Re:
Time for an update...
As mentioned above I wanted to try out a traditional stem and seatpost. Firstly I found a 3T Evol stem with a hinged clamp for the oddly shaped Biomorphe bars. But to my disappointment it failed to hold the bars properly. They slipped under power and being carbon I didn't want to over tighten them.
So it was back to the drawing board with a modern 3T Arx stem that I'd unsuccessfully painted neon yellow. That was given a course of paint stripper, and then to remove the black anodising, a caustic soda bath. After some Autosol and elbow grease I'm very pleased with the result.
A Campagnolo aero seatpost (thanks Tel) pairs up nicely with the newly polished stem.
Then came the forks, I wanted something more stable. Not easy finding 1" threaded carbon forks, but some Easton EA30s fitted the bill, just a shame that the decals are under the clearcoat. Now the front end is noticibly stiffer (and lighter too).
I had no plans to change the wheels, but then the dangerous mix of a few beers coupled with ebay fixed that. A pair of first generation Mavic Cosmic Carbones ended up being mine. I usually remove wheel decals but I like these on this bike, so for the moment they're staying.
As a Q-ring convert it was a pain that the front derailleur hanger didn't accommodate the tips of a 53t q-ring. I thought it'd be no big deal going back to round chainrings, but I was surprised to feel quite a difference. So I sourced a smaller 50t 130 BCD q-ring.
And finally, a traditional polished bottle cage replaced the ugly cheap carbon one.
The result – a confused Colnago? Parts dating from the 80s, 90s, 00s and even 10s, and not to mention the unspeakable mix of Campagnolo (seatpost and headset) and Shimano.
But it's what I set out to build, and it feels and looks better than I expected
Time for an update...
As mentioned above I wanted to try out a traditional stem and seatpost. Firstly I found a 3T Evol stem with a hinged clamp for the oddly shaped Biomorphe bars. But to my disappointment it failed to hold the bars properly. They slipped under power and being carbon I didn't want to over tighten them.
So it was back to the drawing board with a modern 3T Arx stem that I'd unsuccessfully painted neon yellow. That was given a course of paint stripper, and then to remove the black anodising, a caustic soda bath. After some Autosol and elbow grease I'm very pleased with the result.
A Campagnolo aero seatpost (thanks Tel) pairs up nicely with the newly polished stem.
Then came the forks, I wanted something more stable. Not easy finding 1" threaded carbon forks, but some Easton EA30s fitted the bill, just a shame that the decals are under the clearcoat. Now the front end is noticibly stiffer (and lighter too).
I had no plans to change the wheels, but then the dangerous mix of a few beers coupled with ebay fixed that. A pair of first generation Mavic Cosmic Carbones ended up being mine. I usually remove wheel decals but I like these on this bike, so for the moment they're staying.
As a Q-ring convert it was a pain that the front derailleur hanger didn't accommodate the tips of a 53t q-ring. I thought it'd be no big deal going back to round chainrings, but I was surprised to feel quite a difference. So I sourced a smaller 50t 130 BCD q-ring.
And finally, a traditional polished bottle cage replaced the ugly cheap carbon one.
The result – a confused Colnago? Parts dating from the 80s, 90s, 00s and even 10s, and not to mention the unspeakable mix of Campagnolo (seatpost and headset) and Shimano.
But it's what I set out to build, and it feels and looks better than I expected
