Review: Colnago M10s

By Scott Mares | Published Aug 17, 2014

Right Out of the Box

I was really excited to get the box form Colnago America. Who dose not like getting a Colnago sent to them? No one that I know of. Any way the frame set arrived in the customary frame box. What can you say when something beautiful comes right out of the box. Amazing! The frame was this white with blue pearl accent stripes. The White was crisp and clean and the blue was this bright sky blue that had glitter added to it. I found myself just staring at it while I was holding it. Just taking it all in.

Road Test Ride

i was really excited to get this bike built up and get it out on the road for several reasons and once I got the M10s on the tarmac I was not disappointed. I have been searching for one word that would describe by experience with all of the miles that I have pilled up on this Colnago. And the one word that I keep coming back to that fits all of the situations that I have ridden the M10 s in is Smooth...

If I was to think of an image of what it feels like. I keep remembering a scene in a movie with John Tavolta. The movie is called "Be Cool" Jon is sitting on a couch in a recording studio and some record mobsters come in and attempt to shake down Uma Thurman. There are like 8 of them and more muscle and testosterone than you can shake a stick at. The Mob Boss is getting upset and John in his Italian suite is just sitting on the coach in a very relaxed state and tells the Mob boss to "Be Cool".

Anyway on to the road. This bike will not disappoint at all. We built it up with Dura ace and some nice wheels and off we went rolling. So I am going to tell you what it is and what it is not. Its not twitchy, unstable or unpredictable. The Colnago MS10 is stable, predictable and responsive all rolled into one. Just a pure joy to ride. Climbing is all efficient with the oversized bottom bracket and the shaped down tube. Going down the other side is much more fun because I'm not a climber and with the M10s geometry you will be carving up the twisty descents with the best of them.

Dirt Test Ride

What are you Crazy? We didn't take this girl off road... NO WAY.

Trainer Test Ride

Some days we were condemned to the trainer. On those days the Colnago M10s is a work horse. The shaped over sized bottom bracket is stiff and lets you put all of your power (albeit local talent) into the dive train so we could squeeze out our wattage.

Race Test Ride

We got to race this bike on several occasions and I can say that I am personally a disappointment to the bike. On more than one occasion I got a call from the bike during the race wondering why we were not at the front putting the field in the locker of hurt. This is bad but only imagine it in Italian. However during the state crit champs here in OR, I managed to make it through the barrage of attacks on the climb that was on the course and got 10th. The only comment form the bike was "Meglio" which means "better". I have included a vid of me and some guys breaking away from a 75 man field on a Tuesday night out at PIR. Check it out here

We Liked

Finish: The finish on the bike is one of the best I have ever seen in a larger brand. usually i see this in a custom paint job. The finish on the bike that when you look at the white it looks like it goes on forever into the frame. Not very often you hear of a deep white eh? The blue is a bright and has glitter in it so it sparkles in the sunshine. Did I just write that? Hold on Checking my manhood ok its still there. Yes it has glitter in it but just enough. Very nice.

Geometry: Colnago is one of the oldest bike companies in the world and over the years they have figured out this geometry thing. So much so that they usually don't publish it because they don't want people to have easy access to it and copy it.

stiffness: As comfortable as this bike is please don't think that its not stiff. Once look at the bottom bracket and you will know that you will be putting all of your power into the bottom bracket. No lateral flex in this frame set. If there is, its the tires and wheels.

Status: You know I have been in cycling for a long time now. I have always wanted a Colnago. They are very few and far between and they are always beautiful. Each and everyone of them. The funny thing is people think that they are really expensive. But the reality is that their prices really haven't changed that much and the rest of the companies are right there with them.. So why spend that money on a felt or a Cannondale and have one like everyone else out there when you can have a Colnago. Chicks did em.

We Didn't Like

Nothing. This frame set is the manifestation of classic and modern ideas wrapped in a nice little Italian supermodel package that has the heart of a thoroughbred.

Upgrades

You know that because we got the M10s as a frame set you can say you can always upgrade. Wheels, groups, stems etc.... I personally put Dura Ace Mechanical on the bike with a nice set of wheels. Nothing to sneeze at but If you had an unlimited budget you could quickly go wild on this frame set. Personally I believe that this frame set is should only have Ultegra level or higher on it. Otherwise it would look like a super model in a burlap sack.

The Final Say

I hate repeating myself. This bike rocks on several fronts. It rides great, looks great. if you get one all of your friends and any one that you ride with or against will be jealous that you are on one. There is a quiet nod with other owners when we look at each other. We get it. With the prices of other frame sets getting higher and higher the dollar gap between a Colnago and other brands is getting very close. And in some instances its surpasses Colnago. Again, I hate repeating myself but there is nothing like a Colnago. Thank you Ernesto..

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