When Colnago sent the first professionals on carbon frames onto the cobblestone tracks of Paris-Roubaix almost 20 years ago, the mood in the racing scene was somewhere between derision and concern. Hardly anyone apart from Ernesto Colnago himself was convinced that the supposedly hypersensitive frame material could survive such an ordeal unscathed. Colnago proved all the sceptics wrong. Franco Ballerini rode to the podium, and in the following six years the C40 model won the infamous Rüttel classic five times. The subsequent triumph of the composite material is well known.
Twenty years later, the descendant of the C40, the C60, is produced at Colnago's headquarters in Cambiago near Milan. This and the C59, which is still in production, are the only models from Colnago's carbon range that the traditional Italian manufacturer does not have produced in Taiwan; the 2014 racing season will be contested by Thomas Voeckler's Europcar Pro Tour team.
Flexibility through tradition
Like all its predecessors, the C60 is a carbon frame glued in sockets and built by hand in classic frame gauges. A maximum of 17 units leave the production facility under Colnago's private home every day. The individual parts are manufactured by an automotive supplier in Milan, and the bike is also painted in Italy. At first glance, it may seem like an anachronism to stick to the socket construction method, which originates from steel frame construction, for the top model of all things. On the one hand, however, it would be economic madness to convert the traditional production facility and its employees to monocoque production. Above all, however, this gives Colnago the freedom to offer a number of frame sizes, geometries with a sloping or horizontal top tube and even customised frames. The C60 is available in 14 standard frame sizes! And: Damaged frames can even be repaired. The damaged tube is sawn off, the sockets are ground out and a new tube is inserted.
Convincing values
The dimensions of the profiled tubes, the tapered head tube, a solidly designed bottom bracket area with press-fit bearings and the preparation for electronic shifting are all evidence of this: The C60 belongs to the modern age. Another new feature is that, unlike its predecessor, the C59, the beading running along the tubes - a quote from the legendary Master steel frames - continues into the lugs, which makes production much more complicated. Positive locking and larger bonding surfaces increase the rigidity and durability of the tube composite. According to our laboratory test, there is nothing to criticise here, the C60 delivers convincing values. However, the high weight of 1,200 grams for a carbon frame requires an explanation; the fork is also not exactly lightweight at just under 500 grams.
One reason is the elaborate paintwork, which is likely to weigh a good 200 grams on the C60. Another is the company's principles: Colnago also wants to save weight - but not at any price. "We want to build a frame that lasts forever," explains Davide Fumagalli, the engineer currently responsible for the design, emphatically. Ernesto Colnago adds: "It hurts my heart if one of my bikes breaks" - and this should certainly not happen through sheer use. He adds, not without pride, that he knows of no C40 that has ever come apart. Since then, the adhesives have been constantly researched and improved. "Of course it's stupid," Colnago adds jokingly, "people don't buy new bikes that way anymore."
With this philosophy in mind, some of the seemingly outdated technical details of the new frame seem well thought out: solid aluminium dropouts in the frame and fork, for example, which are not affected by numerous wheel changes or over-tightened quick-releases. Or the unconventional bottom bracket concept, in which replaceable press-fit bearing seats are screwed into an oversized threaded sleeve anchored positively in the laminate. The steering bearing seats are also made of aluminium and can be replaced. No other manufacturer is so consistent; if bearing seats are damaged or worn due to frequent replacement, their frames have to be thrown away.
Priority: suitability for racing
This is fitting: At Colnago, the frame and fork have to withstand many times the current standards, and their resistance to breakage is tested in a dedicated crash test facility. Thanks to the sturdy tube walls, minor carelessness does not immediately cause major damage. According to Colnago, you don't have to treat a good racing bike like a raw egg. Ultimately, Colnago builds bikes for racers - and always with the mechanics in mind. And so the C60, ready and race-ready, weighs only 6.8 kilograms, which is UCI-compliant.
As far as the design is concerned, three decor lines are available, each in different colour combinations. The total of 14 variants also includes more discreet and modern designs than our Classic model, and even customised paint finishes are no problem. All of these are carried out by our own paint shop in Pisa; apart from the company logo on the head tube, not a single sticker is applied to the frame.
There is no need to say much about the exemplary equipment of the test bike at this point. At most, praise for the in-house stem, which can be adjusted in inclination with an asymmetrical sleeve to achieve the perfect riding position down to the millimetre. The riding behaviour is balanced in the best sense of the word. The bike reliably obeys every steering command and stably follows the specified track at high speeds, striking the ideal balance between inertia and nervousness. No wonder: this typical, classic racing bike geometry has prevailed for decades and Colnago has been working with it for more than 60 years. Experiments? No need. The ride is great fun and you have time to think about whether the ubiquitous gram-foxing is worth it at all or whether the Colnago is really worth all the money. But to judge the C60 solely on numbers and measurements would not do justice to the idea behind it. Values such as individuality, tradition and sustainability cannot be measured - and cannot be outweighed by a few hundred grams of weight saving.
Price frame set 3,799 Euro 1)
Weight of complete wheel 6.8 kilos
Reference/Info www.colnago.com
Frame sizes** Sloping 42, 45, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 cm
Traditional 53, 55, 57, 59, 61 cm
Seat/steering angle 73°/73°
Seat/top tube/head tube 555/565/184 mm plus 15 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 1,000/59 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 581/390 mm/1.49
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing Colnago by Acros, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch
Brakes/gears/bottom bracket Shimano Dura Ace (50/34 t., BB386)
Wheels/tyres Mavic Cosmic C40/Mavic Yksion Pro (tubular tyre)
Handlebar/stem Colnago HB-01/Colnago Nemesis
Saddle/post Selle Italia SLR/Colnago (31.6 mm)
MEASURED VALUES | INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Weight of complete wheel 6.8 kg (without pedals)
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing**** 1.229/471/65 g
Standardised weight frame set***** 1.799 | 3,0
Steering head stiffness 92 Nm/° | 1.7
Lateral stiffness fork 48 N/mm | 1.7
Bottom bracket stiffness 60 N/mm | 1.0
Comfort frame 229 N/mm | 2.7
Comfort fork 104 N/mm | 5.0
1) Complete wheel price on request.
* The frame set accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score and the features for 60 per cent. Individual grades are included in this assessment, only some of which are printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
** Manufacturer's specifications; test size bold.
*** Stack/reach projected vertical/horizontal dimension from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; STR (stack to reach) 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright riding position.
**** Weighed weights.
***** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
