Rubear

I'v been thinking of getting an Alu frame and this is what it has come to. I plan on heavy street riding with speed in mind. I think they are both great but i hear more about the bianchi. Anyway Pros/cons, coparitive review, or whatever help me make an educated choice.

youngandcurious

If your going to ride on the street heavily, id go with steel. ps why aluminum over steel?

Rubear

I figured that question would arise.... I already own a steel frame and i love it to death but these are both quality alu frames that should be able to hold up agaist street rideing. also, got damn, i love the aero tubing lol.

xkillemallx16

alu's not as bad as many here make it out to be if your streets are somewhat decent. between the two, i'd just pick the one you think looks better.

though check craigslist. coltello's i've seen get all the way down to 350 at the lowest, while super pistas dont really drop below 550.

hamish5178

The Masi Coltello looks alright in some pictures:



and odd in others:



The top tube is way too thin for the frame to look nice (fwiw, my Team Track looks similar).

For the same price, I'd much rather have the better looking Super Pista that has a reputation of being a great frame.

youngandcurious

If your size 54 it seems like a goooood deal https://cgi.ebay.com/Felt-TK2-Track-B...#ht_719wt_1139

Leukybear 

Hmm have you considered the cinelli vigorelli? I'm just putting in the word as it is among the usual ranks of those 2.

If it is between those 2, I'll go for the super pista in pista concept celeste/ black colorway as bianchi is celeste and you don't want no bianchi being mistaken for a leader that costs a fraction of the price LOL

yummygooey

Is the Coltello the same as this?

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...team_track.htm

Rubear

no, its better than that. looks very much the same though. like they say looks can be misleading

youngandcurious

Looks EXACTLY the same to me

hamfoh

I always wondered what the big differences between frames like that outside of the sticker. They seem so similar and if components aren't coming into play, I'm genuinely very very curious what the main differences are and why one is 2x as the other

same goes for the motobecane vs mercier kilo. why is the mercier $200 more by chance?

voted bianchi

xkillemallx16

in this case, looks are not misleading. you want it to be the same to justify your purchase but really, its the same frame aside from the seatstays.

i believe...
old fuji track pro = coltello
older ftp = moto team track
old fuji track pro + gussets = raleigh rush hour pro

all are basically the same and most definitely ride similarly if not the same.

spend your money how you want, but essentially... realize its the same frame.

hamish5178

hahahahahahaha

dietrootbeer

all the above mentioned aluminum frames are quite similar, the not so obvious thing that sets the Masi apart though is the top tube:



a little hard to see from the picture but it has what i guess could be described as a ridge on the top and lower side of the top tube. its supposed to add stiffness, but i havent ridden any of the other frames mentioned so i cant say. i love my coltello and think the paint/ decals are really sharp. too bad a majority of people build them up tarcky as all hell. ive had mine for 2 years and have had 0 problems, even came out of a pretty rough crash with no damage. the masi web site has a decent video with some good information: https://www.masibikes.com/framesets/coltello-frame/

Rubear

ok hold up.... if i was buying based on looks i wouldn't need an oppinion you get me? And to let some of you guys know a higher priced frame is based on the quality of the tubing, welds, perks of the frame(e.g. lugged, attached coller, headset...) ect. not the way it looks or the sticker (to an extent). while a Motobecane Team Track or Raleigh Rush Hour Pro seem practical and look the same, Bianchi and Masi are better quality frames that are built the meet the demands of the rider not the market. i just wanted to clear that up, anyways. thanks for that "ridge" detail i thought it was just round. can you still fit a lil top tube protector thing on it so the drops don't dent the frame?(not the foam one the njs type one) And yea that video was sick i'v seen it before hand and it really sold me the frame XD but yea obviously bianchi has too also good to know a coltello can hold up in a crash, im kinda prone to those lol

Leukybear 

Nope, the kashimax 5 gold on conforms to perfectly round top tubes of a smaller diameter, no way a aero styled aluminum frame can fit... believe me that was the worst $50 I ever spent, it's collecting dust in a drawer at the moment... I bought it originally for my nagasawa which I departed with awhile back during the height of the NJS hype.

Squirrelli

FWIW, Rush Hour Pro does not look the same as a Moto Team Track. A Cotello is probably the same quality as a Moto Team track, but with slightly "better" aluminium.

You should also put T1, TK3, Giant Omnium into consideration

As for the bike, pick the one that fits you better.

LupinIII

love the crap out of my continuum. not the lightest, but it rides nicely and makes a good street fixie

its more buzzy on the road (like it vibrates over ashphalt and cracks more) than my peloton, but since putting on my tb14s its smoothed it out a good bit.

Scrodzilla

If it were me making this decision, I'd get the Masi.

soyboy

i'm a fan of both bikes, the masi looks like a nicer frame but i've never seen it in person and it's true that they're nearly identical, if you need a top tube protector(kashimax style) you can get the same protection with a 6inch strip of bar tape and some electrical tape to hold the sides down, if you want to match color home depot sells a variety pack of colored electrical tape for like 2.50, good luck with your bike

hamish5178

Okay, if you know everything about bikes why are you asking for advice? What evidence do you have that a Masi frame is of better quality than a Raleigh or even a BikesDirect bike besides the stickers that are on it? You don't sound like you have much first-hand experience with any of these bikes.

hamfoh

even if Rubear knows everything, I'm interested in both frames he likes and would like to know the differences. Let's say we're only talking frames here, what's the upside of a Masi or Bianchi vs the Moto/Merciers at BD

adriano 

a masi would be perfect for you, rubear.

calbob76

my vote is on masi

Rubear

why do you say that?