Colnago C60 Review

Colnago C60 Review

I test rode the Colnago C60 in Santa Monica. This demo ride was a part of my continuing search for a replacement of my Project One Trek Madone 6.5. I had read all of the glowing reviews of this bicycle and was eager to see if the reviews were a rewrite of Colnago marketing or real. After riding up and down Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard, I can see that the C60 is an impressive ride.The C60 was quick, responsive and felt solid.
The carbon fiber Colnago C60 was introduced in 2014 and replaces the C59 model. The C60 is the Colnago race model ridden by Thomas Voeckler of Team Europcar in the 2015 Tour de France. The rest of the team rode the aerodynamic Colnago VR-1 in this year’s Tour.
I took the C60 down Broadway for a few blocks and then back along Santa Monica Boulevard and then back up Broadway. I was able to sprint a few times as well as accelerate the bicycle sitting on the Fizik saddle. The bicycle also came equipped with Shimano Di2 groupset, with Mavic aluminum wheels and a Bontrager Flare R taillight. The solid feel of the bicycle was evident from the start of the ride. Many bicycle manufacturers are designing race bicycles to be lighter and lighter with little regard for ride stability or durability. The C60 did not feel heavier than my Trek, or the Trek Madone 9.9 that I test rode recently. It did feel a little more stable.
I purposely held back on some stop lights to get a chance to do a standing sprint with the C60 to see if the frame would groan or bend under the strain. I must say that the C60 accelerated without a hitch. There was no groan from the bottom bracket, and it felt like whatever I put into the bicycle was producing speed. There was very little wasted effort. The C60 quickly and quietly gathered speed. I also steered toward some rough patches of asphalt to determine the ride stability of the C60. The C60 handled the bumps without skittering to either side, a definite plus.
At first glance, the C60 may look like the older C59 since Colnago used similar geometry for both. And both use lugged construction instead of monocoque construction. Monocoque construction makes the carbon fiber bicycle frame look like one piece. However, Colnago has introduced some improvements over the C59. The first improvement is the fluted tubes. The tubes are fluted for extra rigidity.The additional rigidity allowed the engineers to reduce the thickness of the carbon fiber used for the tubes, which reduced weight. The top tube and the downtube continue the flutes into the lugs. The lugs are no longer round but star shaped. The downtube has a bigger radius, increasing its stiffness and the bottom bracket lugs are much larger and stiffer than ever before. The bottom bracket also has threaded removable sleeves that line the bottom bracket and it compatible with Campagnolo, Shimano, SRAM, FSA and Rotor cranksets. As the sleeves wear, they can be replaced. This will eliminate the bottom bracket creaking in other pressfit carbon fiber bottom brackets, such as in the Trek bicycle models. The C60 frame parts are manufactured in China, but the frame is assembled and painted in Cambiago, near Milan in Northern Italy. Other Colnago bicycles are made and assembled entirely in China. The C60 can also be ordered with disc brakes. Every that I know who has ridden road bicycles with disc brakes love the stopping power and the feel of disc brakes.
Colnago is a top Italian bicycle manufacturer. Ernesto Colnago, 82, was the head mechanic for the Molteni team of pro cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Colnago collaborates with Ferrari to produce bicycles. Currently, the VR-1 model is the latest Ferrari - Colnago collaboration.
If you are looking for a solid top-end bicycle that is also strong and durable, then the Colnago C60 should fit the bill. Currently, major bicycle manufacturers are chasing lighter and more aerodynamic bicycles. Extremely light carbon fiber frames may not be that durable over the course of years and aero bicycles are not known for their comfort over the course of hours. The Colnago C60 is a durable bicycle that will last for years and has the capability to go fast when pushed. I did not feel any hesitation from the C60 frame on the demo ride at all. The current US MSRP is $6,199, but can be negotiated. I think it is worth a look if you want a carbon fiber bicycle that can take a few bumps on the road.  

I am grateful to the folks at Helen’s Cycles in Santa Monica for allowing a demo ride of the C60.

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