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colnago c40 | colnago c40hp | colnago c50hp | colnago dream |
50th anniversary interview with ernesto colnago | colnago teams since 1968
robert millar colnago c40 review | colnago clx | colnago c50 2007 |
colnago arte
welcome to societa colnago 
the favoured place on thewashingmachinepost for colnago bicycles.
in response to our (fiercely prejudiced) enthusiasm for the marque, many others have shared their own enthusiasm through e-mail, sending of photos and even talking to us when we have plucked up the nerve to attend cycling functions. societa colnago, with co-operation from colnago uk, will endeavour to be the most comprehensive source of information on our favourite bicycle that we can manage. we're not called anoraks for nothing:-)
suggestions will be cheerfully entertained, so if you've thought of something, or just want to share, e-mail to societacolnago@thewashingmachinepost.net
photo: ben ingham - courtesy rouleur magazine
colnago.com | colnagouk.com | veltec sports (usa importer) | frfsports.com.au (australian importer)
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the times they are a changing
time marches on in the bicycle world, and while colnago has a reputation for wait and see rather than adopting new fangled ideas at the first sign of emergence, it seems that ernesto may have shifted his stance more than expected. while the cristallo frameset was certainly due to be replaced for 2009, it's apparent replacement, the cx-1 is, according to colnago in its natural position close to the extreme power and extreme-c. with a weight of 1010 grams it's certainly not the lightest carbon monocoque frame, but colnago has never sacrificed strength and reliability for weight.
however, the bombshell has been dropped: many have asked over the years when colnago would adopt an integrated headset, to which ernesto has more or less replied 'never'. well, hell has apparently frozen over, because the cx-1 features an semi-integrated headset - the c-hs/colnago headset system. oh goodie, another variation on the headset. according to colnago this is an all-new concept (?) allowing easier assembly and maintenance without removing the entire assembly. not really sure what that means, but i do intend to find out. apparently oscar freire and graeme brown have both raced the c-hs which provides 'extra stability to the head tube'. the headset system is proprietary to colnago and will not accept a third party substitute, and subsequent to my assertion that this system may migrate to the c50 range, this is apparently not the case (phew!).
the front triangle features a carbon monocoque with a polygonally profiled top tube, married to an assembled rear triangle, which is similar to that on the clx frameset. the carbon frame, while not necessarily laid-up in italy, will be assembled in cambiago. the fact that it is pictured bearing campagnolo's top of the range wheels and groupset, gives some indication of the level colnago is aiming at.
the colnago cx-1 will be available from november 2008. more soon
posted on monday 5th may - updated 9th may
arte exhibition
with the gracious co-operation of colnago uk, a brand new 2008 colnago arte has been holidaying on islay for the past three weeks. unfortunately for both bicycle and rider, the weather has been less than civil during those three weeks, rendering much of the initial testing rather pointless from certain points of view. however, conversely, it did allow it to prove its metal in other ways. a deliberate shift of spelling, because this is the first aluminium colnago i have had the pleasure of riding, and pleasure turned out to be a highly appropriate word to use.
the arte is second bottom in the colnago complete bicycle food chain, only bettered in price by the all aluminium primavera, and completed at the top end by the clx tested last year. if you don't have the wherewithal to reach for a c50, and you really have to have a colnago, will one at this cost still behave like a proper colnago?
posted on wednesday 19th march
a different point of view
it's interesting the difference an ocean can make. yet another example of two countries divided by the love of the bicycle. while there was much conversation and consternation over colnago's switch to taiwan for the carbon clx, it seems the opinions differ whether you're in america or britainshire. the made in italy badge that adorns colnago's top of the range stuff - c50, extreme c and extreme power, is the sort of snobbish delight that we europeans thrive on, even if it means having to take out a second mortgage to afford. the americans, however, are not of the same mind necessarily, partly no doubt, due to the strong influence of the currencies in use.the clx tested last year, with a shimano ultegra groupset, cost the same as an extreme power frame - and while there is an undoubted, but subtle difference in the ride quality of a monocoque (clx) as against the traditional lugs and tubes (c50 et al), i'm not sure that a few thousand pounds might not settle that in favour of the former. the clx is a fine looking bicycle - it rides like a colnago, the carbon has no idea where it was made, and the overall weight isn't too much greater than the top of the range. i remember stating in my review that i did seriously consider a clx as an upgrade to my ageing c40hp, but at the time, the lack of a frame only option more or less made the choice for me, since i'm not one for a shimano groupset. that has changed for 2008 now that colnago uk offer a frame on which to build the colnago clx of choice.
