Colnago C59 - is it really that good?

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pritchet74
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by pritchet74

I am toying with the idea of getting a new frameset after being on a Cervelo SLC-SL for over 4 years. Priority has shifted from the most aero frame to getting something that's much better out of the saddle, comfortable, and just a joy to ride. Also, many other frames are out because I want a standard English bottom bracket to go with my current SRM. I can't get the C59 out of my head and I need input on if it really is as good as I think it is.

Is there anyone out there that has NOT liked a C50, EPS, or C59 that they have owned? If so then why?
Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?

airwise
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by airwise

I gave my new C59 it's first run out this week.

It's my first Colnago. I only bought it (if truth be told) because I saw the Italian 150th Anniversary edition in a shop window in Cortina in 2011 and I HAD to have one. Beautiful to behold.

At the time I had a Seven and a Cannondale Supersix HM. Prior to that I'd owned S Works and Cervelo carbon framesets alongside my trusty Seven.

I always loved the comfort of the titanium frame. The carbon offerings felt more direct, faster and were unquestionably stiffer.

First ride on the C59 was a revelation. I was expecting it to ride like the other carbon bikes but it did so only in that it climbed like a mountain goat and was stiff in all the important places. The actual ride quality and comfort, the stability and assuredness, was far more akin to my Seven Axiom. A bike that combined the best of both worlds. I didn't think that was possible.

So I'm now going to look to get another one that I'm not quite so precious about the appearance of :)

Wholeheartedly recommended by me. Only issue is paint is a bit soft and easily damaged.

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davec
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by davec

Get one. You won't regret it. It's truly unlike any other frame you've ever ridden.


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Causidicus
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by Causidicus

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Last edited by Causidicus on Tue Jun 17, 2014 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bely
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by Bely

I don't mean to sound like a complete douschbag, but I have always wanted to Colnago, but from where I am from obtaining one takes a really long time and the 2-3 month wait time sometimes leads to 6 months to a year. Now having said all that, I have owned Pinas, Specializeds, Treks, Cannondales, De Rosas, etc...up until now, I am currently building a Colnago C59 and boy! I don't know about the ride or is it a childhood dream to own one, it looks the best in my opinion. I haven't ridden one to give an honest opinion (mind you i normally ride the same parts as well as routes), but based on pure Looks (no pun intended), the Colnago (tradtional geometry) is a real beauty!
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HillRPete
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by HillRPete

Damnit fellas, you make me want one even more. The Italia 150th ed. is a real beauty. Won't be happening in the next 5 years, though.

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carbonLORD
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by carbonLORD

I've written a few comparisons between my 2012 C59 and my latest acquisition, a 2013 S-WORKS Venge but lets talk about the C59.

Image

60cm traditional. I purchased it at the time I was working with a dealer and still had to wait 4 months (because I wanted MTBK and traditional geometry).

I was coming out of an original BMC Team Machine SLT01 that I coveted. http://carbonlord.com/BMCSLT01.jpg

The SLT01, very stiff and felt more like a CAAD 10 then a carbon tubed, aluminum lugged frame. I expected the carbon lugs on the C59 would give me that compliance I anticipated from carbon.

My expectations were more then met with the C59. Almost all of the stiffness of the Venge but a comfort and quality that I'd never experienced in another frame set. I am 6'3" at 190-200lbs and lay down some power, (though I am no climber at this size) I can climb exceptionally well on the C59 due to its top end performance out of the saddle. Bike weighs in as pictured at 6.7 Kilos (14.9 lbs) and there is never any brake rub or flex that I can notice.

I call it a bike that "celebrates cycling". When people ask why it costs so much I equate it to the Ferrari for an automobile enthusiast. A childhood dream of owning one realized as for many, I am thankful I am at an age that I can still appreciate it for all its worth and while I have only owned it for little over a year feel it will be a keeper, for the rest of my life while bikes like the Venge are today's trend and will be forgotten about in 3 years time in favor of the next wonder tubing/design.

Its not to say I do not like my Venge, quite the contrary I do love it, but if I had to sell one it would not be the Colnago.

Image

I've yet to meet a person that was unsatisfied with a well fitting Colnago. I say this because the size guides between traditional and sloping geometry sometimes put people in the wrong size but what usually happens is they manage to get in the correct size, and the realization that there is not much better then the C59 holds true.

