Yes — it is the bike everyone speculated Tadej Pogačar was riding recently No— it wasn’t under the UAE Emirates-XRG team for Pogačars’ second-place finish at Paris Roubaix over the weekend The Colnago V5Rs is the latest evolution of its race-proven V-series — and if you’ve been paying attention to UAE Team Emirates-XRG or UAE Team ADQ you’ve already seen this thing quietly putting in work The Cambiago crew is calling it their most advanced all-rounder to date It’s a serious upgrade (weight especially) that will have both the pro peloton and high-performance privateers ready to trade up Let’s get right to the good stuff: the V5Rs is 12.5% lighter than the V4Rs in a size 485 (roughly 54cm) frame That’s a full 146g shaved off the total frameset weight Colnago says the key was refining the layup—not reinventing it—using improved carbon placement precision and custom-built semi-rigid mandrels to dial in each layer more precise internal finish for the frame frame manufacturers are returning to a threaded bottom bracket The V4Rs (and C68) have T47 bottom brackets so it’s not really a return to thread The stiffness of modern frames is more than enough and the press-fit fad seems to be a flash in the pan the weight savings and serviceability (without hammers) are more than enough reasons to return the Di2 battery is housed in the downtube in a unique spiderweb-style holder It requires pulling the bottom bracket for service and replacement Side note: The V5Rs line arrives exclusively with Ceramic Speed bottom brackets Colnago leaned hard on FEM (Finite Element Method) analysis to simulate how this frame behaves under load All the stiffness riders loved in the V4Rs is now in a lighter and more aero package While the V4Rs wasn’t exactly a barn door rolling down the road The V5Rs trims down the frontal area by 13% and brings a host of updated tube shapes straight from Colnago’s Y1Rs aero development deeper seatpost profiles are all tested via CFD and validated in the wind tunnel with full race builds—mannequins Colnago claims a 9-watt savings at 50kph ( what Colnago calls professional race speeds) compared to the V4Rs that’s free speed for the same effort — and likely the difference between making the break or getting yo-yoed out the back But Colnago doubled down on their Real Riding Stiffness (RRS) metric — a stiffness standard based on sprinting and climbing loads — to ensure performance didn’t slip Thanks to joint shape optimization and strategic layering the V5Rs hits the same stiffness benchmark as the V4Rs Translation: this thing still punches like a WorldTour sprinter and climbs like a goat on espresso Colnago made small but meaningful updates to the V4Rs geometry Expect slightly steeper HT and ST angles for a more aggressive riding position revised trail figures for snappier handling and two seatpost options (0mm and 15mm setback) Colnago introduces a new seatpost design for the V5Rs complementing the new seat stays in a newer more aerodynamic but still compliant shape with a thinner headtube resulting in an upper bearing swap The fork steerer tube is D-shaped to house cables and maintain clean internal routing the headset utilizes two bearings with different dimensions The fork rake varies by size—47 mm for smaller sizes (420–510) and 43mm for 530–570—ensuring consistent handling across the board Colnago is splitting its race line into two clear tracks: Expect to see both bikes under UAE Team riders Colnago says it’s not just about climbing anymore — aero counts everywhere There are four paint options for the Colnago V5Rs with Team UAE leading the most recognizable and the World Champion rainbows for the super ambitious Our (my) favorite is the gloss white and blue option (pictured above); either way I don’t think you can make a bad choice The V5Rs starts at €5,940 / $5,750 for the frame kit (frame with complete builds pushing up to €16,500 depending on spec Options range from Dura-Ace or Ultegra Di2 to Campy Super Record Wireless (with SRAM builds and prices yet to be announced) and wheelsets run from Vision SC45s to Enve SES 4.5s More at Colnago.com Jordan Villella is the Racing Tech Editor for BikeRumor.com He has written about bicycles and bike culture for over fifteen years with no signs of stopping Jordan raced professionally and wrote for MTBR and the now-defunct Dirt Rag Magazine He’s covered the World Championships and everything in between — where he loves to report what people are riding Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Jordan coaches cyclists of all abilities with Cycle-Smart; you can find him racing bikes around North America and adventuring with his family For an inside look at his review rides follow him on Strava Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed T47 would perhaps be a better option than BSA but all in all this looks like a solid update from the V4Rs Could we have some frame weight comparisons with other brands please The V4Rs already used a T47 bottom bracket so they aren’t really “returning to a threaded bb” The back end of a Factor with the typical lines of a Canyon Ultimate / Ostro VAM / Cervelo Soloist / every other all-rounder on the market and the top tube creases stolen from Bianchi they could’ve made the fork significantly deeper Maybe cycling engineering has just reached an asymptote of design – limited by the UCI of course But this is like untoasted bread in the veritable buffet of “ways to spend $10k and flex on everyone at your Saturday C-pace ride” aesthetically it’s a whole lot of meh Should have more tire clearance-a missed opportunity same geomerty as the Ultimate with a 1cm taller stack and bonus doesn’t have internal routing.That frame was miles ahead of it’s time colnago used to make beautiful and desirable bikes Not Cambiago but made in Giant factory like all previous V frames Can someone please explain the sizing logic to me I have no idea what those numbers are referring to Cody – you’re not alone! I had to check the site to see what I would ride (485/54cm). https://www.colnago.com/en-us/size-guide I could figure out which size I would be based on the geo chart And I thought sizing may relate to a figure in said geo chart All those