Colnago

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Colnago is a manufacturer of road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago in 1954 near Milano in Cambiago, Italy.

History

In 1960, Colnago saw fame as Luigi Arienti rode to a gold medal at the Rome Olympics on a Colnago bicycle. From the late 1960s through the 1970s, Colnago was generally regarded as one of the builders of the world's best custom road race frames.

Colnago produced the super-light steel frame used by Eddy Merckx in 1972, to break the world one hour record. This bicycle has been displayed all over the world, including in a display case inside a Brussels metro station.

Colnago produced the steel (Columbus tubed) frame used in 1982, by Saronni to win the world professional road race championship.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the "Super" was one of Colnago's models, a high-end racing frame. In the mid 1980s, Colnago introduced various crimped-tube models as their top of the range frames, including "Master" and later "Master-Light". The manufacturer varied the base material of "Master" frames thougout its several iterations ranging from Columbus tubing DT15V to "Ultimate Superlight" from Tange Japan.

During the mid 1980s, the company introduced the "Precisa" brand bicycle fork. It was the first front fork with straight blades. The normal road racing ~4 degree fork rake was provided by the shape of the crown. Colnago claimed that this straight-blade feature provided lengthwise elasticity similar to curved blade forks to dampen road roughness, but with much improved crosswise stiffness for sprinting. The design was also considered to be one of the lightest full steel forks, underweighing even some cheaper contemporary aluminium or carbon forks. Many modern forks, especially carbon forks, now use straight blades. The bicycle tubing manufacturer Columbus tubing marketed the fork under its own brand name "Elite" but in fact it was the same fork as Colnago "Precisa".

Since the 1980s, Colnago has continued to produce high-end steel bikes, and has branched out into other materials, working with Ferrari to develop new carbon fiber technology, and occasionally introducing titanium and aluminum frames. Its flagship frames, such as the C-40 and the C-50 – respectively named for Colnago's 40th and 50th years in bike building are carbon fiber frames.

Trademark

Colnago uses a black symbol similar to the "Clubs" symbol used on playing cards.

Team and rider sponsorship

Colnago has sponsored at least one professional team every year since the 1970s, often sponsoring several. In the 1970s, Colnago sponsored the Molteni team, which included Eddy Merckx. Colnago was well-known as the sponsor of the Mapei Professional Cycling Team throughout the 1990s. For 2005, Colnago sponsored the professional cycling team Rabobank. Colnago has also been the bike sponsor for the American domestic team, Navigators whom the Aussie sprinter Hilton Clarke rides for.

For 2006, Team Milram joined their list of professionally sponsored teams featuring well-known Alessandro Petacchi and Erik Zabel. In addition, Colnago serves as a co-title sponsor of the Landbouwkrediet-Colnago professional cycling team that competes on the UCI Europe Tour.

In addition to current sponsorship agreements, Colnago will be the official frame supplier to Team Tinkoff for 2007.

Colnago sponsored teams since 1968 ^[1]

All years are inclusive.

Current production overview

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In recent years, Colnago has successfully cultivated its image as the world's leading racing bicycle frame maker, stressing its Italian heritage and eye-catching, hand-painted artwork lavished on its frames. This is in contrast to an industry trend of outsourcing production to the Far East by other bicycle companies^{[citation needed]}. Colnago previously stated that "Colnago has one production line only, and therefore, the bicycles of top professionals and normal users are produced together, by the same personnel with identical criteria"^{[citation needed]}.

Until 2005, Colnago produced their entire frameset range at their Cambiago factory.

Beginning in 2006, however, Colnago sourced through both ^[2] and ATR Group Materiali Compositi Avanzati and, Giant Bicycles of Taiwan (for entry-level aluminum frames). Colnago's carbon CLX is now also made in Taiwan ^[3].

There was some controversy in 2005 over whether Giant would be producing additional models, including carbon frame models, for Colnago. According to statements by Ernesto Colnago, founder and president of Colnago, this was not the case:

"For the 2006 model year, Colnago will be sourcing two entry-level aluminum road bike models from Giant, made to Colnago's spec and frame geometry and for sales in Europe and Asia only. All other Colnago bicycles are assembeld in Italy. No Colnago carbon fiber frames are made at Giant and none will be, as Mr. Colnago has a long-term sourcing agreement in place with ATR for carbon fiber bicycle frames."^{[citation needed]}

The previous statement may have been valid for the 2006 model year, but as of 2007 it was no longer the case.

2007 production

• Extreme C, specialist climbing frame in carbon fibre
• Extreme Power, as above but stronger for the demands of sprinting
• President LdV (Leonardo da Vinci) (special edition) — carbon fiber
• President (special edition) — carbon fiber
• Brerart (special edition) — carbon fiber
• C50 Crono (special edition) — carbon fiber
• C50 Pista (special edition) — carbon fiber
• C50 — carbon fiber
• Cristallo, monocoque carbon fiber, has curved seat stays to assist with braking power
• E-1 — carbon fiber
• Dream — aluminum
• CT2 — titanium/carbon
• Mix — aluminum/carbon
• Strada SC — aluminum/carbon
• Active — aluminum
• Rapid — aluminum
• Master X Light — steel. Frame was produced from 2000-2004, then dropped for 2005, and returned in 2006.

Pre-2005 production

External links

• Official Colnago website
• Historical Colnago Bikes
• Colnago Bicycles: Fortune in Ferrari and Fracture on MyByk

References