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What it is:Colnago's latest C-Series flagship road wheel.
Frame features:Multi-piece carbon fiber construction, truncated airfoil tube shapes, T47 threaded lesser bracket, fully internal cable routing, fabricated in Italy.
Weight:7.49 kg / sixteen.51 lb (complete, size 49s, without pedals or accessories); 930 thousand (claimed, unpainted frame just, without hardware, size 51s);
Price: €15,772 (pricing for other regions is to confirmed).
Highs:Fantastic ride quality, spot-on fit and treatment, solid and sturdy experience, sleek and modern aesthetic, lots of size options for the integrated forepart.
Lows:Eye-wateringly expensive, internal routing is even so a pain, somehow doesn't experience equally special as the C64.

There'southward a trivial boondocks north of Boulder called Hygiene, with a well-equipped general shop that's a regular stop for road riders. The shop knows its clientele well. There are ii long racks for people to hang upwardly bikes. Tables and chairs outside to boot your feet up earlier clipping back into your pedals. A motorcar within where you can fill your bottles with water ice-common cold Skratch hydration mix.

I had my Colnago C68 test bike out there one day while I popped in for some calories. When I came out, there were a handful of people gathered around it — all upper-middle-aged men, presumably in their prime earning years.

"Aren't those bikes usually lugged?"

This bike has been absolutely brilliant to ride, only that annotate sums upwardly pretty well the 1 affair missing from Colnago'southward new flagship machine.

It's still lugged, really

Just similar every Colnago C-serial since the C40 debuted in 1994, the C68 is made of a bunch of smaller sections of frame that are glued together. But this time effectually, Colnago has decided to do away with previous generations' more traditional lugged aesthetic, instead switching to a multi-piece construction method that leaves the majority of the joints invisible. All but two of the bail lines are essentially seamless, further hidden nether a generous helping of paint. And the bail joints that Colnago intentionally leaves prominently displayed at the head tube and seat cluster don't stand out like they once did.

This stepped transition is intended to let people know the C68 hasn't forgotten its lugged heritage, only the effectiveness of this visual cue is debatable.

The former lobed tube cross-sections have also been abandoned in favor of a more aerodynamic truncated airfoil contour, and the D-shaped carbon fiber seatpost is even shared with the more competition-minded V3Rs. Down beneath is a T47 threaded bottom bracket, there's a new one-piece CC.01 carbon fiber bar-and-stalk with fully internal routing, and at to the lowest degree for now, the C68 is merely offered for use with disc brakes and electronic drivetrains.

Why the dramatic change?

Colnago says this fashion of building frames offers more tuning flexibility and more than stiffness than the C64, every bit well as better part consistency every bit compared to the modular monocoque construction favored in mass production. The multi-slice concept too retains a measure of geometry customization, which is enhanced further for customers that opt for the C68 Titanium, which uses bespoke 3D-printed titanium lugs at the head tube and seat cluster for riders that want more adjustment.

In that location's another obvious bond joint at the seat tube, merely it'southward still a very different aesthetic from the C64.

If you lot read between the lines, what's apparent is that while the C64 was undeniably aspirational and unique amongst its peers, that sort of heritage and emotional play eventually loses momentum. At least to some degree, the C68 had to get with the times, even if it had to abandon its curious quondam-plus-new aesthetic in the process.

Nonetheless, Colnago says the spirit of its C-series flagship still shines through.

(More technical details can exist found in my introduction article on the C68 hither).

Simply wow, is this thing glorious to ride

Ready aside for a moment this whole discussion well-nigh lugs and heritage and then on, because all of that fades away when you get this thing on the road. Out there, information technology's absolutely brilliant.

With few exceptions, high-end road racing bikes take been converging into 1 of two buckets. One of those is chasing aerodynamic gains at any/all costs; the other is generally focused on depression weight, while still including a modicum of aero shaping to help cheat the wind. The problem with the erstwhile is that they're often heavy and aren't very comfortable, and while the latter is very lightweight, the ride quality tin can all the same be kind of brittle and chattery.

In contour, the rear end is just most every bit normal every bit can exist.

The C68 sort of falls into that 2nd bucket, with its more traditional profile and modest D-shaped tubing that promises some semblance of aerodynamic efficiency. But at 930 g for a 51s (that'due south Colnago-speak for roughly a 56 cm), the C68 isn't all that light, especially when you consider that effigy doesn't include paint or hardware. When comparing apples to apples, that works out to about 200-300 thou heavier than a Behemothic TCR Avant-garde SL Disc, Trek Emonda SLR, Specialized Southward-Works Tarmac SL7, or Cannondale SuperSix Evo.

Weight has never been the overarching goal of Colnago'southward C-series bikes, however. It's ride quality. And in that sense, this new C68 hits the nail on the head.

