Colnago C59 GDSL first build up and ride

[AJS914]

I've been wanting a Colnago for the last 35 years ... and now I finally have one. A new one is not in my current budget but I got a good deal on this used one through ebay - shipped directly from Italy even. The box arrived the other day with one side crushed and still damp as it had got pretty wet at some point during the trip. Needless to say, my heart skipped beat when I saw that box. Fortunately, everything was ok on the inside.

I stayed up until 1:30am finishing the build and then rode a few miles around my neighborhood and doing hill repeats on my street which is like a 10% grade. I have to ride it standing in a 36x27.

The verdict: incredible bike. It is everything I had hoped it would be. The bike has that magic liveliness that some bikes achieve and it has it in spades. If you read my other topic, my Calfee had it but it was also harsh on rough roads. The C59 is not harsh at all. It just soaks it up while at the same time feeling lively and begging one to go faster. My Parlee Z4 now feels dead and wooden in comparison.

The big reason I got serious about a Colnago was because of the geometry. I've been riding a "large" in most frames with a 57 or 57.5 top tube. On the Parlee I have an 11cm stem. This Colnago is a 52S with a 55cm top tube. With a 13 I'm the same as on the Parlee. I might just stick with a 12 on the Colnago but run more drop. The way it is now with a 12cm stem feels very comfortable.

The build is Campagnolo Chorus with Record calipers and Eurus wheels. A C59 isn't a great weight weenie frame to start with but with the way this bike rides, I could care less. The total weight is 7.3kg or 16lbs. (I'm sure I could get it close to 15lbs with some lighter wheels and few weight weenie part swaps.

On it now are Zipp Vuka Sprint bars (90mm reach) with a Deda 12cm stem. The top hand position is awesome on these but I haven't loved the bend. I will swap in some 3T Ergonova Pro bars (80mm reach) and maybe try a 13cm stem. On these Zipp bars it's hard to get the levers in just the right position.

edit - swapping out photobucket (bastards) hosted images.

[BlackMadone]

Congrats, it looks great and nice ride report. The Zipp bars look a little out of place on the C series frame soI think the 3T would be a good replacement. Enjoy!

[ianSWBB]

AJS914
a C59!!! fantastic, well done
you'll only have a big smile on your face now, every time you go cycling

[Rogeliote]

Nice bike!! Congrats!!!!!

[Ebruner]

Very Nice.

[eurperg]

I agree on your comments about magic liveliness... It's a great frame. On mine the carbon weave was not visible at all like yours has, although it had the same GDSL paint.

[boots2000]

Great looking bike- what is your saddle height/setback as pictured?

[Calnago]

Nice build AJS914, glad the frame arrived safe and sound.
And @euroerg, do you still have that bike, I thought I saw you had it up for sale at one point?

[AJS914]

I'm really liking GDSL now that it is built up.

One thing I noticed was that this bike built up flawlessly. The rear derailleur hanger needed a minor alignment and then everything shifted perfect on the first try. I recently upgraded my Parlee to 11 speed and have never been happy with the shifting. I've aligned the derailleur hanger. It's all spot on and there were moments where it shifted perfect but then the next day it was slightly off. My only guess is that the derailleur hanger flexes when the wind blows. The Parlee was perfect though with 10 speed.

The C59 was an easy build. The english bottom bracket, to me, is preferred for an Ultra Torque crank and so easy to install.

The internal cable routing was easy though I did have to take the crankset off again to fish out the front derailleur cable. The rear cable magically found the opening on the first try.

The integrated headset was super easy to assemble.

The only thing that gave me pause was how tight a fit the seatpost was. I wonder if anyone else ever experienced that with their Colnago. I could cut a lot off the bottom of the seatpost as it's long. That would make less friction. I used carbon paste for installation. Maybe grease would be better since it is such a tight fit? Maybe no paste/grease since the carbon paste creates friction but I don't need more friction.

[Calnago]

Yes, the seatpost is a snug tolerance fit. That is good. No slop. It is long in a traditional frame set. I've thought about cutting some of the length off mine, but haven't bothered so far. I still use carbon paste on all carbon to carbon fittings however. No grease.

[AJS914]

Great looking bike- what is your saddle height/setback as pictured?

From the center of the BB to the top of my saddle is around 75cm.

I'm not sure about setback. How do you express that as a measurement? The saddle is almost as far back as it can go. I set up my setback using the Steve Hogg method but it coincidentally comes out to be about knee over pedal spindle.

[mrgray]

ajs914 - great bike and great report, interesting to hear the comparisons with the other bikes. can i ask, how tall are you? interested because i'm on a 52s too and think it might handle a little better with a longer stem (currently on a 110 mm with 85 mm reach bars).

