The 2013 Colnago Collection
There I was happily traipsing through vast halls of the 70th annual EICMA motorcycle show in Milano, Italy, when lo & behold, I came upon a massive Colnago booth. Colnago bicycles at the famous motorcycle show – what the!?!? Despite just arriving back from Asia the previous day,the tireless Ernesto Colnago was there on opening day being the ambassador to cycling that he has been for over 50 years.
Never one to skimp on presentation, Colnago had a more impressive display than many of the motorcycle companies on hand at the motorcycle show.
Never one to not be an eye catcher, no doubt the eye-opener at the Colnago booth was the K.Zero TT bike with team Ferrari’s Formula 1driver Fernando Alonso’s name on the top tube, both sitting beneath a nose cone for Alonso’s race car.
Two names that are a big part of both two and four wheeled racing history.
Following popular form for many TT bikes being developed, both the front and rear brakes are integrated into the frame. And, like many other TT bikes, the Colnago too relies on the aero brakes from TRP.
Fernando Alonso in action.
A long ago version of Ernesto’s TT designs. My how technology has evolved!
Colnago has long had an important relationship with his fellow fast craftsmen at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. The CF8 is a limited edition bike (only 200 are made) that features custom geometry and a Campagnolo EPS drivetrain.
Although the BMC city bike is pretty extravagant, having a Ferrari Colnago CF9 to cruise on the local bike paths would take the cake.
AS FOR THE COLNAGO C59
As we all should know by now, like many other famous Italian brands, most of the bikes in the Colnago line-up are made in Asia. Not so their flagship C59. Each bike is still handmade in the Colnago factory (conveniently located in the basement of Ernesto’s house in Cambiago in the outskirts of Milano). Between your choice of a sloping or horizontal top tube, befitting for a bike with the Colnago name on the downtube, the Colnago C59 is available in a paltry 22 sizes! Claimed weight for the lugged frame is 1000 grams.
Without a doubt the Italian paint scheme is one of the classiest looks in the entire bike market. If anyone tells you that lugged bikes have no place in the world of mass produced monocoque frames, this is the bike will give certain lie to the claim.
This modern version of a team Mapei bike of old was a stunner. The name on the top tube reads Giorgio Squinzi who is the CEO of Mapei ( Squinzi also happens to be the guy that Lance Armstrong famously once said would be sorry for not signing him back in the day).
Both the fork and the chainstays on the C59 Disc are re-designed to withstand the increased braking forces of the disc brakes.
I’m not a big fan of black bikes, but this “black on black” C59 was still something to behold.
Many of the throttle twisters in attendance were drawn to the this bike that celebrated the legacy of Marco Simoncelli, a fast, young and promising MotoGP rider who was tragically killed in a race in 2011.
An image of Marco on his San Carlo MotoGP Honda was was hand-painted on the top tube.
Marco Simoncelli. Forever young, forever fast.
ADDENDUM…WELL, IT WAS A MOTORCYCLE SHOW AFTER ALL!
The Bimota Tesi remains one of the most complex and over-designed motorcycles on the planet. Certainly there can be no truer celebration of performance technology.
Husqvarna was a former Swedish brand of motorcycle that is now German owned. This model was outfitted by a Brazilian accessory company.
Besides Ben Spies, Nicky Hayden is the other fast American on the MotoGP circuit. (I know Colin Edwards rides the series too, but I just don’t consider him fast). This is his factory Ducati race bike.
From shoes, to cathedrals, to bicycles and motorcycles, the Italians just seem to have a special flair with design. Viva Italia!
There are many things that cyclists can be thankful for. No matter what brand of bike you ride, the cultural, historical, and technological legacy of Ernesto Colnago is something we can, and should, all be thankful for.
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