Colnago supplied a flagship model for test here, complete with an ultra-posh Campagnolo Super Record EPS electronic groupset, Campagnolo Bora WTO 45 carbon wheels wrapped with 28 mm (27 mm actual width) Pirelli P Zilch Race tube-type clinchers, Colnago'south own CC.01 one-slice carbon fiber bar-and-stalk, and a titanium-railed Prologo Scratch M5 CPC saddle mounted atop the D-shaped Colnago setback carbon fiber seatpost. Actual weight is 7.49 kg (sixteen.49 lb), without pedals or accessories — not bad, just not fantastic, either.

Looking past those numbers, the C68 merely feels amazing. The ride is business firm and full of feedback, but by no means punishing. Information technology's super polish on all just the ugliest pavement fifty-fifty with the stock 27 mm-wide Pirellis inflated to 82/80 psi rear/forepart (which is on the high side for my 73 kg frame). Bigger impacts are translated into a tiresome thud instead of rocking your shoulders and scrambling your vision. There's a sense of substantialness to the whole matter, and almost — dare I say it — luxury. Information technology's composed and comfy, and not at all breakable-feeling or skittery like similarly minded bikes that are significantly lighter.

The 45 mm-deep wheels are a good lucifer for the semi-aero frame.

Overall frame stiffness is excellent, at least in my "48s" (roughly a 52 cm in conventional terms) size. It's not blow-your-listen stout at the lesser bracket like a Giant TCR or Emonda SLR, but information technology's all the same very solid and highly responsive to changes in ability at the pedals with not a hint of mushiness. Forepart torsional rigidity is also very high, delivering highly precise handling and lending a lot of confidence when diving into fast corners under difficult braking.

As for the frame geometry, Colnago still models the C68 as a race wheel so there aren't whatsoever surprises hither. Colnago uses the aforementioned 43 mm fork rake for each of the seven available frame sizes, and then the trail varies from 75 mm on the smallest size, downwardly to 59 mm on the largest. Information technology's a middle-of-the-road 69 mm for my particular tester, which also sports a relatively stubby 590 mm front center and tidy 985 mm wheelbase. The chainstays are brusque beyond the board at simply 408 mm from the bottom bracket middle to the rear hub, and every size also gets the aforementioned 72 mm of lesser bracket drib.

Taking all of that into account, the steering is quick and reactive, the C68 deftly carving its style downward tight-and-fast downhill hairpins and flicking around last-infinitesimal obstacles. It'southward eager and tossable, low-cal on its feet. Information technology likes to play. But nonetheless information technology's besides stable and calm when you're in a full tuck at seventy km/h, firmly planted to the ground without feeling like it's going to go bounced off-line into the shoulder at the slightest cleft in the tarmac.

Although the treatment is quick and darty, Colnago has tempered the passenger positioning on the C68 as compared to the V3Rs typically preferred past UAE Team Emirates riders. Attain is essentially unchanged, but the stack is a few millimeters taller for a slightly more relaxed posture. It's a far weep from endurance bike territory, though, and in that location's all the same plenty of weight on the forepart to help with initial turn-in, but my approximate is most riders will welcome the subtle change on long days in the saddle.

Spec notes and details

Campagnolo'southward EPS electronic platform is long overdue for a major overhaul, only the Super Record EPS flagship groupset included here is all the same a treat to use. Shifts are quick and precise both front and rear — if occasionally a hair clunkier than Shimano — and since the upshift and downshift levers are wholly separated, in that location'southward never a chance of your fingers mistaking one for the other. Information technology too runs very quietly, and with 12 sprockets out dorsum (and cassettes up to 11-32T), there'southward aplenty range available.

The rear derailleur is a mishmash of carbon cobweb and electronics.

Campagnolo's disc brakes — co-developed with Magura — are arguably the best in the business concern, besides, with copious amounts of power matched with fantabulous lever experience, a less binary initial bite, and barely a hint of noise. Even if the style doesn't suit you, it's hard to deny that Super Record EPS has a lot of it.

Unfortunately, none of that can mask the age of the EPS platform or its technical disadvantages every bit compared to newer contest. Shimano and SRAM are both wireless at the levers (although Shimano still has wires connecting the derailleurs and battery), and their companion apps are more feature-rich. There are notwithstanding no remote shifter options for Campagnolo EPS, either, and somewhat amazingly, the organization still requires you to attach a clumsy magnetic strap around the seatpost-mounted battery to manually turn the system off after a ride (otherwise it'll stay in standby mode and steadily drain the battery).

And while those brakes take an ardent following within CyclingTips circles, Campagnolo'due south design even so offers the to the lowest degree pad clearance of the big 3. Thankfully, both the front and rear disc mounts on the C68 were perfectly flat and square and then rotor rub was never an issue. The lever blades all the same lack a proper achieve aligning, yet, and combined with the bulky Ergopower bodies, most riders with smaller hands will probable desire to look elsewhere.

Super Record EPS may be getting long in the tooth, but it's even so very proficient stuff.