but in the world of top flight cycling, all the colnago teams are still issued with the c50 variants, something that has great influence over the choices made by you and me. i have no idea how many folks order their colnagos in team colours, but it's the professional issue bikes that have the most cache. if colnago supplied the pro teams with clx frames, maybe they too would reach the parts that other choices don't reach, because we'd all see that the taiwanese built frame has as much speed and potential as the top of the range. always remember that it's the cyclist, not the bike that win's races, no matter what colnago's marketing department would have you believe.
actually, the clx has been seen in pro races. look at the pic of the rabobank rider up top - he's riding a black and white clx (at the tour down under this year - mind you, that bike looks a tad on the small side - see blow), and apparently the landbouwkrediet-tonissteiner team have also been seen on colnago clx frames (colnago have informed me that team nippo will also be on clx bikes this year). so for less money, you can still own a carbon colnago that is apparently worth its salt, and as a frame it's possible to put parts from vicenza or sram as required, rather than the shimano supplied on complete bicycles.
of course, you have to see it from colnago's point of view - if the clx is easily as capable as the top of the range carbon, unless your obsession is with made in italy, why would you feel the need to spend an extra thousand pounds (or a couple of thousand dollars)?
indeed.
thanks to competitivecyclist.com for the heads-up on this.
i received the following explanation of the tiny clx from the australian importer, via colnago uk: the photo of graeme brown on the clx was taken by yours truly (frank fortuna). graeme broke his other bike during the bay series criteriums (not the tour down under) and we got that bike in a hurry, but it was too small. you might have noticed that the previous day he rode an argon with the name covered. we couldn't finish the clx in time. see, there's an explanation for everything.
posted on saturday 23 february
one gear but oh, so much more
on my visit to the colnago stand at last year's london cycle show, uk importers windwave had a master pista steel frame with track ends, painted in similar manner to the saronni master x-lite, but without the chrome stays. colnago apparently had a pile of these frames, in black, sitting in cambiago. windwave said they could sell a considerable number of these, so colnago painted them in more attractive colours and sales proceeded.
such was the popularity of the frame, that colnago built one of these up, with moustache style bars and a brooks saddle for display at the milan show. however, as far as i can ascertain, there are/were only a relatively limited number of these, effectively increasing their desirability.
but, just to increase this level of desirability even further, lookmanobrakes - a collaborative project initiated by la carrera cycles of toronto bringing together the legendary craftsmanship of colnago with the creative vision of two of new york's famed artists (and avid cyclists) stash and futura (the latter being responsible for the design of lance's nike 10/2 range of clothing. to say that the results are droolsworthy, would be to commit a great understatement.
it's also one of the best looking websites i have seen in many a long while.
posted on friday 15 february
the old ones are the best
colnago is one of the few remaining amongst the major players in the bicycle world, continuing to manufacture a steel, lugged frame - undoubtedly a small, niche market within the great big world that is carbon. a few years back they went for the modernisation option and sprung it a new carbon rear triangle, which seemingly impressed few of the steel is real aficionados, and the frame has now reverted to its original form, chrome and all.
however, at some point, someone had the genius idea of offering the master x-lite in saronni's 1984 world championship winning colours. happy to say, this increased sales of this frame by quite some degree, if nothing else proving that some of the more modern colour schemes offered by cambiago, were less to the taste of the buying public than those from over twenty years ago. a sweeping generalisation of course, and more than one person has mentioned that such a colour scheme is ok on skinny steel tubes, but it's not something that would suit today's high tech carbon offerings.
wrong.
currently showing on a colnago website near you, is this extreme power model wearing the very same paint job, except where the master has chrome, the extreme power has carbon. and it's a doozy. the only disappointment is that this colour scheme is only applied to the extreme power models - it's not an option on the regular c50, nor, surprisingly, on the extreme c (no matter what their website states). so most of us will have to admire from afar, unless a bit of pressure will persuade colnago to offer this colour scheme (pr82, if you're interested) on the other two from the 'c' range.
