Colnago C60
The C60, first unveiled in March, is the long-awaited successor to the C59 at the top of Colnago’s range and can be spotted beneath riders from the Italian firm’s sponsored WorldTour team, Europcar.
The C60 combines tradition with modern manufacturing techniques in a design which is said to be lighter and stiffer than the C59. The frame is made in Italy and continues to use a lugged construction, whereas the majority of carbon frames now use either a monocoque or tube-to-tube method, but the round lugs of the C59 have been replaced by star-shaped lugs and tube profiles inspired by the Colnago’s signature machine, the Master, in a bid to improve stiffness.
Colnago have developed a new bottom bracket specifically for the C60 called ThreadFit82.5. It’s said to combine the best of threaded and pressfit systems thanks to a design which combines an 86mm-wide shell with removable and replaceable aluminium sleeves that house the bearings. That, Colnago say, provides the stiffness of a traditional pressfit system while improving reliability and durability.
The bottom bracket lug is at the heart of the C60 and is nearly 50 per cent bigger than that of the C59. That provides the basis for the huge downtube, which has also grown significantly from the C59. That oversized theme continues across the frame – bigger is better as far as the Colnago C60 is concerned. Meanwhile, the new CNC-machined aluminum dropouts are said to be lighter than carbon fibre, and stiffer, stronger and more durable, too.
All in all, the C60 frame weighs a claimed 1,045g so it’s still some way off the lightest frames, though Colnago say a greater emphasis has been placed on stiffness and ride quality.
Colnago were among the first manufacturers to produce a disc-equipped road bike when the C59 Disc broke cover in 2012 and the C60 will follow suit, but with disc brakes off the agenda as far as the UCI is concerned, you’ll see Europcar riders (who also have the Colnago M10 to pull from the mechanics’ truck) on the rim brake version at the Tour de France.