sizing numbers do is confuse people but don’t want to deal with solvents Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames Few brands can call on the heritage that Colnago has at its disposal Even among the storied history of Italian cycling amongst the likes of Bianchi and Pinarello Colnago has a place in folklore a notch or two above Partially I think it has to do with the association it had in the past to riders such as Merckx Whether for the fact it was good tech at the time it was a brand that had a hell of a pedigree It was also never a brand afraid to try new things: Integrated cables all pioneered on bikes conceived and fabricated in what is now the Italian Silicon Valley for cycling; the northern oval taking in Milan and C68 Titanium - an entirely Italian product the tubes are assembled into frames in the Cambiago headquarters Even the 3D-printed titanium lugs are made a half-hour drive away from the brand's base of operations In an industry in which the majority of frames are produced in Taiwain this firm grip on an Italian identity is perhaps key to the brand's longevity.  While in the North of Italy on some other business I paid Colnago a visit to see how the brand stands today and was given behind-the-scenes access to the factory floor and the facility where the titanium parts are created I also spent some time in the office backroom where countless priceless and historic bikes are just propped up but that’s a treat for a separate piece let’s look at what ‘Made in Italy’ really means and why the C68 remains such an object of desire for many Each of the small army of frame jigs is covered in scribbled notes and instructions you reach what can loosely be described as the assembly line At the base of prefab shelving units a small army of jigs flanks the entrance corridor like soldiers on parade; which jigs get to spend the day on the shop floor depends on the model and size in production The jigs themselves have the marks of years of use and covered in notes scribbled in sharpie on masking tape Old notes don’t seem to get archived with one jig having instructions for a C64 the tubes and lugs are gathered from their respective shelving units and the margins protected with masking tape two-part adhesive is mixed up with a palette knife before being applied to both mating surfaces wiping off the excess (contained mainly by the masking tape) and placing them all in the jig Occasional persuasion is needed with a rubber mallet to get the fit just so is wheeled into the oven for initial curing.  The lugged construction is the hallmark of the C series but the modern C68 only really makes a visual point of highlighting the lugs at the headtube and at the top of the seatpost The remaining joins at the bottom bracket and the seat stays are treated to an ‘aesthetic wrap’ of non-structural carbon sticky-backed carbon strips that are applied over the slightly recessed join area before being tightly bound in translucent blue heat shrink and placed in the oven for a final time and forces any excess adhesive out of the area Despite its best efforts though it doesn't leave a surface conducive for painting and so the frames are sent to a final room for deburring and racking up for transit to an industrial estate just north of Pisa Frames fresh from the paint shop arrive back in Cambiago for assembly and shipping; banks of frames sit in the combination space that is the warehouse and building station Dozens of stock colour frames make for orderly rows there’s the chaos of the custom options Some individual frames for customers with specific tastes alongside clusters of three or four matching frames in the colours of high-end businesses each frame is tagged with a QR code so as to avoid any mixups and assembled from start to finish by a single person I’m sure Henry Ford will be turning in his grave at the lack of an assembly line but I’m assured that this way ensures the employees are more connected to the final product Each C-Series frame starts out as a pile of tubes and lugs on a workbench The glue is mixed up and then applied to the mating surface and everything is gently persuaded into place with a hammer The assembled frames then go into a jig to hold them in place for curing and to check the alignment is correct A border of masking tape at each join reduces the need to sand back any excess after curing the masking tape is removed leaving a raw join at each lug are wrapped in a layer of aesthetic carbon The aesthetic covers are then bound tightly with blue will construct and squeeze any excess bonding agents out of the area Following the final cure the frames are racked up for hand finishing Any burrs or excess material is filed and sanded away by hand here by an apprentice under the tutelage of an experienced hand Carbon splinters and resins aren't great for the hands the finished C-Series frames are racked up by size Rows of Master frames also sit here in the factory The lugs of the master frames are chrome dipped to achieve that mirror shine A set of master frames arrives for inspection before heading to the paint shop you get to see some non-standard paint schemes including experiments in chemical etching seen here to create a crystalline effect There are some beautiful throwback jobs on the racks too usually produced in small batches of five or so the array of custom colours in the warehouse was quite fantastic While the Colnago factory at its headquarters didn’t feel overly modern Bicycle construction isn’t aerospace for the most part especially if you dive into steel frame construction visiting Pamapaint was like shooting back a couple of decades Painting is inherently a messy process though… and the man responsible for all of the iconic outlandish Colnago paint jobs of the last few decades when you think of Colnago you think of Ernesto but in an era of round tube ubiquity it is perhaps Massimo who is responsible in a large part for the brand's identity The frames arrive from Cambiago and are immediately keyed for priming; finely scratched all over to allow the primer to stick In some cases the primer also acts as the base coat of paint: The V4Rs in the UAE Team Emirates or UAE Team ADQ colourways use a black primer/basecoat combo while the C68 Titanium uses a gold base coat which is masked off to provide accents This is sprayed on in a large pressurised booth and then baked hard.  a fresh batch of V4Rs frames were in for the UAE Team Emirates colourway there’s a fair load of masking to do The UAE scheme is a simple paint scheme in the grand scheme of things flexible orange tape to get the outlines perfect Once the key areas have been shielded the silver glitter effect is applied using an airbrush in one of two extremely crusty paint booths; I imagine an Italian paint booth is like an Italian Mokka pot: never cleaned for fear of losing some unquantifiable good vibes.  The volume of paint needed to produce the desired result is minuscule Just 0.3ml of silver glitter finish is used and it takes several minutes to apply correctly Silver glitter is just a clear lacquer with the right amount of flake in it but everything else requires a bit more work when it comes to getting the mix right Massimo proudly tells me he never uses a colourimeter While he told me this he took two black paints and told me one was far too brown and needed yellow adding Breathing solvents for 50 years probably does wonders for one's colour perception.  but a change in humidity or temperature as the day progresses can throw things out of balance and so key colours are mixed up in larger batches in a central room and piped around the shop to reduce the influence of the climate This feel for the paint is why Massimo also prefers to hire his staff when they’re young There are some things that take years to master In almost all cases painting is a process done by hand where the frames are checked for defects and hand polished if necessary there was a large gantry tucked away behind racks of masking paper this was effectively an inkjet printer capable of producing whole bike paint If you’ve ever seen the Gazzetta Della Sport paint job but even on an automated machine Massimo still had to constantly adjust the paint flow valves while it was running using two Phillips Head screwdrivers.  Frames fresh from the factory are immediately keyed by hand to rough them up and allow the primer to stick They keying area only has space for a few frames at a time several frames are hung on a spinning carousel and primed in batches the primed frames go into the oven for an initial cure Masking is the fiddly bit; accuracy is key here as any misalignment throws the whole scheme out of whack The hot pink and other neons of old don't get as much use as they used to These pots attached directly to centralised air hoses providing propulsion and aerosolisation to the paint Gently does it; the silver glitter fade is applied to a V4Rs in UAE team colours Each frame only uses 0.3ml of silver glitter paint that's as straight as you'd ever be able to get it The final "Made By Hand in Italy" decals are applied which aren't entirely justified on the V4Rs before a final topcoat of lacquer is applied Finished frames are racked up for a QC inspection Fingertips are more sensitive than eyes; if you can feel it you'll see it eventually so any minor blemishes in the top coat are buffed and polished away before the frames head back to Cambiago Steel frames racked up too long can show signs of corrosion Ernesto's presence watches over the office it's Massimo who's responsible for all the distinctive visuals of famous Colnagos a medical implant factory a half hour's drive from Cambiago It specialises in producing stainless steel and titanium bits and bobs to replace hips and any other worn-out bits of the human body. Stick with me a second Printing with titanium is a little different to that of plastic Given that titanium melts at 1668 degrees Celcius you can’t very well soften it up and squeeze it through a nozzle an extremely fine powder consisting of titanium and vanadium is evenly spread across a base plate before a high-power laser traces the print shape locally amalgamating the powder into a solid alloy where required Once one layer is complete another layer of powder is deposited by a moving arm that’s vaguely reminiscent of arcade coin dozer machines Sadly I wasn’t permitted to force a two-cent piece into the mechanism The production of these lugs is definitely a side quest for Permedica compared to the volumes of bionic hips they churn out Each batch is inspected before being sent back up the road to Cambiago primarily to make sure the surface finish is appropriate for being painted.  There’s every chance that these parts could be ordered in from elsewhere but that would void the fact that the C series bikes genuinely are from the production of the constituent parts themselves through the paint Whether that adds any real value is down to the consumer but it certainly helps maintain the brand’s identity as a true staple of Italian cycling.  Powdered alloy in plastic tubs is the basis for space age component creation Behind the tinted glass on automated machines High powered lasers locally melt and alloy the powder into layer upon layer of solid metal eventually creating the lugs used in the titanium C-Series bikes Truth be told I'm not absolutely sure what this is but I am fairly sure it's some kind of powder addition/extraction unit but one that's watched 2001: A Space Odyssey too many times Finished lugs are boxed up for a QC inspection as they would be if they were hips or knees Ti lugs are a tiny fraction of the factory output and in context you could easily mistake them for something medical huge banks of machines undertake processes unknown to polish and hone and mill and machine none of which are necessary for a headtube lug; the human body has tolerances far smaller than even the most artisanal of Italian bicycles Enough for a couple of chains do we reckon What’s in a Cyclingnews subscription? We use our subscription fees to be able to keep producing all our usual great content as well as more premium pieces like this one. Find out more here He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines tresoldi’s large-scale installations seek to give viewers a glimpse into a world that exists between these two states nominated for THE DESIGN PRIZE 2019 in the category tresoldi has recently set up a new studio in milan which designboom visited prior to its official opening tresoldi’s studio opens up to an airy brightly-lit interior that sets the tone for the practice’s approach — relaxed but disciplined a communal table hosts the creatives that mingle between computers and pieces of paper portraying the dichotomy of the artist’s work: the industrial and the poetic followed by a door that opens into tresoldi’s office a big sign that reads pasticceria tresoldi welcomes visitors ‘my family used to own a pastry shop in cambiago and that is the original sign,’ edoardo remembers the third generation isn’t always a charm and I decided to part ways.’ the studio continues into a workshop and storage area where wire mesh takes over portraying its characteristic transparency — an element tresoldi explores in his work his interventions in the public realm — which have created responsive pieces for music and arts festivals and public events — are intangibly beautiful AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Italy (BRAIN) — Colnago reported sales of 55.7 million euros ($59.6 million) in 2023 The privately held company's financial statements were approved at a shareholders' meeting on Tuesday EBITDA was reported at $15 million, or 25% of turnover, the total revenue achieved from sales before costs. Colnago said turnover has more than tripled since Chimera Investments LLC of Abu Dhabi acquired a majority share of the Italian bike brand in 2020 "Our mission is to be the most desirable bicycle brand in the world," said CEO Nicola Rosin with capable managers and a great sense of belonging." Rosin became CEO in 2021 after serving as strategic advisor for five months Ernesto Colnago founded the company in 1954 His bikes have been used to win world championships Download the 2019 Industry Directory Read the 2021 Sales Training Guide The Italian artista Edoardo Tresoldi (Cambiago 1987) has produced a site-specific work for Arte Sella sculpture park the translucent volume of Simbiosi is part of Tresoldi’s studies on the experiential perception of space and the architecture-nature relationship 5-meter-tall sculptural installation embraces the transparency of Absent Matter expressed through wire mesh and the materiality of local stones Inverting the organic deterioration process of remains the ‘suspended ruin’ embodies the mental shape there arent any match using your search terms Bike Europe is a part of VMNmedia. The following rules apply to the use of this site: Terms of Use and Privacy / Cookie Statement | Privacy settings CAMBIAGO is a mystical place for cycling fans now all but swallowed up by the expanding urban sprawl of Milan the legendary marque whose founder was born here 80 years ago and who has always run his bicycle company from here Just as Maranello is motorsport-ese for Ferrari a cycling journalist looking to avoid repetition in his copy can substitute Cambiago for Colnago and be instantly understood That's not where the similarities between Cambiago and Maranello end A moment after we are shown into Ernesto Colnago's capacious panelled office every inch of wall space covered in framed certificates and photographs of Colnago posing with dignitaries from sport showbusiness - figures from almost every walk of Italian public life - the great man himself appears behind us surprisingly agile and young looking for an 80 year old He is holding another small glass case to add to the collection "No one else was making carbon bikes when we started in 1986 with Ferrari "We were the first to take it to the pro teams which was the only company at the time making carbon for Ferrari It's not obvious whether this has just arrived or whether he has just been fondling it as an executive toy but he momentarily shows it to us even before we shake hands - it is two miniature Matchbox-sized Formula One Ferraris in convoy on a race track of white card: the one in front is finned This tiny tableau commemorates Fernando Alonso's victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2011 60 years - almost to the day - after Scuderia Ferrari's first ever Formula One victory at the British Grand Prix in 1951 with Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Colnago peers up through his thick rimless glasses into our faces at blank expressions miserable feeling that our visit has got off to a bad start At this point it's just photographer Mjrka and me who has been designated the ‘offical' interviewer as he speaks Italian and lives in Italy it's just that we're early and have been taken straight up from the reception to Colnago's office when really we should have met up in the car park and presented ourselves in the reception as a team The domestiques haven't waited for their leader and now there's chaos Mjrka is busy setting up his camera equipment so isn't really paying attention and I don't speak any Italian - plus being a British cyclist I have been brought up to regard cars as the great Satan and Formula One as a criminal waste of money I realise that the little Ferraris were an ice-breaker that I had managed to slide off into the barriers rather than using them to steer me into pole position Colnago deposits them next to another case containing a much bigger model of a modern F1 Ferrari Still - I have a secret weapon and now is the time to deploy it: under my arm I have been semi-concealing a gold tube with a black palm tree embossed on it containing 600 grams of Fortnum and Mason Chocolossus biscuits I aim the gilded bazooka loaded with the England's finest confectionary at Colnago's chest takes it and puts it down among the mini-Ferraris and walks behind one of the two enormous desks in his office Another figure appears in the doorway - still not Gregor but Alessandro Colnago bequiffed and wearing chunky jewellery and blue-rimmed comedy glasses that you need to be either Italian or Timmy Mallett to get away with He is jovial and speaks English - not fluently but well enough to become our interim interpreter His grandfather is irritably shuffling papers now They exchange a few words and Alessandro says to me: "He says how is your job?" I feel embarrassed to have been given a second chance and begin babbling enthusiastically about working hard on bumper issues compiling booklets featuring graphics with all the new WorldTour jerseys and then ludicrously ask if Signor Colnago is busy himself Later it dawns on me that he wasn't asking me my job was and why we weren't getting on with the interview Alessandro had mercifully mistranslated it and the interminable awkwardness - which lasted probably not more than three or four minutes - dissipated It was explained to Colnago that Gregor would interview him Mjrka would take photos and I would sort of pull everything together later The Colnago-Ferrari Engineering Concept was unveiled in 1987 a year after Ernesto Colnago first went to Maranello to meet Enzo Ferrari Its carbon-fibre tubes and carbon-fibre lugs were revolutionary in cycling Ferrari had told Colnago that he must use wheels with three spokes The Concept had a 'gearbox' transmission similar to a race car all encased in an aluminium housing; and it also had hydraulic brakes but at 13kg the Concept was closer in weight to a car than a race bike Now that roles were clearly established he seemed satisfied and Gregor began asking his questions - to which Colnago eagerly and expansively replied gestures and slaps to the polished surface of the desk Now that the interview was in progress I allowed myself to imagine how for all of Ernesto Colnago's life it had probably been absolutely vital that roles were clearly defined and team orders followed Colnago was born in Cambiago on February 9 1932 but times were hard and even as a six year old he was drafted in as a very junior farmhand a friend got him a job at the Gloria bicycle factory in Milan and because the legal minimum working age was 14 Ernesto altered his date of birth on his papers As a welder's assistant his role was crucial The welder depended on his assistant's consistent dexterity so to teach him a lesson he would never forget the welder ran the flame of the brazing torch across the back of the young Ernesto's bare hand If you were not doing your job properly you deserved it Colnago is scribbling on an A4 pad with a felt-tip pen I'm not sure what exactly is he is illustrating and I imagine anybody who isn't following may likely receive a slash of blue ink across the back of their hand I keep my hands on my knees below the desktop The welder singed more than Colnago's skin that day in the factory - it went much deeper He burned a work ethic into him that would inform everything he did from then on When he started racing a couple of years later he trained fanactically and took some big local wins At Gloria he had moved out of the welding shop up to the assembly floor healthier environment for a racer to breathe in When he broke his leg in 1951 in the sprint in Milan-Busseto Colnago asked the owner of Gloria to let him build wheels at home and be paid as a subcontractor Ernesto Colnago made this traditional yet aerodynamic track bike for Tony Rominger to break the Hour record in 1994 The machine used teardrop-profile tubes made of a lightweight steel alloy Colnago decided that minimising frontal aera was the key to going fast on the Bordeaux velodrome while the flattened seatstays were 5mm in diameter The Swiss rider broke the 55km mark with it The next month he almost tripled his salary and from then on it he set out to reach the top in cycling using his hands rather than his legs In the first shop at 10 Via Garibaldi - about a kilometre from where big new pale-brown and mirrored-glass Colnago HQ now stands there was only just enough room to spin a racing wheel Colnago's father famously cut down a mulberry tree on their land and made Ernesto a workbench out of the trunk It was the sort of humble beginnings you only ever read about Now instead of on the rough-hewn mulberry workbench Colnago conducts his business on this enormous polished wood with a panel of smoked glass set into it which is sightly wackily supported by two carbon-fibre monocoque wheels - one at each end Although these two tables might represent the extreme ends of Colnago's working life he will not have missed the significance of the very first being custom made For a man who will still make custom sizes even on top of the 15 or so stock measurements he already offers - when most other manufacturers offer just S A designer's site of work and specifically his desk about the person and the working processes that take place and that have led him there but I couldn't help noticing that both rectangular desks in his office had their corners cut off - as a design feature Perhaps it's a little joke from the most meticulous mind in cycling Colnago's first big break came when the great Fiorenzo Magni asked him for some help with his bike set-up as he was suffering from muscle pain having watched the champion's pedalling style Magni's leg felt better instantly and he asked Colnago if he would like to join the Nivea team as second mechanic under Falieri Masi To tell the great riders how their bikes ought to be has always been Colnago's way One of the questions Gregor asked him was: "Which rider gave you the most feedback?" The question might have been an prompt to talk about the perfectionism of Eddy Merckx but instead Colnago replied: "No - I've always taught them I look to see if his back is upright or his position is wrong Giuseppe Saronni won the 1982 World Championship road race at Goodwood on this Colnago Mexico He was so fond of the bike that he used it to win Milan-San Remo and the Giro d'Italia the next year The bike features a full Compagnolo 50th anniveresary groupset - as presented to the Pope in 1983 Then I make sure his position is right and that his bike is perfect." However Colnago did concede that "Eddy Merckx was the most brilliant." Merckx would demand 20 bikes a year and would come to Cambiago in the morning and not leave until he had a perfect bike To put the number of bikes a professional required and now requires into perspective Colnago talked about the first team to ride Colnago frames with the Colnago name on them (as opposed to the ‘Eddy Merckx' Colnagos that the Molteni team rode) Colnago had wanted full sponsorship and parted company with Merckx and Molteni to accomplish this Then Colnago talked about the requirements of the Europcar team which rides the latest C59 and each has four bikes for the year - that's 120 bikes now after more mini-cappuccinos from the machine outside his office door Colnago in fact leads us straight downstairs to the packing room where the first batch of Europcar frames is waiting all finished in the matt black/lime green 2012 paint scheme all neatly racked by the head tube like new suits hanging on a tailor's rail The tunnel their main triangles make is like an infinity mirror Just like when he made frames for Eddy Merckx 40 years ago his racing team is still what gives Ernesto Colnago more pride than anything Sensing his excitement as we walked across the warehouse floor towards the Europcar frames prompted photographer Mjrka to set up the lights right here and shoot Colnago as the proud father with his new baby but I think you can see in the photos just how much he still loves it - he loves it There's a feeling in the Colnago factory of Europcar being the greatest thing to hit the pro peloton since.. there's a gigantic image covering the entire end wall It's a dramatic shot and made even more so because of its breathtaking scale - but Colnago has forgotten Rolland's name and so has Gregor and I don't think Mjrka is listening I have been the dumb foreigner without an obvious reason for being here up until now but I do know the name of the rider who got Colnago his biggest win in 2011 and I remind him as matter-of-factly as possible though I think some glee is bound to have got through For Ernesto Colnago winning Paris-Roubaix with a carbon-fibre bike was its final proof as the best material and the late Franco Ballerini achieved the first Roubaix win for the carbon Colnago C40 in 1995 He won again in 1998 on the bike pictured above We are not allowed to see the production line where the C59 Italia is made as Colnago has an appointment with the Italian inland revenue very soon empty corridors to the private bike museum where he will leave us with sales manager Diego Colosio Sometimes they want to go through every single ledger; other times they just come to say hello It is likely that today the latter is the case because it's only a few days before Christmas Everybody seems in agreement that in the season of goodwill to all men it would not be appropriate to treat Ernesto Colnago like a suspect the presentation room in the factory has been converted into a chapel ready for a special mass the next day while we're photographing the famous bikes in the museum Colnago appears with three people who don't look much like cyclists They are too professional to be glazing over but the sight of us pulling the bikes out of their stands and squatting down trying to hold them upright by two fingers on the edge of a perished tubular is perhaps a welcome break from hearing the story of another bike that has ‘Colnago' written on it For the layman it is quite interesting to see the gold bike that Colnago built for and personally presented to Pope John Paul II in 1979 Diego explains that the reason why Colnago is visited so frequently is because of the production of some frames in Taiwan and their shipping back to Cambiago - all frames are distributed from the packing area where we saw the Europcar frames You can't blame them - the Italian economy needs every last euro it can raise these days But Diego tells us that Signor Colnago is as fastidious with the accounts as he is with the design of his bicycles Signor Colnago will either give you one as a present Even we have seen enough bikes after four hours it's getting dark and thoughts of the Milan at rush hour begin crowding in on us Signor Colnago has finished the customs officers' tour of the museum and bidden them a beaming Buon Natale We all shake hands down in the packing area He gives me an unexpectedly hearty slap on the side of the arm as if to apologise Without a doubt he was aware of the knuckle-chewing embarrassment of our first five minutes Diego produces big pink cylindrical boxes for us containing Pandoro di Verona and Colnago has copies of a gold-covered hardback book about his own life for us in which he scribbles personal messages with his blue felt-tip pen As a journalist you ought to be able to stay detached and objective but I don't mind admitting I will treasure mine Ernesto Colnago wishes the Union Cycliste International (UCI) to create a weight limit on the bike frame and not an overall 6.8kg limit the team can modify it for different races via its components How can Alessandro Petacchi or Tom Boonen race on a bike that's less than 6.8kg but a frame has to work for someone who weighs 80," says Colnago He finds it "crazy" that riders race down the Kemmelberg in Ghent-Wevelgem or over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix with high-profile carbon wheels He said that keeping the heart of the bike - the frame - strong allows for variations in components and rider security "You wouldn't want a bottle of wine if it was empty "What's inside counts." Colnago grabs a slice of a frame from a tray on a shelf behind his desk one that looks a little like the type used by one of his ProTeam rivals Then he showed us the inside of a section of C59 frame - smooth You can buy a bottle of wine for €1 or a bottle of Brunello for €100 We have to explain it well to the buyers because they don't understand Our rivals buy all their frames from China and put on their names and they say this bike rides like a Colnago.. He throws the rival frame to the floor in mock disgust He explains that his frames are approved by the ISO the International Organization for Standardization The officials pass every three months to take one of his numbered frames and to cut it open Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 who has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2003 Until recently he was our senior tech writer In his cycling career Simon has mostly focused on time trialling with a national medal a few open wins and his club's 30-mile record in his palmares These days he spends most of his time testing road bikes or on a tandem doing the school run with his younger son A selection of bikes featured in the Colnago museum recently opened to the public(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: Colnago)(Image credit: La Collezione by Ernesto Colnago )(Image credit: Will Jones)(Image credit: Will Jones)Many of Ernesto Colnago’s greatest bikes will go on show in a new museum in his home town of Cambiago near Milan the bikes have been lovingly restored and put on show for posterity The museum is near the Colnago factory and Ernesto Colnago’s home in Cambiago It is open to the public from Monday to Thursday in the mornings and on Friday afternoon via appointment.  La Collezione includes five Paris-Roubaix bikes including the Colnago C40 with straight carbon fibre forks that Franco Ballerini rode to victory in 1995 Also included in the collection are the track bike Eddy Merckx used to beat the Hour Record in 1972 in Mexico City the red Colnago that Giuseppe Saronni used to win the world title in Goodwood in 1982 and many other innovative designs The museum also includes 80 original jerseys of riders who raced on Colnago bikes 400 images that capture Ernesto Colnago’s 75-year career as a mechanic The Colnago family sold the bike brand to a UAE-based investment fund in 2020 but the La Collezione remembers Ernesto’s numerous innovations and bike tech intuitions “It’s a collection of my memories where everything started,” Colnago said Stephen FarrandSocial Links NavigationHead of NewsStephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team having reported on professional cycling since 1994 He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022 before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters BRAIN does not edit, endorse, or fact check these press releases. They are posted as a service to our readers and supporters. Contact us to submit a press release or if you find a posting objectionable 2021) Colnago announced today that Nicola Rosin has been appointed CEO of Colnago Ernesto & C Rosin will also maintain his strategic advisor role with Colnago's parent company in Abu Dhabi it will still be fueled by the dreams and inspirations of its founder but will find growth and inspiration in Rosin's leadership Former General Manager and Board Member of Selle Royal Group Rosin was brought on as a strategic advisor to Colnago in February of this year and quickly made an impression on the day-to-day running of the 67-year-old brand's global business Rosin oversaw innovation and brand-driven businesses such as fi'zi:k Rosin is also part of the entrepreneurial group that acquired the historic cycling brand Eroica in 2014 "It feels like I've been working my entire career to have a chance to lead a brand and business as significant as Colnago," said 50-year-old Rosin I have always respected the brand that Ernesto has built and feel fortunate to take on this leadership role Melissa Moncada for advocating to bring me on as the leader of Colnago I must also say that Ernesto Colnago has supported me and has given me excellent advice as I stepped into the company that he quite literally built with his own hands." The parent company Colnago Abu Dhabi and Vice Chairman Mrs benefitting from the experience acquired thanks to Rosin addition have ambitious plans for Colnago and for further development in the cycling world: "With the leadership and knowledge of our new CEO Colnago will have a promising future that will be characterized by enhancing the legacy of Ernesto Colnago hand in hand with all the excellent human and professional members of our company" said: "I have spent my entire working life building the Colnago brand and business and I feel entirely confident that I am handing it over to the best leader possible After spending months really getting to know Nicola Colnago will grow to higher heights than ever before." Ernesto Colnago went to his first day of work at the now defunct Gloria Bicycle Factory that produced the "la Garibaldina" brand in Milan Colnago would go on to build a brand that became a technical and innovation leader known as Colnago is a manufacturer of high-end road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milano in Cambiago The company first became known for high quality steel-framed bicycles suitable for the rigors of professional racing and later as one of the more creative cycling manufacturers responsible for innovations in design and experimentation with new and diverse materials including carbon fibre now a mainstay of modern bicycle construction Among the many Colnago victories – 18 Olympic Gold Medals 39 Classic Monuments – Tadej Pogačar won the 2020 edition of the Tour de France riding a Colnago bike Italy (BRAIN) —  A custom-painted Colnago C64 frameset that you can take home and ride and admire will cost you about $6,300 A Non-Fungible Token version of a C64 is worth about $8,600 currently going by the results of an NFT auction that ended Tuesday Colnago claims to be the first bike company to create and auction an NFT, which gives its owner exclusive rights to a digital version of the bike in perpetuity The Colnago NFT was auctioned on the Opensea.io platform Somone identified only as "MTD-01" outbid one other would-be buyer to make the purchase using 3.2 Weth tokens which according to Opensea were worth $8,592 at the time of the transaction The C64 digital artwork NFT sold actually includes a variety of historic Colnago models “The greatest thing about this is that our C64 NFT will never be replicated by us as a physical frame - it will only be digital,”  said Manolo Bertocchi Colnago was sold to a UAE-based investment group last year for an undisclosed amount of real money.  