posted on monday 04 february
suits you sir
as i think i probably alluded to a few weeks ago, when a colnago is due to head in my direction (and this seems a good time to mention that there's a nice new shiny one due very soon), i am happy to quote the regulation 54cm and comfort and joy is all mine. granted, stock bicycles usually have a shorter stem than i'd like, but i think that's because i am mr average in all but arm length. from a road test/review point of view, this cannot really be considered much of a problem - if the bike were truly mine, i'd simply swap the stem. but it cannot have escaped your attention that colnagos are not cheap, at least not the carbon ones that we all know and love. so if you are about to give either the credit card or the bank manager a fright (or both), wouldn't you want to make sure that your beautiful new colnago was a perfect fit?
up until now, unless you were really good pals with ernesto, it was an off-the-shelf choice for all of us (though maybe i could have a word with windwave), and unless you were hell bent on acquiring a colnago (there's a choice?) there are a number of other top line manufacturers willing to acquiesce to your every custom build centimetre. but cyclefit, of covent garden in the grand metropolis, have stepped in, with the full approval of father and son colnago, to provide a fully custom colnago for those with the desire, need or just the necessary folding stuff. at present, this customisation is limited to the frames employed by those who race colnagos for a living: the c50, extreme c, and extreme power. paint options are not necessarily on offer, since it takes around twelve weeks for the frame to arrive at your front door (well, cyclefit's front door). ask for a different colour and the wait is likely to be a bit more than that.
to quote from cyclefit's website a cyclefit session takes about two hours and is a very personal and considered appraisal of an individual's cycling physiology, technique and alignment. everything about you as an individual is evaluated and perfected.. it's more than likely that most of us with 'off the shelf frames' have emulated flann o'brien's third policeman, and adapted ourselves to the micro adjustments that don't really fit. having an expert check how you cycle, how you sit and how you control a bicycle, could conceivably increase future cycling enjoyment. nagging pains need necessarily apply.
a cyclefit evaluation will currently relieve you of £2850 for any of the three colnago frames mentioned, adding a relatively small percentage to the list price of each. if you're in north america, contact veltec sports for details of how you can have your tailor made colnago.
yes, i know this should be on the societa colnago pages - it will make its way there eventually
posted on thursday 24 january
everything you could ever want
there's no disguising the fact that amongst the languages spoken at thewashingmachinepost, aside from a rudimentary grasp of english, colnago and campagnolo run a very close second and third. while putting all three together is not the easiest of tasks, even the latter two often seem strange bedfellows. the two division one pro teams riding colnago bicycles - milram and rabobank - employ wheels and components from shhh... you know who, and there's something just not right about a colnago frame with japanese components (no offence intended mr shimano). just ask michael hutchinson.
fortunately, last year's newcomer to the pro continental ranks, tinkoff credit systems, not only decided to place their riders on the finest italian carbon, but to enlist the support of the chaps in vicenza for both components and wheels. and a successful first season they had too. perhaps bearing in mind the maxim 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' the only noticeable change for 2008 is a deal more yellow covering the high modulus carbon of the team's c50s. banking on wildcards to see them partake of the season's more salubrious rides, it will be a pleasure to see this bicycle, team sponsor and component triumvirate gain more success this year.
and would you happen to have any spare colnagos from last year please, mr tinkoff?
posted on wednesday 23 january 2008.
photo roberto bettini
colnago in the movies
generally one would have an order of preference for meeting those whom we admire: in person, on film/video or lastly, in print. much of the time words of wisom have to come via the printed word, since, until the current age of youtube, that was the most accessible format. the chances of a personal visit with ernesto colnago, are bestowed only upon the honoured - considering his legend within the world of cycling, this is not difficult to understand. the man would have a heck of a time trying to run a bicycle company if every tom, dick and washingmachinepost could drop by for an espresso and to shoot the breeze.
obviously, some manage to do so, but presentation is all, and steve madden of rodale's video interview on brightcove lacks a certain something (i think it's called editing). the questions are not the most insightful i've ever come across, but having to listen to the interpreter ask the questions in italian before relaying the answers in english does take up over half of this six and a half minute interview. and it seems almost an understatement to mention the word 'quality' in connection with the picture clarity. still, it is ernesto...
view here
saving grace for rodale. however, is this highly positive, unpretentious video review of the c50 - maybe i should conduct washingmachinepost reviews this way. watch this
posted on tuesday 18 december 2007.