It is a legendary bicycle from a renowned manufacturer and aside of the Master X is the only true made in Italy bike left.
carbonLORD.com

Wingnut
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by Wingnut

carbonLORD wrote:
I've yet to meet a person that was unsatisfied with a well fitting Colnago. I say this because the size guides between traditional and sloping geometry sometimes put people in the wrong size but what usually happens is they manage to get in the correct size, and the realization that there is not much better then the C59 holds true.

It is a legendary bicycle from a renowned manufacturer and aside of the Master X is the only true made in Italy bike left.


Hmm...while I have only ridden one briefly I'm not sure that I agree on "the realization that there is not much better then the C59 holds true".


Made in Italy?

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Colonia
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by Colonia

I say this as a huge Colnago fan: the differences among high-end carbon bikes of all brands are minimal. Proper bike geometry is more or less set in stone (unless you go custom), and all brands use basically the same materials. The only major difference is the name on the tube. If you want a Colnago, get it, but don't be expecting your world to be transformed. :lol:

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carbonLORD
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by carbonLORD

Hmm...while I have only ridden one briefly I'm not sure that I agree on "the realization that there is not much better then the C59 holds true".


Made in Italy?

Tommasini
Bottechia
Passoni
DeRosa
MCipollini
Pegoretti
Carrera-Podium[/quote]

Um, I was speaking only of the Colnago made in Italy offerings. Unlike the CLX, M10, Ace, Arte etc.... (M10 rides nice though, for being made at the Giant factory).

Comparing any of those makes to a C59 as better? Indeed it appears you did only ride the C59 briefly.

Real world experience > Test ride

Just sayin.
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pritchet74
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by pritchet74

Thanks for the input guys. I heard yesterday that they are going to have the Art Deco paint jobs on the C59's for next year and also that the retail price will be dropping nearly 10%. That's very good news.

Now I just need to ride one....
Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?

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Calnago
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by Calnago

pritchet74 wrote:
Is there anyone out there that has NOT liked a C50, EPS, or C59 that they have owned? If so then why?


I currently own a C50, EPQ (EPS/C59 hybrid), and a C59. My first carbon Colnago was a C40 but I sold it to a friend when I got my C50. I love each one. I am fortunate enough to be able to work on high end bikes pretty much exclusively. Colnagos are special, for whatever reason you want to attribute that to (many people have different reasons, some valid some not, but they are real to them).

To say that all high end bikes these days are made of carbon therefore they are all equal (for a given geometry) is a gross oversimplification in my opinion. Just like there are many fine steels from straight gauge to double and triple butted of varying wall thicknesses, so to are there many ways of producing a carbon frame, from choosing the type of carbon, to how it is laid up, to the resins used to hold the fibers, to the "glue" that bonds the tubes to lugs (if lugs are used), to the pressure that the molded frames are pressed at, etc.

The more subjective stuff that magazine reviews are made of I take with a grain of salt. Or when a rider says (and this goes for any brand) it "corners like it's on rails" and my personal favorite "it climbs like a mountain goat". Well, I can tell you that being on any of my colnagos still hurts when I'm heading into the stratosphere, and I don't believe I'm going to get to the top any faster or slower because I'm on a colnago, or any other bike for that matter. But while I'm cursing and slugging my way to the top, it sure is a pretty bike to look down at and ponder the other things in life that matter. But of all the things I ponder while I'm riding, thinking about getting a different bike is not one of them.
Last edited by Calnago on Wed Jun 26, 2013 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

airwise
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by airwise

I suspect anyone who rides a 61cm frame finds climbing a painful experience regardless of manufacturer or material.

spud
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by spud

might some of the differences be due to vastly different setup on each bike? From the picture, it appears the saddle on the Venge is 2 cm further back, at least. Pushing the mass that much further back has a big effect on the handling and feel of the bike.

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Calnago
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by Calnago

airwise wrote:I suspect anyone who rides a 61cm frame finds climbing a painful experience regardless of manufacturer or material.


So it is the bike!... Damnit, I knew it. I just knew it. I'm trading it in for a 52 sloping. I'll be much faster up the hills then. :lol:
Colnago C64 - The Naked Build; Colnago C60 - PR99; Trek Koppenberg - Where Emonda and Domane Meet;
Unlinked Builds (searchable): Colnago C59 - 5 Years Later; Trek Emonda SL Campagnolo SR; Special Colnago EPQ

by Weenie


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