I like to think of TREK in the early days (and Waterford / Gunnar, to some extent, even today) as the ultimate expression of midwestern values.
On an early TREK cycle, about all the differentiation you could find between a model 400 and a model 770 was in the colors of paint. In some cases, if you were lucky, you would get panels on the head tube and seat tube. But, other than that, all bicycles looked the same. There were no chromed lugs or cheesy stamped fork crowns on TREKs, ever. There were no fancy transfers, no fancy model names, just numbers on the bike, which reflect (I think) roughly the selling price!! TREK consciously went against the grouppo idea, about the only thing they wouldn't mix were the front and rear derailleur brands.
Some people may think this is bland, but I think its cool.
All early TREKs basically wear the same tuxedos, period.
The Colnago, on the other hand, is the ultimate expression of self adornment. With a colnago, it's all about, "Hey Look at me, I'm a Colnago!! Someone must have dropped a bundle on me !! I'm a kept bike !! Look at all this jewelry all over me, check out my Tatoos !!"
If a TREK was a male bike, Then a Colnago is a female bike !!
Ok, I'm getting into my flame suit now !!!
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA