The Holy Grail : Colnago C40 B-Stay Mapei World Champion

[eurperg]

You could also use Thomson X2 -10° stem and have 15mm less spacers. And still retain the classic look... Too many spacers never look good.

[Rumsas]

What a nice build, lovely.
I agree, it can be hard to find the perfect stem for a c40.
Keep on the good work

[Calnago]

and here on a more shady spot

C40 Mapei WC por Salsa_Lover, en Flickr

As the C40 has a shorter head tube than the C50, I needed a bit higher stack of spacers to have the same setup though.

Ok, since we're obsessing about the look of your bike, and why not...

I totally get what you're doing with the stem/spacers/horizontal look, etc. I like that. Nothing wrong with having the spacers like you have them as far as I'm concerned. You should be sure to exhaust all your options before cutting the steertube and going with a rising stem, although in the end that would be fine too.
Here's what I think is causing much of the "just not quite right" sentiments.
1) The fork just doesn't match the bike, period. It just sticks out and draws your eye to it because it's so different from the rest of the frames graphics. I understand it may be hard to find a matching fork, so that may just be something you have to live with, so let's move on from that for now, but don't stop looking for one. I think it would make a world of difference.
2) The silver Record headset... I know you say "it's Record, nuff said", but a Chris King Soto Black headset it's what this frame is crying for. There's nothing else silver on the bike. As it is now the silver headset is creating an even greater delineation between the frame and non-matching fork, and transition from the frame to the spacers. A black headset would smooth things out.
3) I know you like the white hoods, but I think you'd find that black hoods would make the whole thing look more balanced and might even make the all black fork tie in with the whole bike a bit better. It's worth a try.
4) And I realize the red spacer above the stem is temporary but it is also distracting at the moment.
5) The stem itself isn't quite working here, but I'll bet by simply removing that white stripe (very easy to do with acetone, just be sure to mask off the other little 3T logos very well first) you'd notice a world of difference in how the bike looks. Leaving the little white 3T logos would be better than just getting the all stealth black 3T stem as the smallish white logos would compement the frame rather than detract from it. Also, the black stealth 3T stem still has the stripe, albeit a stealth stripe. No stripe, regardless of color.

If you were to incorporate those suggestions I'll bet you, and everyone else , would go WOW, what a difference.

Oh, and about those white pedals... damnit, I promised myself I wouldn't mention those again.

It's a process, but worth it.

Cal

[SalsaLover]

If you look carefully you'll see there is a bit of silver on the rear derailer, which creates a "balanced asymmetry"

All contact points are White. I like that, gives some purity and chastity to the ensemble.

The whiteness is complimented by the white stripes on the stem and handlebars, the cable housings... and off course the white lettering on the fork.

finally the red spacer matches very well with the red Garmin... and the red endcap, which creates a triangle, like a bride tiara, that rounds nicely and puts everything together



see... one can see at the same time good and bad things on anything and everything....

the bike is not fully finished off course, maybe someday I find a matching fork or a nicer set of Iride spacers etc. we'll see.

[Calnago]

Yes, to all of the above... However, one of us is right, and one of us is wrong.



Oh, and about those white pedals... DAMNIT, I did it again!

[thp]

Looks great with horizontal stems.

[willy]

another option would be polishing seatpost clamp and steel bottle cages, or king ti. there was a black pr00 ep posted a whole ago with that setup, best looking bike.
thomson stem also an option...anything to lower that tower, and do agree with Calnago about the black hoods, will make the fork look more at home. maybe the tower of spacers is disturbing on this bike because of the tube diameters? quill stem is thin and elegant, like the neck of a swan. Do think a swan would loose part of its grace with a thick neck.

regardless, bike is gorgeous, and as long as ur happy....

[SalsaLover]

I have them black bits though, maybe I could try them or maybe I keep them for the next build

[kgt]

Yes to the black hoods, no to the headset.

[SalsaLover]

silver seatpost clamp I have, maybe will set it to balance more the silver bits.

I like the Record headset though, cup, cone and ball bearings is the best setup IMHO, the same as with hubs, Campagnolo never produced a Record headset in black and well this is a 2009 Record 11 so there are still many silver bits on it and the same silver hue as the headset.

I also have a set of silver Chorus hubs / blue Open Pros that could go well with this bike...

The Cane Creek AFAIK is a good quality headset but somewhat I associate it so much with the Trek 5200 that came with them, that setting it on a Colnago seems just wrong

... did I already said that the white bits, i like them ?

[Calnago]

Ahhh, black hoods, black pedals, kinda "meh" on the Cane Creek headset but at least it's black. Starting to see the light then, then... WTF!!... Blue Open Pros get mentioned? Aaach.... That would negate all the progress so far. Where is that gif file with the guy banging his head on the table when I need it. Fun thread

[SalsaLover]

Ahhh, black hoods, black pedals, kinda "meh" on the Cane Creek headset but at least it's black. Starting to see the light then, then... WTF!!... Blue Open Pros get mentioned? Aaach.... That would negate all the progress so far. Where is that gif file with the guy banging his head on the table when I need it. Fun thread

Given that you don't seem to like the blue open pros, I have also a set of yellow or red velocity aeroheads I could build wheels with Iride colours you know ?

[erik$]

White rims and nipples in all the colours of the rainbow

[m4k1]

was looking forward to that build and i think it´s not very satisfying.

stem: too many spacers and too bulky for that rather slim frame. - 6 degree, slimmer stem would look better on that frame.

group: hate the look of the 11speed ergopowers and the crank just doesn´t fit the frame. - 10speed ergos and 2003 carbon record crank!!!!!

all the colourful bits are too much. the frame should be the star.

white contact points should, in my eyes, also be black.

just my two cents

[DJT21]

very nice, but please shorten all those outer cables at the front. They're far to long and look very messy. Spoils an incredible bike