The wheels are harder to error.

They're sleek and slippery in the current of air (although crosswind stability could be better), strong and responsive, and ride nicely. By feel has repeatedly confirmed the hybrid ceramic cup-and-cone bearings to be some of the best available, too: fast-rolling, durable, easy to service, and easily adjustable. Build quality is just equally superb as past Campagnolo wheels I've used, the finish quality is second-to-none, and although this detail setup was tube-type, the solid outer rim walls are a cinch to set upward tubeless with no finicky record to migrate or peel.

One thing to note: my test wheel came with Campagnolo'southward second-tier Bora WTO 45 carbon clinchers, not the top-shelf Bora Ultra WTO 45. Colnago lists the flagship wheels on its product page, though, so hopefully this was simply a necessary exchange for my test sample.

Colnago'south decision to use a one-piece carbon cobweb bar-and-stalk with fully internal routing was fully expected, and while I notwithstanding have lots of qualms nearly the concept, the execution here has at to the lowest degree addressed some of them.

Each of the xvi sizes of the CC.01 requires a different mold (or, depending on how Colnago is doing information technology, at least a unlike mold configuration).

Commencement and foremost, information technology'south proficient to see that Colnago offers 16 dissimilar length-and-width combinations of the CC.01 cockpit to provide more fit tunability. The flattened tops also aren't and so flattened that they're uncomfortable to hold, and the semi-anatomic driblet shape should exist agreeable to virtually. Kudos to Colnago for using a conventional 1 1/8″ circular steerer tube and making the system fully compatible (both functionally and aesthetically) with some options from Deda, too. In other words, if a stock CC.01 doesn't suit your wants or needs, yous tin always go with a Deda one-piece setup or even a 2-piece one.

The routing itself is still kind of a pain, however, with the lines running within the bar and stalk before taking a down curve between the steerer tube and upper headset bearing. Colnago has wisely specified CeramicSpeed'due south solid-lube SLT headset bearings for supposed lifetime operation, only you all the same accept to unbolt the forepart brake caliper to gain enough hose length when information technology comes fourth dimension to clean and re-grease the headset begetting seats. And unfortunately, while the C68 ably tackles those bigger bumps in the road as I mentioned earlier, they're occasionally accompanied by some hose and/or wire rattling in the down tube (which could presumably be stock-still with some cream insulation).

Let's non forget about the C68'south integrated multi-tool, of course, which comes courtesy of Granite Blueprint and is neatly hidden away inside the steerer tube. It's a dandy thought (and I did use it several times, particularly during early setup rides), only you'd better hope your fingernails are overnice and strong equally you'll need them to pry out the friction-fit cap. The stubby tool $.25 as well aren't long enough to reach some bolts, and the short tool torso offers minimal leverage — which is perhaps just every bit well since the unmarried-sided aluminum trunk will likely merely bend or break if y'all really torque on it, anyway.

Thankfully the tool isn't a requirement, and even without it, there's still a dainty aluminum reinforcement sleeve that extends well below the upper headset bearing to bolster the carbon fiber steerer.

There's one last affair I desire to address: the saddle. The brusk-and-chubby design is comfortable enough with lots of support from the higher-density foams, and the grippy CPC surface works as advertised. But on a bike with this sky-high a price tag, shouldn't the runway exist carbon fiber instead of titanium? Ok, I'g nitpicking here, but when y'all're paying this kind of money, it's but fair to expect the very all-time.

Fast, but non too furious

Turning to automotive analogies (equally I'm apt to practice), I think of the C68 as the road wheel equivalent of a premium GT auto. It'south nearly as quick and responsive as a defended rails machine, but with most of the edges knocked off and then that it'due south easier to live with on a day-to-day basis. Information technology'due south supremely capable. It's expensive. It'south stylish. People literally stop you to ask questions.

The problem with the C68 — at to the lowest degree in my stance — is i of identity. In revamping the way the C68 is fabricated to brand it sleeker and more modernistic-looking, Colnago has also taken abroad much of what fix previous C-series models autonomously. Information technology'south true that the C68 offers performance to spare, and it's all the same unlikely you'll spot another 1 on your local group ride. And of course, the prestige of the Colnago brand name is emblazoned right on the downward tube for all to see.

Is the C68 still special plenty to lure buyers away from the competition? That remains to exist seen.

The C68 is nonetheless pretty, information technology'south still fabricated in Italy, and with this kind of toll tag, it'due south still ultra-sectional. It may very well be a better bicycle than the C64 on paper, but I'd argue that at this end of the market, buyers aren't just comparing things on paper (and if they were, any number of mass-produced bikes out-perform this affair). It's a fine wheel, and I'll be distressing to see it go. But whether there'south nevertheless plenty of an emotional play here to proceed the C68 at the forefront of wealthy buyers' minds remains to exist seen.

More information can be institute at www.colnago.com.