The C59 is beautiful. Its my team bike for the season. I am meeting my sponsors at the bike show in Earls Court its a hub of activity with every bike brand and piece of kit available on show. With this in mind I walk up to the Colnago stand to the best bike on that stand and look at the beautiful machine I'll be riding for the season. The feeling of excitement floods through me as the realization sinks in. I get the best and most exciting bike available today. I once had a conversation with a guy at a race who complemented my bike, I complemented his back (which was also a Colnago) to which he replied, "But I paid for mine". I was taken a back and said "nothing is free in this life. I have a look at the Brochure and check out colors. I went for the Bastile day special edition. Its white with touches of red and blue, an up to date and on trend color scheme that will also match our kit for the season. I am all for matching things up as best I can.
The team is riding Campag so that's what I'll get with it. An all Italian bike when full K-Force carbon components are added bars/stem/seat post. When it arrives I'm not disappointed. Like a child who dreams for months about something it delivers on every level. The bike is light stiff with internal carbon layers running down the center of the down tube to stiffen the ride. Carbon cross weaved to maximize rigidity and efficiency without rattling you to pieces in the process. One of the things that strikes you as you look closer, they have gone back to using a kind of Colnago club shaped tubes. In my opinion they are beautiful and the perfect size. I've ridden other bikes with over sized down tubes and huge bottom bracket area to make it more efficient but it feels like an MTB and cumbersome. Then you get old steel frames with the Reynolds tubing where the tubes now feel much too thin and skinny. This C59 is the balance I'm looking for. Substantial enough to deliver efficiency but not over engineered. This leaves you with a beautiful feeling bike with class and finesse oozing out of every angle.
An important part of comfort on a bike is that it fits. I recommend getting a bike fit if your going to spend this much on a frame. I'm lucky I went to see an old tour de France pro from the Halfords days called Adrian Timmis. A great guy and amazing bike fitter. My position is now sorted and with the K-force bars I'm happy sitting for hours on the bike to train and race. One of the first things you feel with this bike is the rigidity at the front end. The over sized headset and forks make such a stiff and responsive front end along with the straight down forks. The rake is less then other frames but once you settle in the handling and descending on this bike is planted and safe. We tested this racing each other on the team training camp down Sa Calobra in Majorca. Its the place where they filmed the Renault add a few years ago so the surface is good and smooth and you can really see what the bike handles like on the way down to the sea with 10k of hair pins.
The second aspect of this bike that really hits you is the way you can click down the gears and get them turning. I find you can go a sprocket bigger then other bikes, the frame is so efficient you just seem to get it moving and its as if the frame is encouraging you to go again click down faster faster. It wants you to go faster. There was a similar feeling with last years EPS frame and its continued with this one. I love it. All in all this C59 hits the spot. Brand image has come on a lot in recent years, in the past slightly looked upon as something for the older gentleman, now this bike has all the contemporary edge anyone could want.
Check out the bike in action at the Halfords tour series and Premiere Calendar series over the season starting with the cicle classic on the 17th of April.