cross purposes
funny old world isn't it? according to an interview on cyclingnews.com, rabobank's cyclo-cross star, sven nys, claimed that his colnago c50 'cross bike was not all it appeared to be. it is badged as a c50, but nys claimed that it was nearer to that of colnago's highly successful extreme power which is, admittedly, based on the c50 frame.
in a moment of pretending to be an investigative journalist, although really because anything colnago interests me beyond the point of rational reason, i contacted colnago to ask if there were any plans to offer this variation on the regular c50 cross frame to the great unwashed (have you seen those cyclo-crossers?). but according to a man at colnago who knows, the frame that nys is riding in this year's cross season is exactly the same as those currently offered to colnago cyclo cross riders across the world.
according to colnago, the c50 cross tubing is round (as opposed to the regular c50 fluted tubing) triple butted carbon with layers of high modulus carbon to make it strong and light for the rigours of cross racing. perhaps this is why nys thinks he has an extreme power, after riding a standard c50 with the rabobank road team earlier this year. either way, the c50 cross bike is racking up more victories this year with nys as rider, than anything the competition seem to be able to offer. and if you can't quite stretch to the c50 cross bike, colnago have introduced an alloy 6000 series which is listed at £1299 for the 105 equipped and £1699 for an ultegra version. the c50 cross carbon frame retails at £2499.
photo: cyclingnews.com
posted on friday 7 december 2007.
no words - just look. eicma, milan 2007
posted on wednesday 21 november 2007.
carbon 75
it's not unusual in the world of the bicycle,
particularly the italin bicycle, for the apellation applied to any given frame, fork, or component to often verge on the inexplicable. up until now, colnago has named its forks by way of the precisa (their first straight bladed fork), the force fork, star, street and now the carbon 75. well the former, while not being the most imaginative (precisa excepted) were at least comprehensible, but why the star fork has been ousted in favour of the name 'carbon 75' is anyone's guess.
fortunately, the nomenclature is merely superficial - the engineering and build quality remains amongst the very bets in the world. the carbon 75 will be fitted to all 2008 extreme power framesets, extreme c and c50 models, and is also available already, as an aftermarket item. how do i know this? because michael stahl of toronto, ontario sent me some photos of his 2007 rabobank liveried extreme c with a pair of similarly painted 2008 model carbon 75 forks in situ.
the 75s are reputedly around 340g lighter than the star forks they appear to replace, and the latter were no slouches in the lightweight department. retail in the usa is around $990 with a uk price of £414. i'm sure we all know folks who own bicycles that cost less - but they won't be colnagos.
posted on thursday 4 october 2007.
telling it like it is
for my birthday several years ago, my daughter was able to lay her hands on a pinarello embroidered, long-sleeved t-shirt. and a very fine article of apparel it is/was. but it didn't say colnago.
if you've been a colnago aficionado for as long i have, or perhaps even longer, you will doubtless have been overhwelmingly frustrated by the fact that other than wearing a cap from prendas or riding your colnago very slowly past the supermarket on a saturday morning, there's no way to let people know that you own a colnago (that last one would be in capital letters if i used them).
but the world is always changing, and it seems that ernesto has relented (thankfully not on integrated headsets or seatposts) and introduced a complete range of asso di fiori branded accessories, including luggage, caps, a torque wrench(?), socks, bottle cages and that most important of all clothing items - the polo shirt.
colnago uk expect delivery of a selection of the above items within a month or so, though pricing is not set for the uk market yet.
oh, and i'm at the head of the queue because i saw them first.
posted on tuesday 18 september 2007.
2008 catalogue
there's not really any great need for words here, since colnago's 2008 catalogue shows you everything i'd be likely to write about. so if you'd like to download the 2008 colnago catalogue, click here (5.7mb).
and considering all the publicity - negative or otherwise - that he garnered for his erstwhile bike sponsor, you'd think they'd be able to spell rasmussen. (interestingly, rasmussen is still racing on a standard colnago c50)
mac users should option click the link to download to disk, while windoze users should right click and select 'download to disk'.
beppe's red and chrome
colnago sponsored the del tongo team from 1982 until 1988 and had the great good fortune to win gold with giuseppe saronni in their first year at goodwood - yes, that goodwood. the stylish beppe saronni, currently directeur sportif for the lampre-fondital team beat greg lemond and sean kelly to the rainbow stripes, and he did so on a comparably stylish red,white and chrome colnago master.
