Colnago C59 Traditional 61 - UPDATED Page 4

[Calnago]

ah, there it is.... nice!

"fizik" bar tape does not work to me, plain black one without "name". pyramid headset top ;(

Solid tape just for you Stefan.
"Pyramid" top cap is one of the nicest things about the headset in my opinion. Provides a really elegant transition from the large headtube to the spacers and/or stem.

[Calnago]

Looks really good! Classy components and a classic fit.

In theory you could get rid of some spacers with a -6° stem, but I actually prefer the way it looks with -17°. The stem angle aligns nicely with the top tube.

Yes Eurperg, exactly right. I thought a lot about what I wanted to do here. I really wanted the look of the -17 but wasn't sure if I'd have to "build" up the height too much in order to end up with a "ridable" position for me. This is an agressive drop for me right now at 101mm. I actually have the exact same stem ("de-striped" and all) in a -6 and all I have to do is swap it out and I get an extra 18mm of height, putting the drop at 83mm which I know is all day comfort for me and it really looks good too. So far, I'm fine with the 101mm of drop as I wanted this bike to be a little more "aggressive" for the faster group days. The stem actually probably slopes down ever so slightly as the headtube is slightly steeper than 73 degrees, which the -17 angle is really designed around. But overall I'm very pleased with the resulting look and fit.

[Calnago]

Prefer it with the Bora decals, don't do it

No worries, you don't buy Boras to remove the decals. Might as well get Lightweights then

[Calnago]

Exquisite is the word that came to mind. Well done.

Just for pure meditation purposes, I am also wondering what the bike would look like if it was 1-2cm smaller with a -8 degree stem and no spacers (and a bit more seatpost showing)?

It would look exactly as you might imagine it. It would have more seatpost showing, a rising stem, which is not the look I wanted here, but most importantly I'd have the wrong size frame for me. And that, would not be good. But if you like a lot of seatpost in a traditional frame more than a good fit, go for it. On your bike.

[Calnago]

Why not Veloflex or Vittoria tubulars? That would strengthen the superitalian concept

I went with the Continentals for their puncture resistance. This is my first time on tubulars after all these years. I just wanted to finally try them out for myself, instead of listening to people talk about them. But also, it was the only way I could do the Boras since they only come in a tubular. But now that I'm riding them, you'll be happy to know that I have a set of Veloflex Carbons on stretching rims as we speak for when the Contis bite the dust. I'll decide which brand I'll stick with after trying them both. Anyway, I kind of threw out the 100% "superitalian" concept when I went back to my trusty Dura-Ace pedals. Shoot me

[Calnago]

Maybe its just me .. but I do think a bike of this size, in equivlent 56'S or 58'S would actually look better ?

It's just you

[Calnago]

Wow! Gorgeous build, lovely personal touches too.

Only 1 suggestion, you could save an easy (and cheap) 100gms on switching the campag skewers to somethign like lightwieghts, token, tune etc

I don't mess with lightweight skewers.

[Calnago]

Any particular reason for using a downward sloping stem?

Given that you have a relatively small amount of seatpost showing, it kind of looks as if you would be better with a frame one size smaller and a stem at the normal angle?

Wanted a traditional look, that means horizontal top tube, horizontal stem. My stem might be tilted about 0.1 to 0.3 degrees down from perfectly horizontal as a result of the headtube being slightly steeper than exactly 73 degrees. A -16 degree stem would actually be perfect for this build but this is the closest in the 3T I could get. I like that some manufacturers like 3T are starting to make the -17 stems again.

A smaller frame in colnago means just that, a smaller frame. That generally means shorter stays, front center, and wheelbase. I am perfectly balanced on this size Colnago. That's one of the best things about Colnagos to this day... you can still get frames in incremental sizes of 1cm and find a perfect balance. I've ridden one size smaller and I've ridden one size bigger. This is the one for me.

[cleavel]

Hello Calnago,

This is clearly the best looking Colnago that I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few.

[majklnajt]

I want to do nasty things to that bike.

Everyone does!

Me too......

It is perfect!!!!


I am happy you switched to DA pedals, so I can ride your bike if we ever meet...

[ferrarista]

what a wonderful colnago!! such a beauty!

Campagnolo just came out with some new dark label for the bora.

would look quite nice on your bike if you wanna go more stealth

[Roobay]

it has really come together nicely, but you have the same dilema as me the Bora Two decals are notv a perfect match for your bikes colour scheme, the wheels are great to ride, but if i change anything it would be the decals, maybe the new Dark ones may work better.
I may try them on my C59, although i am enjoying the Lightweights a great deal at the moment.
Overall its come out really well, WELL DONE

[kgt]

+1 on ghost decals

[grid256]

Again, amazing build. But light weight skewers are a no brainer. I ride Tune skewers on gravel and pothole roads everyday, same pair for the last two years. Zero problems.

[Calnago]

it has really come together nicely, but you have the same dilema as me the Bora Two decals are notv a perfect match for your bikes colour scheme, the wheels are great to ride, but if i change anything it would be the decals, maybe the new Dark ones may work better.
I may try them on my C59, although i am enjoying the Lightweights a great deal at the moment.
Overall its come out really well, WELL DONE

Disagree about the wheels. I think the wheels are an absolute perfect match for this build. The bits of red on stem, frame, groupo, wheels and even the stitching on the saddle is just enough to make the bike really "pop" and bring it all together. I agree that these wheels can really clash with the flourescent yellow and the Ligtweights are a much better choice there. I'm glad to see the new black on black decals for the Boras though because that will probably make them more neutral for other builds. But for this one, these Boras hit the mark I was aiming for dead on. Extremely happy with the result. The other look I have liked on this frame is the ENVE rims as their logo'ing also complements the stenciled logos on the matte black frameset.