Oui Oui Baguette |A frenchman's bikes

Hi there,

I'm a shadow user from Paris, aka one of Europe's worst cities for cycling. I've learned a lot by reading the various posts on the forum and I'd finally like to introduce my bikes.

The first is a Ridley Noah I bought 6 months ago to replace my late Ciöcc, whose aluminum frame had cracked. In addition to a few cosmetic modifications, I fitted a pair of Reynolds AR58s that I got for a steal; imo this bike screams for aero wheels. It's a rail, ideal for doing laps on the Parisian cycling rings.

Finally, this week I acquired a 2015 Salsa Colossal Ti, equipped with Sram Red 22 Hydo R and Enve peripherals. I bought it from a grandpa in Italy who was giving up riding. I believe Salsa never distributed this bike in Europe but that remains to be confirmed. If someone here has more information, please let me know!

I've only ridden it for 50 kilometers so far, but it's been a real pleasure, the perfect balance between stiffness and comfort! I'm planning to make a few modifications that will be updated on this post, starting with a change of wheelset. The Enve's are very responsive but unfortunately equipped with tubular tires. I'm still hesitating whether to make it a randonneur bike or go for a sportier ride.

That's it for now, cheers!

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Noah is a dream bike for me. I'll ignore the Crapagnolo

Salsa is a beauty

I've always preferred painted titanium bikes, I'm not fond of the raw finish of ti and this bike tick the right box!

I think the groupset perfectly complements the aesthetics of the bike. Ergonomics are a matter of preference though! I wish there weren't so many Ridley logos on the frame, but the Lotto Berisol team colorway is still cool

perfectly complements the aesthetics of the bike

I disagree completely 😱
The ergonomics are important but the wobbly carbon bits (rear mech, levers) take it from machine/whip into weird melty Pinarello looking junk

ETA: This bike wants Pro Cav stem and black DA

a grandpa in Italy who was giving up riding

I'd give up riding too if I had to use tubulars on the road

Lovely bikes tho! I'm from Italy and i've seen 1 or 2 Colossals on various marketplaces, probably from single customers who imported them from overseas! All of them were steel tho, no idea about the Ti version.

Les deux sont sympa.

You're right about Paris and Longchamp is the worst !

I go out to Longchamp once a week, but it's often during the week when no one's there. From the few times I've been there at weekends, it's far too messy for beginners and intermediates like me to feel safe. However, we're lucky enough to have some great roads in the Paris region, which I've started to explore