The group, Chimera Investments LLC, also owns the UAE road cycling team, which won the Tour de France last year with Tadej Pogačar aboard a Colnago. Italian brand known for unmatched passion and innovation auctions one-of-a-kind digital artwork of historically significant Colnago models they will be the first cycling brand in the world to create and auction an NFT or Non-Fungible Token digital artwork and to leverage Blockchain technology The auction will open on May 11th at 5,515€ (the suggested retail price of a custom painted Colnago C64 frameset) and will close on May 25th The Colnago C64 NFT will be auctioned on the OpenSea platform at this link:https://opensea.io/accounts/colnago - any parties interested in bidding on the Colnago NFT artwork should contact digital@colnago.com for one-on-one customer support the Colnago C64 NFT artwork is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind and publicly verifiable on a Blockchain's distributed ledger This guarantees the highest bidder of the auction will have exclusive rights to the artwork in perpetuity "Colnago has nearly 67 years history of being first to market with many innovations that eventually become mainstream and NFT artwork is no different," said Manolo Bertocchi "We developed a digital C64 that is truly a celebration of the most important innovations and victories in Colnago's history including the first carbon bike and the first concept bike to feature an internal transmission The greatest thing about this is that our C64 NFT will never be replicated by us as a physical frame - it will only be digital." NFT art has gained global notoriety in 2021 as the world embraces Blockchain technology for everything from smart contracts to payments and even supply chain tracking one of the world's leading art auction houses sold an NFT artwork by the creator Beeple for a record US$69 million Ferrari and Dom Pérignon have announced the intention to create product certification leveraging Blockchain technology Housed inside Colnago's headquarters in Cambiago is a museum charting the history of the company since it was founded in 1954 including many bearing the Ferrari name on their down tube along with lashings of red paint The relationship between the two iconic Italian marques stretches back 25 years to 1986, when Ernesto Colnago first met with Enzo Ferrari in the town of Maranello to discuss the creation of a new type of bicycle The latest fruits of that tie-up are the limited edition CF8 road bike and CF9 hybrid, built to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and limited to just 150 models. First seen at this summer's EICA trade show, both are based on the Colnago C59 with the CF8 sporting Shimano's Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupset with an aftermarket battery hidden in the seat tube The CF8 is the latest fruit of Colnago's relationship with Ferrari white and green tricolor on the underside of the down tube it was Colnago's first Ferrari collaboration that had the biggest impact both on the company's bike production and the wider world of cycling That revolutionary machine can be seen at Colnago's HQ and it's clear how ahead of its time it was the carbon fiber frame was a novelty and the straight-bladed fork a world first Colnago's original Ferrari collaboration was one of the first bikes to be made of carbon fiber It also had a straight fork and an internal gearing system In fact, both can be found on the C59, as used by Thomas Voeckler in this year’s Tour de France While Colnago now make many of their products overseas the C59 (and CF8 and CF9) are still made in-house The carbon tubes come from the nearby Veneto region and each frame is handbuilt in a basement factory that's under Mr Colnago’s house and just across the street from the corporate office So while many small bike frame builders can attest to working in their garage the Italian style of Colnago is to build it in the basement followed by 45 minutes in a jig in an oven meaning that production is slow yet also precise Frames are constructed and then sent to a painter outside of Florence before being returned to Milan Each carbon fiber tube is hand glued at Colnago's basement factory in Cambiago The room that once saw the production of thousands of steel frames is now used to simply store nearly completed carbon fiber frames The assembly line for steel is only used a few times a year when the company produce their annual output of 800 or so metal frames they're looking to change the “Italian way” in one notable aspect Rather than shutting down for the entire month of August they're instead going to stay open for two weeks to continue production and allow employees to take vacations at other times of the year Ernesto Colnago hard at work Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) took the Tour de France's most coveted prize, the race leader's yellow jersey in stage 9 yesterday The punchy Frenchman finished the stage in second place behind winner Luis Leon Sanchez but had gained enough time in the overall classification to claim yellow by 1'49 over Sanchez As often happens in the Tour, a new jersey colour means a new bike - even if it's just for one day. Thus Voeckler will start stage 10 on a brand new yellow Colnago C59, courtesy of some quick work by his team's bike sponsor Colnago The company's marketing manager Alessandro Colnago (grandson of boss Ernesto) explained to BikeRadar what it took to get the bike to Voeckler given that Colnago is based in northern Italy and Voeckler and the Europcar team are currently in the middle of France "This morning at five am we prepared the frame [in Cambiago At six am our driver took it to our painting factory in Cascina [about 320km away] At eleven am the frame was ready and came back We then finished the frame with the headset and bottom bracket and now the driver is leaving for Aurillac [800km from Cambiago] where the team hotel is." That means the bike will have already done the best part of 1500km before being ridden by Voeckler The C59 frame is custom for Voeckler: "It's a size 50 sloping but the top tube is one centimetre longer than our traditional frame," said Alessandro who pointed to another of the bike's special features: "It's full yellow with a chicken on the seat tube." The next few stages of the Tour should make it relatively easy for Voeckler and Europcar to defend the yellow jersey, but things might change in Thursday's 12th stage to Luz Ardiden which will see the true climbers come to the fore is hopeful that he can hang onto it for a bit longer According to Alessandro: "He thought yesterday evening that his goal was to keep the jersey until Friday and try to finish the Tour in the first ten."