path in the North Downs, towpaths, gravel paths, grass fields, even the Thames Path from Putney down to Kingston. What did for it (in a small way, a hairline crack in the lug just below the head) was a stretch of corrugated ice at the bottom of a hill. I crashed it in to the back of a van, in to the back of a truck, in to the back of a bus (there's a theme developing here) and the impact in to the bus was sufficient to have me concussed for a couple of days. The bike just lapped it up. I hit a crack in the road at Nether Blainslie at such speed that I bit my tongue and dripped blood for the rest of the day - Ernesto's finest just hummed 'Thankyou Master' to me and got on with the job. As for the good stuff - cornering was just beyond belief. The first time I streetraced some twentysomething down the Embankment we were neck and neck until that bit at the northern end of Albert Bridge where the road curves right, up, left, down, right. A rear view telescope would have come in handy - he just disappeared backwards.

And distance. There's nothing like it.

The C50 is a wonderful bike, and I'm really fortunate to own one, but there is only one C40. Possibly the best bike ever made.

And, as Vorsprung and DaveD say, you'll be lucky to get one. Buy a Spesh in Vancouver.
 
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