MICHAELM

I found a 1993 Colnago Master Light on Ebay. From the pictures, it looked pretty good for a twelve year old. Once I received the bike, I found that the pictures didn't show some of the flaws on the frame. The seller said it had scratches, etc. from normal wear and tear. I guess when I bid and won, I thought in the back of my mind that this was probably too good to be true. I am now wondering if refurbishing the frame would be worth the expense. Realistically, I am kinda thinking I got what I deserve and should be happy and content with my current bike which is a Waterford 2200. If you have read this far on this post, you probably have figured that I am hooked on steel. I rode the Colnago briefly and in the short period, the bike shifted well and felt...well, like a steel ride. I am not in any way feeling that the seller mis- represented the bike so is not my thoughts. I know I am all over the place on this subject; but, if anyone can read between the lines of my post and come up with a thought, I would appreciate it.

joshdcu

I dunno. I think we all go through some sort of buyer's remorse every now and then...

That's a pretty sweet frame; so as long as it rides well and there's no major damage aside from the scratches and whatnot, you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Just enjoy riding it.

MICHAELM

You are correct and just how many bikes does one need? I have read all of the posts on that subject. What was really strange was when I was matching the saddle heights to my Waterford, I kept hearing a chuckle. I kept looking around and finally I figured out that it was the Waterford laughing at me. Just kidding, I am not hearing voices.

55/Rad

I say you ride it for a season an become "one with it" before you make any decision as to restore or sell. The best answer will present itself in time.

55/Rad

mollusk

If I had a Waterford like yours and was looking to get a second road bike I don't think that I would look at second steel frame since I already had a really good steel bike. In fact I have an aluminum road bike (old C'dale) and I'm looking to get a steel bike as a second ride. They old aluminum bike does go down the road just fine and is great for going fast on smooth pavement, but it is a bit harsh for uneven pavement at 23+ mph and long rides. That and getting service parts on a 20 year old ride is getting tiresome. So, what is the frame size and how disappointed are you?

Serpico

waterford is good, colnago is good

if you like the ride and there isn't any corrosion, then why not send it off to Joe Bell or someone to paint it?

sounds like a nice bike with some scratches, now you just have to decide whether it's worth the refurb

waterford is an awesome frame, sounds like you have TWO nice bikes

MICHAELM

The bike is a 56cm. Has some scratches and some rust that did not appear in the picture on ebay. I don't want to invest a bunch more money; but, I was talking with the a local shop and he has a friend that enjoys painting bikes and his main job is painting Mercedes and Volvos at a local dealer. If he is that good might be an interesting investment.

timmhaan

i know exactly how you feel. spend the money, have high expectations, and then you get it and it's like...eh.

like others have said, i say give it some time. maybe you'll grow into it.

bvfrompc

I can only sympathize with you, I remember when my 631 Silver and Black Jamis Dakota frame off Ebay arrived, it was a week before my build kit was to come in the mail and all I could do was look at it. Which is what I did, for hours, becuase it was so beatiful. My wife wondered why I needed to keep it in the living room instead of the garage until she caught me staring at it. Alas, this year a R1000 joined our family and the Dakota just hangs up in the grage like the forgotten step child. It is these emotions I sensed missing from your post, and for that, I am sorry.

mollusk

A little too small for me. I do have a line on another bike I may just pull the trigger on, though.

Is there enough difference in the ride of the Colnago versus the Waterford to make it an interesting alternative to your Waterford?

squeegy200

I too watched that auction. It's still a beautiful frame.

I don't know if this is any consolation, but the framesets from the early 80s-90s didn't really have very good paint jobs. They were usually painted by hand and the stencils were not precise. So you see overspray and rough edges around lettering. I noticed this on brand new frames coming out of the box.

Sometime during that time period, North America got a different importer and I noticed the paint jobs became more precise. I don't know if the two events were related but the lettering became more precise and the paint jobs became more artistic and flamboyant.

As long as the structural integrity of the frame and material is not compromised, I would think its still a good frame. If its out of alignment or rusty, then an overhaul would be mandatory. But keep in mind, from my observation, the value of repainted Colnagos drops significantly.

MICHAELM

At this point, I don't know since I really haven't ridden the Colnago that far or long. With the storied past of Colnago, you can't discount the ride of even a 12 year old bike. As far as the Waterford, I can only say that the ride is as smooth as butter. I love the ride and would recommend the frame. I wanted a backup and the backup I currently have is the original Waterford of a year ago purchase. The only problem is that bike is 59 cm. Just a tad too big for me. So, when I saw the Colnago, I thought it would nice to have it is a backup knowing full well that was over a decade old and I could possibly sell the 59cm. I still am scratching my head wondering if I shouldn't see a psychologist. Here I have a bike that I truly enjoy and am so proud of and what do I do? Go out and clutter up the garage with another and find myself a bit disappointed. That is a bit more of my story.

cuda2k

Best thing you can do is send that Colnago to me for a complete and thorough riding season to see if it's head and above anything (ie crap bikes) that I've ridden. After about 5 years of intensive research I will return the bike to you and state my findings. Sound like a fair deal? Hell, I'll even pay for shipping.

cyclezen

You're makin too much of the decal. And your expectation of what that decal will bring is unrealistic. Ride 'the bike'. And if it doesn't meet any of your riding expectations, then be rid of it. If you're letting the imperfections in cosmetics get in the way of the 'ride', that's a hangup. If you wanted the Colnago to be a garage queen, well then you should have made sure you were buying a trophy, or now, make it one.
Here are some trophies to compare.

