Price Paid:  $750.00 at used

Favorite Ride:
anywhere the road is good and the scenery inviting

Bike Setup:
campagnolo centaur group, fsa carbon pro crankset, frm sp-r21 wheels, fizik arione saddle, campagnolo chorus carbon seatpost, 3ttt less stem and bar

Summary:
A classic italian road bike. Classic but innovative. Take a look at the tubeset. It is a masterpiece by itself. A custom section, something really special you won' t find in another bike. Not this generic assemblage of five round tubes made in china but a product of tradition, research and passion for detail. Stiff frame but not harsh. Traditional geometry adds to the great looks and to the comfort. Straight fork makes direction and cornering extremely precise. Pro cyclists still use it as a training bike or racing bike. A future classic!

Strengths:
special tubeset, fast, stiff, inspiring

Weaknesses:
could be 100 - 150 gr lighter

colnago c50 might be better

Similar Products Used:
bianchi sl3, wilier evasion

Price Paid:  $1950.00 at e-Bay

Favorite Ride:
Lancaster Classic

Bike Setup:
61cm, full Campy 10, FSA Carbon ProTeam Cranks, Ti BB, Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL w/ Michelin ProRace, Flite TransAm.

Summary:
This bike is best described by it's name. It is a Dream to ride! The geometry is relaxed and very comfortable, but the bike practically moves with you - it is extremely responsive, corners like a Formula 1, sprints like Cipo (the bike - not me) and climbs like Heras on a good day (see previous comment). I have been racing for years and ridden some of the best frames, but the Colnago is a cut above. Looks - awesome. I have the Reflex Blue, and it is one of the most eye-catching frames I've ever seen. The radical style of the top and down tubes enhance the appearance and the stays and BB are beefy and super stiff - no deflection under the hardest loads. This bike just makes you feel faster. 17lbs total for a 61cm.

Strengths:
Light and strong - climbs and sprints with equal ease. Best looking bike in any group ride. Euro geometry is comfortable even on 5-6hr rides.

Weaknesses:
Total paranoia about road debris, lifetime addiction to Colnagos (more expensive than a coke habit)

Similar Products Used:
Trek 5500, Pinarello Prince, Litespeed Classic, Paramount Waterford Road.

Price Paid:  $1000.00 at Team mate sold it to

Favorite Ride:
Coldspring, TX

Bike Setup:
Paint: Black Headtube Fading to pearl white with orange highlights.
DA 7700
Bontrager Race X Lites
Easton Carbon Handlebars
Selle Italia SLR
Look PP 396
Michelin Pro Race Tires

Summary:
I had a chance to purchase an Orbea Orca at cost (team deal) but the Colnago mystique got ahold of me and I had to have one.
The Dream Lux (Plus) is stiff, light (2.6 lbs) frame and feels planted on the road, probably due to the 71.5 head tube angle. I built her up with 7700 Dura Ace and Bontrager Race X Lights. Sans pedals she weighs in at around 17 lbs.
The Dream plus is a great climbing and sprinting bike due to stiff shaped tubes and a big bottom bracket. The ride is smooth for a high performance bike, perhaps due to the Michelin Pro Race tires I installed which inflate to only 116 PSI. To me, the bike is confidence inspiring at speed, even in close quarters. Beautifully finished, the Dream is a rolling work of art. The welds are bella! It is obvious that a lot of care and love was put into this frame. Check out the little racer painted on the top tube. Oh, by the way, there are no stickers to be found anywhere on the frame.
Do you regularly pin a race number on the back of your jersey? If so, you'll love this bike. Century riders should look elsewhere. The Dream Plus gets a three for value and a five overall because the there is simply nothing else out there that inspires bike lust like a Colnago. If you truly love bikes you should own one.

Strengths:
Responsive
Light
Businesslike
Stable
Fast

Weaknesses:
Retail Cost is high. I bought mine from a team mate.

Similar Products Used:
Lemond BA
Bianchi Steel

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Colnago Dream Plus (blue)
Dura-Ace all around
Kysrium SSC Elite wheels

Summary:
Here's the bottom line! This bike is like none other! Why? Because it's a Colnago. It doesn't really matter which Colnago you get...a Colnago's a Colnago. I had been racing Treks and Cannondales for years until I took my friends Colnago Dream out for a ride! There is nothing like it. Yes, the paint job chips a bit, but you can't complain when the paint job beats any other around. The main thing is that EVERY ounce of power you put into the bike bursts out into optimized speed! Sprinting and climbs are a sinch with the Dream Plus. Some may find the frame a little stiff but that's the cost of a 2.67lb frame that flys. I drove all the way from Toronto to Montreal just to test and buy my bike. It was worth the drive, and every penny I paid!

Strengths:
Once you go Colnago you don't go back

Weaknesses:
Paint doesn't last forever, buy hey, no one will see any paint chips as you fly buy them, just a colourful blur!

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale R2000, and R3000
Trek 5200

Price Paid:  $2400.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Kuringai National Park

Bike Setup:
Vanilla road racer - Mapei paintwork, 54cm frame, flash fork. Chorus/Record components with Open pro rims, ITM bars and stem.

Summary:
I previously reviewed this frame when I first bought it. After riding it a couple of tens of thousands of kilometres, and throwing it down the road twice, I'm in a better position to rate its durability.

Bottom line is the frame itself is wonderful, but the paint, whilst being very pretty, is poorly applied.

Strengths:
Wonderfully light, plenty stiff and strong, inspiring to ride. It's survived two very nasty prangs, one of which landed me in hospital, with only minor scratches.

Weaknesses:
The paint has bubbled very badly, starting under the top tube brake cable bosses, and now extending most of the way around the top tube. I am told this is due to poor passivating of the frame before painting, so that an oxide layer builds up with time. A respray is >A$1000, and necessitates returning the frame to Italy and waiting several months.

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale