The C68 Unboxed

Senior tech ed Warren Rossiter takes you on a deep dive into the new Colnago C68 superbike so that you can see exactly what you'd get for upwards of £12,000

- Warren Rossiter

Colnago's C series is the flagship of the legendary Italian brand. Handmade in Italy since 1989's radical C35, it has seen eight iterations since then. Unlike previous models, however, the C68 will be available not only with custom finish options, but also custom geometry on its C68 Carbon Titanium model that'll cost you €16,780...

Still modular

Like all of Colnago's previous C-series bikes, the C68 is made using a modular construction rather than the monocoque - one-piece - technique used to create most modern frames. That's apparently to allow Colnago to offer the C68 in more sizes, and even a custom-made-to-measure option if you plump for the 3D-printed, titanium-lugged version (lugs are the 'sleeves' that bind the frame's joints).

Unlike the previous C64, however, the new C68 hides its lugs inside the frame, which makes it look very similar to the brand's Tour-winning V3Rs. Since the lugs can now 'slide' up or down the top tube on the steerer/down-tube, Colnago can offer custom stack and reach options.

This frame system also gives better control of the carbon lamination because it uses smaller moulds and requires fewer carbon parts per component. The more open design of the frame parts also means that the mould can use higher pressures inside than on a monocoque, producing stronger elements and more rigidity, especially through the head-tube, making for a more precise-handling bike.

So, just how does all this work? The modular construction of the C68 has the lower head-tube and down-tube formed as a single piece. Then the top-tube piece has a looped end that is simply slid onto the headtube before bonding. This allow for lots of stack height adjustability, and both the top-tube and down-tube can be made to custom lengths, taking care of the reach.

Steerer surprise