All this Pinarello talk. I picked up a mid 1980s red Pinarello Trevisio in great condition -- well, except for the "quick release" decals -- a couple of years ago. A friend "upgraded" to a ti Merlin, and knew I went for those old steel bikes. Just my size (58). It has pantographed seat post, outer chainring, etc. I got some new decals from the internet, but they're not on the bike yet. Somehow I never got truly comfortable on the Pinarello. It was squirrily with those 23cm Pirelli tires. The Avocet Road 28s (really 25cm) I switched to helped a bit. I got lots of oohs and ahhs from bike fans, but I never really took to the Pinarello myself.
By way of contrast, I was lucky enough to get a red Colnago Superissimo (58) of the same time period from a local CR member (thanks DB). I'm fond of saying, "It may be a Superissimo, but it rides like a dream." I really liked riding it from the very beginning, even before I set it up right. It just seems to great to ride.
I'm not sure what differences really matter to my feel of the ride. Maybe its the angle of the Pinarello's front fork. I think I'll put them side by side to see what I notice. At any rate, I think the Pinarello deserves another chance.
Larry Fieman
Marblehead, MA