[istigatrice]

That's a stunning bike, I'm surprised to hear you say that your Z4 is dead in comparison to this, is it something you can put your finger on?

P.S. have you considered entering those photos into the gallery competition? Is quite a stunning bike.

[AJS914]

Thanks for the compliments. I can't reiterate how happy I am with the result. The reviews you read online about the magical properties of carbon from Cambiago are true! I couldn't have imagined a better outcome of fit, ride, and handling.

Maybe once I get my new bars and some bar tape I'll take more photos with my DSLR for the gallery. I didn't realize there was a competition.

ajs914 - i'm on a 52s too and think it might handle a little better with a longer stem (currently on a 110 mm with 85 mm reach bars).

I'm 6 foot / 183cm tall. I was debating a long time between the 52S and the 54S because the reach on both is almost identical but I think the 52S is perfect.

That's a stunning bike, I'm surprised to hear you say that your Z4 is dead in comparison to this, is it something you can put your finger on?

If you read my other topic I tried to describe the springy, lively feel I got from my Calfee.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=134133

I loved the Calfee Dragonfly. On a smooth road it had this lively feel that just made it feel fast - like I could pedal an extra 2-3mph. I don't know how else to describe it. Springiness? I'm sure the feeling was psychological. The downside of the Calfee was that it beat me up on rough roads.

I've had a few other high end bikes with different characters which I'll try to compare.

1995 Litespeed Classic - my first high end bike - $2500 in 1995 dollars. And it was my main bike for almost 20 years. I finally wanted to try carbon plus after switching to modern pedals I lost 1cm in stack height plus I refined my position with a lower saddle height. Those two things made the Litespeed a size too large.

2008 Time VXS - interestingly, this one handles most similar to the C59. Very sharp handling - point it into a turn and you have this incredible amount of confidence. The C59 reviews usually call this "race geometry". It feels twitchy at first and then you get used to it in 5 minutes. The Time's ride though is very dampened. And it should be as it was developed as Boonan's Roubaix bike with extra vectran in the layup. This bike had zero of that liveliness feeling but was super comfortable on the roughest of roads.

Time Edge First - this was actually my first higher end carbon bike. I only rode it a short time. It was very similar to the VXS. Handling was less sharp and it had more road feel (not the special vectran layout for roubaix) but a comfortable ride none the list. It was a great all-arounder. Every Time had has impressed me in some way.

Parlee Z4 - If you read the Calfee topic you'll see I was at a crossroads of too many bikes in the stable, wanting to love the Calfee but not quite feeling it. The Z4 has a bit of that lively magical feeling, it was a lot lighter than all my other bikes (900g frame), has a unique carbon layup, and is quite handsome. Handling isn't as racy as the Colnago or my Time VXS but it was competent, stable and predictable. The Calfee had similar handling. Overall, I still like the Parlee.

Colnago C59 - It's a homerun for me. I got the razor sharp handling like my Time VXS. I got the magical lively feeling I was finding in the Calfee, and the C59 is very stiff yet comfortable with regards to road vibrations and doesn't beat me up if the road turns rough. On top of it, I think I got the best fit I've ever had on a bike. The little bit shorter reach allows me to get my seat back where I like it and still have a 12 or 13cm stem for good weight distribution. This all leaves me wondering what a C60 is like. When I was a kid I used to get the Palo Alto cycles catalog and lust over the Colnago Super and Mexico so I'm finally glad to have put a Colnago in the stable.

[Calnago]

Great looking bike- what is your saddle height/setback as pictured?

From the center of the BB to the top of my saddle is around 75cm.

I'm not sure about setback. How do you express that as a measurement? The saddle is almost as far back as it can go. I set up my setback using the Steve Hogg method but it coincidentally comes out to be about knee over pedal spindle.

You're 6' tall and only have a saddle height of 75cm? Is your inseam relatively short? A 52 sloping just seems small to me for someone your height unless you have a very short inseam relative to your height.

As for saddle setback... it is the distance from a vertical line through the center of your bottom bracket to the tip of your saddle.

Given that your saddle is all the way back in the rails, and given your height, you might try raising and simultaneously moving the saddle forward in the rails. Just a thought, haven't seen you or anything... and I know that height does not reflect your inseam length, but just going by your overall height, some experience, and the fact that you've got your saddle jammed all the way back in the rails at this point, I'm wondering if things couldn't be a bit better fitwise. Don't know but doesn't hurt to experiment a bit, especially when dialing it in during the early stages.