Colnago C60 Inflammatory Thread

[Calnago]

Well buckle me britches... but wait.. my britches are just fine .
Choice is a good thing in this world. And you can't please all the people all time.
I know why I like them as I've had a lot of years to figure out what works for me in a bicycle and what doesn't, from build, geometry, handling and aesthetic perspectives. If I were to be buying a new bike today, it would be a C64 in 56s. A Protos wouldn't work for me personally, but it works for you. Please post up a pic of that piece o' crap C60 you want to unload. I never tire of looking at a nicely built Colnago. Done right, there's not much prettier. So, let's see it.

[bikeboy1tr]

(Buckle them britches Calnago)

I thought I'd share my thoughts on having just acquired my first Colnago - a C60 Dual. Having worked in the industry, I'd had a few chances to climb aboard Colnagos for mini-test rides but, up till this point, I've never had a proper bash on one. As such, there remained a slight tinge of the mythical reverence associated with the brand; people worship these bikes, and unlike any other brand, they retain a healthy resale value on the second-hand market. To me this says there's a pretty good chance they're good.

Well... I'm surprised to be honest. Seriously... what the *f##k*. I want to stop short of saying the C60 is shit... but given the pedestal C-series Colnago's are put on I'm just going to have to say its shit (relatively speaking) in that it doesn’t come close to living up to the hype and mystique associated with the brand. If I step back and ask myself: what are the pure performance characteristics of this bike - does it feel cool, does it feel fast, is it fun to climb on, does it put a smile on my face - I'm going to say more or less no. It doesn’t feel fast, it doesn’t feel unique/cool, it climbs like a potato and it doesn’t put a smile on my face. Frankly it feels like a generic mid-level carbon bike with a touch of spice. It’s got no pizazz, it’s got no snap, you jump on the pedals and it begrudgingly lurches forward (relatively speaking). On the plus side it is super comfortable - you could ride it all day. To that I say, aren’t C-series Colnago's race bikes? (yeah yeah, I know there is such a thing as a comfortable race bike... I've owned them, XR4 is a great example). It's all well and good to be a good endurance bike, but that’s another category of bike altogether. This is what we call in the industry an 'old man’s bike'. All I can say is that I sure am glad I've got a bike with balls I can ride (the Protos) cause I'm selling this humdinger (pejorative).

Just wondering if you were that underwhelmed with the Time ZXRS @zappafile123

[zappafile123]

Well buckle me britches... but wait.. my britches are just fine .
Choice is a good thing in this world. And you can't please all the people all time.
I know why I like them [...] I never tire of looking at a nicely built Colnago. Done right, there's not much prettier. So, let's see it.

Thats something unchanged - Colnago's are among the most beautiful bikes you can buy. The geometry and handling are also decent. Some of the art deco C59 paint jobs are without peer imo. Still, I'm disappointed becuase I was expecting something special in terms of ride quality.









I guess I want my ride to be exciting in a specific kins of way

[fa63]

That looks essentially identical to the bike I test rode (and was also underwhelmed by); same paint job, same groupset and I think same wheels

[KotP]

Lol, small world. I don't know you, but I know that bike.

Alas, it's way too small for me.

[c60rider]

Perhaps people that are underwhelmed by Colnago's are expecting something extraordinary compared to any other carbon fibre frame which clearly cannot ever be the case. Unless I look down I'm hard pushed at times to know whether I'm on my C60 or my cheap Planet X nanolight but when I really push it on fast sweeping decents then that's when I'm glad I'm on the C60 as it has the stability and unruffled ride I was expecting. The "fast-handling" bikes that reviews go on about and are maybe much more lively to ride, or in other words a nervous front end and short wheel base, doesn't give me what I want in a bike. My average speed and power meter readings tell me my C60 is faster than the planet X.

[avispa]

Frankly it feels like a generic mid-level carbon bike with a touch of spice. It’s got no pizazz, it’s got no snap, you jump on the pedals and it begrudgingly lurches forward (relatively speaking). On the plus side it is super comfortable - you could ride it all day..... It's all well and good to be a good endurance bike, but that’s another category of bike altogether....

At some point I thought I was the only one... This is precisley one reason I went from a Colnago C59 to a Pinarello 65.1... I have never looked back!

[markyboy]

Like i said a few post back i have had c59 and c60 nothing wrong with them they were great and the paint jobs,its just that i love the master the most

[wilwil]

Ive had an EP, C59, C60 and C64. The EP turned me on to Colnago and I wish Id hung on to it. I was riding a Cervelo R3-SL at the time which I still ride. The C64 feels better all round than the C60. They are all far more comfortable than the Cervelo. I wonder if the C60 might have been a bit of a dud in the C line up.

[alcatraz]

Only ever rode a c60 a few hundred meters and it felt very harsh. I'm surprised to read about the comfort.

I thought the frame was made for sprinting or track or something. The tubing diameters is quite generous.

[trex]

I'd rather have tuberculosis than another Colnago.
Had four of them: Extreme, C60, V1R and Concept - each one worse than the previous one.

