Price Paid:  $1500.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Record 05 10sp
Carbon compact chainset
Campag Eurus wheels
Conti GP3000s
Deda Arimo stem and Deda Electa carbon bars
Record carbon seatpost
Fizik Arione bumrest
Oh - Black bar tape of course.

Summary:
Beautiful. Slight indulgence when I bought it purely on reputation. But faith has been repaid. Occasionally during winter, reading bike mags, I ponder a change of frame but spring comes and out comes the Nag. One ride is all it takes.

Strengths:
Stiff. Previously I had a Scandium-Alu sloping frame. The first time I got out of the saddle going up a hill on the C40 I nearly fell off. I hadn't realised what a stiff frame felt like prior to that. Despite this the ride is great. I do lots of long rides and you really feel the benefit.

Handling is fantastic, Completely reliable in bends. Previous scandium frame would bounce through some corners on rough surfaces. The Nag just sorts it all out and you can just think about your line.

The Price - Yup if you can still get your hands on a C40 - at sub £1500 now an absolute bargain in my book.

Also it's beautiful.

Weaknesses:
Occasionally creaks. She's very temperamental about it though and will go weeks with nary a squeak - then off she goes. Something I said ? temperature dependent?

Similar Products Used:
Dediacci Alu frames.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Record 05 10sp
Carbon compact chainset
Campag Eurus wheels
Conti GP3000s
Deda Arimo stem and Deda Electa carbon bars
Record carbon seatpost
Fizik Arione bumrest
Oh - Black bar tape of course.

Summary:
Beautiful. Slight indulgence when I bought it purely on reputation. But faith has been repaid. Occasionally during winter, reading bike mags, I ponder a change of frame but spring comes and out comes the Nag. One ride is all it takes.

Strengths:
Stiff. Previously I had a Scandium-Alu sloping frame. The first time I got out of the saddle going up a hill on the C40 I nearly fell off. I hadn't realised what a stiff frame felt like prior to that. Despite this the ride is great. I do lots of long rides and you really feel the benefit.

Handling is fantastic, Completely reliable in bends. Previous scandium frame would bounce through some corners on rough surfaces. The Nag just sorts it all out and you can just think about your line.

The Price - Yup if you can still get your hands on a C40 - at sub £1500 now an absolute bargain in my book.

Also it's beautiful.

Weaknesses:
Occasionally creaks. She's very temperamental about it though and will go weeks with nary a squeak - then off she goes. Something I said ? temperature dependent?

Similar Products Used:
Dediacci Alu frames.

Price Paid:  $1400.00 at Internet

Favorite Ride:
Wine Country Century

Bike Setup:
My frame and fork has the AD 23 paint scheme exactly like that at the top of this page. I like it but it is bright. I have a large stable of top end bikes. I prefer Chorus to Record so set it up that way. Since there's a lot of climbing in the bay area, I use Chorus Carbon compact cranks. I put on Kyserium SSL's and mostly carbon components. I'm using the "Lance Saddle" which is a Selle San Marco Concor lite - this is a small saddle but I don't have much trouble with it and I usually use a Regal. The all up weight is a shade under 18 lbs which is very light for a 62 cm that can hold up my 200 lbs.

Summary:
This is a great bike particularly for racing. It is stiff enough to sprint well and is a great descender. While the ride is very stiff it doesn't enter the realm of aluminum race bikes which cannot be ridden for distance because of the harshness of the ride. I have done 100 miles or more on the bike without problems. I usually hesitate to ride this as an everyday bike because it is so expensive to replace and because it does ride stiffer than anything but my Fuji Newest aluminum frame. But when I'm going to do a long day with lots of climbing this is a good bike. It was designed and refined as a road racer and it shows in every turn of the cranks.

Strengths:
The bike handles incredably well in racing conditions. It has pin point steering and is especially good at high speed descents. The fit is perfect for my 6'4" with 35" legs.

Weaknesses:
The ride is quite a bit harsher than my steel bikes though softer than an aluminum bike.

Similar Products Used:
Basso Loto EL
Colnago Super
Eddy Merckx Corsa 0.1
Eddy Merckx Ex Pro
Fuji Newest
Look KG241

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Not Britton's

Favorite Ride:
Vanderpool, in the Texas Hill Country

Bike Setup:
Full '06 Record Carbon, Mavic Ksyriums (SL2), King headset, Time RXS carbon, Fizik Aliante saddle and Aerus C4 carbon bar and stem

Summary:
Was riding a '03 Prince SL prior to the C-40.

Felt a little mushy at first, compared to the Deda aluminum Pinarello. After the first few hundred miles, I finally got used to such a dampened ride. Takes the aches out of a 50+ mile ride. Been riding different things over the last 19 years, some good, some bad and ugly. It's truly the best bike I have ever owned. After all it's a Colnago, what more can one say?

Strengths:
High grade ferrari engineered carbon tubes and lug construction. Sets the standard for all lugged carbon bikes. Unlike 90% of all bikes out there, this one was not built by an 8 year old Taiwanese kid.

Weaknesses:
1" head tube, not as stout or stiff as the 1 1/8" C-50 set up.

Similar Products Used:
Pinarello, Bottechia, Colnago, Rossin (back in the day) Campy, Campy, Campy.

Price Paid:  $4000.00 at Ski's and Bikes

Favorite Ride:
Anywhere

Bike Setup:
All record, as it should be.

Summary:
This review is for a 2002 C40 in Mapei paint.

This bike costs a fortune and most of your friends will think you are crazy but let me tell you that you will not be dissapointed with your purchase. This bike is the envy of almost every other rider out there. It is no conincedence that when teh Mapei team was dissolved all of the riders made sure they kept their C40's. This bike is smooth and somehow makes you ride harder, you just cannot explain it. If you can get one slightly used or a new order model do it!! You will not regret it.

Strengths:
- Awesome ride quality
- Smoothness
- Looks/Paint
- Eats up the bumps
- It's a Colnago
- History/Mystique
- Proven champion frameset

Weaknesses:
- Expensive, but what isn't in cycling?
- Crashes will make you fall into depression.

Similar Products Used:
- None