and guess what? colnago have decided to revive this beautiful all steel machine in their 2008 range, so make an orderly queue behind me. no price has surfaced yet, but i think we can reckon on it being a tad dearer than this year's master x-lite, and it should be available with either a carbon fork (dont you dare) or a chromed steel precisa around the end of october this year.
the only real concession to modernity is the appearance of down tube stops for sti/ergopower cables, since nobody uses down-tube levers anymore (do we?).
colnago 2008
a quick look at colnago's website gives an insight to what we can expect for 2008, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there are not too many surprises. in fact, there are no surprises at all really, though there are some slight variations on the colour schemes.
gone is the bottom of the range ramarro, which now leaves the arte as the cheapest complete colnago, and the all alumunium dream has disappeared - the dream is represented by the dream hx with a carbon rear end, looking very similar to the strada sc which is a scandium frame with a carbon rear triangle.
perhaps due to lack of demand, the master x carbon has been withdrawn from the range, while the much called for master x-light all steel frame, remains as one of the few steel frames available from a top italian manufacturer (more power to ernesto's welding rod). and while it is listed as available with a 1 inch carbon street fork, colnago informed me that it will also be possible to purchase with a steel precisa fork and contrary to info on the website, the frame is all lugged - no tig welding at any joint. how wonderful is that:-)
the almost forgotten cristallo remains in the line-up, and the full range of c50s are all there too as well as a colnago carbon 75 fork. satisfyingly, there is still no sign of integrated headsets invading the range for which we can all be thankful. no sign of any uk pricing or availability so far, but read it here when i know.
the black (and white) stuff
continuing the societa colnago quest to bring the most comprehensive colnago reviews ever (only because i write lots and lots of words) we currently have, sitting in thewashingmachinepost bike shed, a 2007 edition colnago c50, finished in a rather fetching white at the front of the bike and fading to carbon at the back. the c50 is fitted with a 2007 campagnolo chorus carbon groupset and by sheer coincidence, it wore a pair of carbonsports lightweight ventoux carbon hoops and fibre-lyte carbon chainrings, so this should prove to be one of the more exciting tests i have had the privilege of carrying out here in the hebrides.
if you've read the companion article on the post, you will be aware that i used the bike as my luxury transport during the 2007 islay whisky festival.
it seems highly prudent to mention here that i couldn't possibly manage to bring you any tests/reviews of colnago bicycles were it not for the continued and generous support of peter nisbet at colnago uk
how do you fancy a new ferrari?
colnago for ferrari 60th anniversary: The new colnago for ferrari bike was built in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the prestigious Italian car manufacturer, and introduced worldwide for the first time at the shanghai bike show this month (may 2007).
this exclusive bicycle is based on the extreme power frame, completely made in carbon fibre using colnago's favoured lug assembly that has been the mainstay of the c40 and c50 ranges, allowing colnago to make a completely custom sized bicycle. The 60th anniversary colnago for ferrari, has the classical red livery, symbol of the 'cavallino rampante' horse,.jpg)
and on the front a stylized Italian tricolour flag, symbol of these two leaders of italian design. The fork is the top of the range 'star' monocoque and as with all the colnago for ferrari models, the bike will be produced in a limited edition of 60 with the carbon lightweight wheels (£6999.99) and 199 with fulcrum racing zeros (£5499.99).
certainly caused a bit of a stir in shanghai - difficult to see the bike
...and just to cap it all
if you've ever seen the movie, 'white men can't jump', you may well have been in the same dilemma as myself. in that film, wesley snipes wore a faded orange colnago cycle cap which i don't mind telling you i coveted for many a long year. in the days before the internet, trying to trace a source for such seriously cool cycle wear wasn't easy. in fact so difficult was the task, that i never actually found one anywhere, though i did follow up a few false hopes.
so, many years later, having just ordered my c40, i was rather pleased to acquire a white colnago cap (the last one) in a cycle store in glasgow. that particular cap is still in my possession, though slightly the worse for wear, and the possibility of nabbing a more pristine version has always been at the back of what's left of my mind. imagine the joy for all of us colnago aficionados upon discovering that prendas now have stock of this sought after item for only £7.50.
order placed.
since search engines often catalogue individual pages, click here to experience the full effect.
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