In terms of ride quality it wasn't so bad (dull but very comfortable, mainly due to geometry), but the quality of the workmanship and after sale service is one the worst in whole bike industry imho!
I don't want to go into details, because it caused me enough trouble, but such a thing as a warranty in the Colnago does not exist (based on my experience).
I know countless cases of badly painted frames, none of them have been resolved in client's favor.
On the other side, my good friend went with a 25 year old (!) Trek to LBS for some regular maintenance and small weld crack was noticed by them - he's just picking up a whole new bike!

I once had the opportunity to meet Ernesto himself - an extremely modest man, one of the reasons I gave another chances to his bikes so many times.
Unfortunately, now everything's money (see the terrible rebranded e-bikes line, Breitling and Richard Mille collaboration etc.) and the quality is second rate. That's just me.

[zappafile123]

Only ever rode a c60 a few hundred meters and it felt very harsh. I'm surprised to read about the comfort.

I thought the frame was made for sprinting or track or something. The tubing diameters is quite generous.

Wheels make a huge difference dude. That being said, Fulcrum RZs are quite radially stiff so they're up there in terms of their ability to make a frameset feel harsh. On the flipside, maybe there's a lot of variance in their manufacturing process? Maybe the tubes arent as tighly bonded into the lugs on this one?

[alexneumuller]

I have owned three Colnago’s. A C60 in Size 58, a C60 I Size 54 and am now I have a C64 in size 54.

I partly agree with the C60 or even the C64 not being snappy or a riding like a race bike. I don’t particularly think it is a fast bike. But.....

I knew that before I bought them; speed or race experience wasn’t the key details for me. I simply wanted a C60/C64, and with the miles I have done on it and with some pretty good climbing, I know that I m not gone set any PRs on it, but it just rises very very nicely. Perfect bike to spend all day on, it feels rock solid on the flats and long sharp descents. It rides smoothly and my backside feels great afterwards. I don’t have a power meter installed on it, I simply want to ride it however I feel in that precise moment of time.

I have other bikes when I want to go fast, a Tarmac and getting a Venge now. The Tarmac does most things better than the C64, but it simply does not have the appeal that a Colnago has to me. I ride a Parlee for casual days, a Speedvagen for hammering it painfully, a Stinner when I want to have a bike that doesn’t show off as a status. And my Cannondale Evo is Hand down one of the best race bikes I have ever ridden.

Colnago is not for young people, it’s a brand that feels more like a fine red wine. It grows on you with age. It’s a brand for the successful, cash rich kind of client. Any serious racer will not have it on their radar. For my purposes it is a dam fine bike to ride.....but is just a bike after all, and I can live with it just being a bike and not a race bike.





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[zappafile123]

Perhaps people that are underwhelmed by Colnago's are expecting something extraordinary compared to any other carbon fibre frame which clearly cannot ever be the case.

I agree that this was a factor in the conclusion I reached. I was expecting it to be a legitimately high class rig – something that feels like a flagship frame from one of the better manufacturers. I wasn’t expecting it to be out of this world or substantially different from any other high end carbon frame. I was just expecting it to be good. What I found was that it was mediocre. Compared to other bikes in the category it simply doesn’t measure up. Trek, Specialized, Bianchi, De Rosa, Pinarello, Time, Giant, bla bla – they’re all making better frames than the C60.

[zappafile123]

I have owned three Colnago’s. A C60 in Size 58, a C60 I Size 54 and am now I have a C64 in size 54.

I partly agree with the C60 or even the C64 not being snappy or a riding like a race bike. I don’t particularly think it is a fast bike. But.....

I knew that before I bought them; speed or race experience wasn’t the key details for me. I simply wanted a C60/C64, and with the miles I have done on it and with some pretty good climbing, I know that I m not gone set any PRs on it, but it just rises very very nicely. Perfect bike to spend all day on, it feels rock solid on the flats and long sharp descents. It rides smoothly and my backside feels great afterwards. I don’t have a power meter installed on it, I simply want to ride it however I feel in that precise moment of time.

I have other bikes when I want to go fast, a Tarmac and getting a Venge now. The Tarmac does most things better than the C64, but it simply does not have the appeal that a Colnago has to me. I ride a Parlee for casual days, a Speedvagen for hammering it painfully, a Stinner when I want to have a bike that doesn’t show off as a status. And my Cannondale Evo is Hand down one of the best race bikes I have ever ridden.

Colnago is not for young people, it’s a brand that feels more like a fine red wine. It grows on you with age. It’s a brand for the successful, cash rich kind of client. Any serious racer will not have it on their radar. For my purposes it is a dam fine bike to ride.....but is just a bike after all, and I can live with it just being a bike and not a race bike.





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Nice Alex, I like your sentiment. The culture that surrounds the bike does make a difference. It frames your perception of the bike. Despite my disappointment, Colnago still has a unqiue position in the market place and that counts for something.

In some ways the C60 does ride like a steel bike... just withouth the 'life' you find in some of those frames.