Garth said Some of you may laugh either because you already love Italian high end steel or because you love Colnagos or whatever, but I have never experienced anything like this bike. It is my size and fits me well as it does my wife without any alterations (perhaps she was stretching a bit for the 10 cm stem because she wanted to keep the pantograhed club motif.
The Arabesque is both responsive like nothing else, stiff in the rear triangle but supple on the road. It feels much lighter in the pedals than anything else, and I actually feel faster with it. Some may also laugh at the Dura Ace gruppo, but what can I say. I love that too. Would I fall in love with a Masi the same way? Is there something else on the road that feels like this? Is this one in a million? Who knows? Is it due to the clover leaf Columbus tubing or the super short wheel base? I'd love to know so I could get another bike in its class, if such a thing exists. I do have to ask Garth, How short is the wheel base?
Garth, no this bike isnt a one in a million! In fact nearly all the Colnagos have as Sheldon Brown described a dream like ride. My first Colnago was an 83 I believe that I bought from Matteo. After it was built up I rode it in the parking lot and within a few pedal strokes I thought WOW what a nice feel this bike has. Unfortunately the frame was just a tad too large for me so I sold it. At that time I did have my fancy lugged 83 Rauler which had what I called that magical mystery ride. No surprise there as Raul Gozzi worked at Colnago for many years and then was one of their top contract builders. It is unclear whether or not Reclus, Rauls brother, had ever worked at Colnago, but did build for Rauler. No doubt Rauler built their bikes with the same geometry as Colnago as I have had my Rauler next to a Colnago of the same year and size, no difference. Brian Baylis has said that his Colnago Super was his favorite ride; he should know a great riding bike if anyone should. Like you, I have had my share of top frames, and many of them had good ride qualities, however all but a few had that great dream like ride. The three that stand out are my Dave Moulton Fuso, Mercian Super Light and the Weigle that I sold to Jerry Moos. All three of my Raulers possess that dream like ride and yet all three have different geometries and have a different ride feel to them. The 83 has a 39 inch wheelbase, the mid 80s has a 38 5/8 inch wheelbase and the mid 70 one has a 40 inch wheelbase with a sport touring geometry. It comes as no surprise that Dave Moultons bikes possess that great ride quality. At the Cirque this year he presented his thoughts on geometry and from reading many of the articles that his has written on the subject Dave has done his homework and in my book deserves an A+.
Mike Kone said, But KOF builders often crash and burn with the general public because the steel bike thing typically is focused on lugs and beauty and rarely on performance. How often have I heard in my conversations about how wonderful a certain tube set is, or how perfect the synergy of a given frame geometry is with a specific tire for a given event ride? Almost never. A fair number of KOF builders (but there are plenty of exceptions) have lost or never had the yearning to really understand what makes an awesome ride. I believe Mike has hit the nail on the head here.
For me it is all about the ride quality. If I hung the bike on the wall as art it would be a different story. But, like many on the list here I like to ride and do so every chance I get. Also like many on the list I come from a racing back ground and expect a higher level of performance as well as ride quality out of my bikes than most recreational riders would. While I can appreciate beautifully cut and filed lugs as well as an eye candy paint job, if the frame doesnt ride great then let someone else have it.
These days I am very reluctant to buy a bike to keep unless I know the builder has a reputation for their ride quality and there are many. So maybe that is way I have purchased less bikes recently.
Let talk about the ride quality. So what is the best riding bike that you have ever been on?
Mark Poore Slatyfork, WV
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