If you can't see a positive side to an alternative bike, then you're a one bike guy. Nothing wrong with that. If you were to get another Waterford, just a bit better sized, you'd again have to make decisions, make choices or settle into liking each for what they give you, in the moment, on the ride.
nothing wrong with luvin your bike.
at least you're not saddled with CF

cyclintom

Let me see if I understand you - you have a Waterford and you boght a Colnago?

Hey, if you were looking for a beater I could understand that but when you own the best everything else is a step down.

Colnago has only one thing that Waterford doesn't - cache. And usually prettier paint jobs. Apparently you bought yours for the paint job. I'd be willing to bet that what you paid for the Colnago would have gone a long way to getting a really fancy paint job from CycleArt.

But of course now you DO have a good beater bike. Mine is a Look KG241 and it turned out to be such a great bike that I ride it all the time now.

HigherGround

It sounds like there are possibly two issues here. One is that Colnago has one of the most romanticized images around. Heck, I've never even ridden one, but they always catch my eye and make me drool. It can be hard for reality to live up to the imagined perfection if you're waiting for the clouds to open up, the ray of sunshine to come down, and the choir of angels to begin singing. And when you're already riding something as nice as as a Waterford, there's not a lot of room for improvement where you'd be seeing a night and day difference. It's not like you're going from a Huffy to a Colnago, so any improvements will probably be rather subtle.

The other issue is severing the emotional ties to the bike you already have. These are stronger for some people than others. Some look at it as "just a bike", but I've always had a bond to my bikes. This occurs over time and after a number of epic rides. Maybe it is a gut-wrenching ride that challenged me beyond what I thought were my limits, or that "perfect ride" with some of my best friends. It always takes time, sweat, and tinkering with the fine tuning before a bike feels like it is "mine". But after I develop that bond, it is a mighty tough one to break.

MICHAELM

I don't know if I can possibly answer the replies. After reading everyones' post, I feel pretty stupid. I saw the Colnago and was at a price I thought I could afford ($619), and would be a good backup. I have ridden it briefly like I believe I said, and everything seems fairly sound. Incidentally, did a club ride this morning with temperatures at or around 31 degrees. I did not ride the Colnago. But, I will say, a year ago I would not of been riding at these temperatures on my old bike. Just wasn't fun. So, here is the bottom line: I thoroughly love the steel ride. Although I probably would lower the value of the Colnago, I am thinking of re-painting the frame since there is in my opinion quite a bit of rust. Then, I will have two fine riding machines. If one is tired, then I can feel safe in riding the other.

telenick

Wet paint sux. Got the money? ...powder coat that prize.

cyclintom

OK, I've owned and ridden three or four Colnagos. They are good bikes and no screwing around on that. But they aren't God's Gift to Bike Riders. Some have "the ride" and others don't. And it is important to understand that you have to ride a lot of bikes before you even recognize that. It isn't as if it jumps off the bike at you like a spider.

Master Lights are good bikes. I had a Master which was WAY too stiff. But a couple of friends have Master Lights and Master Ultralights which they love.

My Super was a piece of crap until I changed to a carbon fork. At that point it gained "the ride" and so I love it now for it's ride as well as being the first Top Grade bike I ever owned. And the PAINT JOB that I had a local shop do probably made the bike nicer than anything else I could possibly do.

It is unlikely that you will find anyone outside of CycleArt that could do the Decor paint jobs that Colnago is famous for and they are definitely NOT CHEAP. It will cost another $600 for that paint job that shouts "Colnago" and you can't get it on the cheap.

However, a PLAIN RED paint job (I assume you have a Master Light with the chromed lugs which you definitely must have left unpainted and polished and perhaps some pin striping around the head lugs and the seat lugs. And CLEAR COAT IS A MUST.

If you want something really fantastic Leni Fried is the person to contact. https://www.titaniumarts.com/pages/bi...html?content=2

But here's the kicker: Unless you're one of those people who take care of their bike (actually much rarer than you'd think) an expensive paint job is sort of a waste.

After you have both bikes in good working order you'll find yourself switching from one to the other probably for a month or more at a time. I get a favorite and ride it for a month then try another and it feels different and I'll ride that until I try another.

All this is nice but most of my friends have two bikes - their favorite bike and the backup bike/beater for when their good bike is in the shop or when conditions are too nasty to take out their favorite.

Not many people collect bikes until they don't have any room left and I'm not sure that it's a good idea despite the fact that my house is full of them.