![1998 colnago c40 carbon art decor 1998 colnago c40 carbon art decor](https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikeforums.net-vbulletin/2000x948/20200705_152901_cc3ba95ffbbe28ee3a4571850625edbf6d469f62.jpg)
Since then, many of the greatest riders in the history of the sport have raced on Colnago bikes decorated with the Asso di Fiore – Ace of Clubs logo – including personal discovery Giuseppe Saronni, the Del Tongo team, Joop Zoetemelk, Pavel Tonkov, the Russian national team and the Alfa Lum professional team created by Colnago. One of the two bikes sits in a place of pride in the Colnago Museum.Ĭolnago bikes first appeared in the professional peloton in 1974, when Giovanbattista Baronchelli almost beat Eddy Merckx at the Giro d'Italia. Colnago built the bike Merckx used to break the Hour Record in Mexico in 1972, using every technological edge he could find.
1998 COLNAGO C40 CARBON ART DECOR SERIES
He and his brother Paolo then built bikes for a series of great riders, including Gastone Nencini, Gianni Motta, Michele Dancelli and Eddy Merckx, even if other brand names appeared on the tubes. In 1955, Colnago helped Fiorenzo Magni resolve a problem with his bike and was offered a job as an assistant team mechanic to Faliero Masi at the Giro d'Italia. He quickly realised he could open his own workshop in his hometown of Cambiago, northeast of Milan. When he fractured his leg in a race, he worked from home, building wheels. He raced himself as a teenager and began working for the Gloria bike maker in Milan when he was just 13. Along with Tullio Campagnolo, sponsors like Scic, Molteni, Del Tongo, Alfa Lum, and Mapei, he did the deals and made the bikes that built Italian cycling's golden years of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The others have the computers and marketing campaigns but few have done what I have over the last 60 years and still do today," he says defiantly.Ĭolnago's own story is entwined with that of Italian cycling. "I believe the best innovations come from artisans that work at home, who follow their intuitions. Some brands might win the numbers game but I ask: Why eat spam when you can have caviar?"Įrnesto Colnago is proud that the Italian cycling industry is fighting back after suffering during the long Italian economic recession, when now-global brands such as Specialized, Trek, Giant, and others ate into their market share. "We're not like the others, who just use moulds and produce five sizes, forcing people to adapt to the bike and not vice-versa. We want our customers to understand that they're riding something special," Colnago tells Cyclingnews, showing us a stunning silver version of the C64 disc that will soon be on sale. This year Colnago supplies bikes to UAE Team Emirates, and Fabio Aru will ride the Giro d'Italia on a Campagnolo-equipped Colnago C64 frame - the latest version of the lugged carbon-fibre frame that came to fame in the 1990s when the Mapei team dominated Paris-Roubaix. The Colnago C64: Why eat spam when you can have caviar?