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colnago c59 disc

i'm not much given to comparing bicycles, being firmly of the opinion that, metaphorically speaking, each has to stand on its own two wheels. but in the case of colnago's embarrassingly expensive c59 disc, there is currently very little, if anything at all, with which to compare it. the clue is in the name and in the silver sparkly lettering atop the front portion of the top tube; this is a road bike built specifically for disc brakes, perhaps one up on all around it; those disc brakes are not cable operated, but hydraulic.

even those of us devoid of any engineering or carbon experience ought to be at least peripherally aware that discs as powerful as those fitted to this particular bicycle offer rather a different set of strains and stresses than from a set of simple dual-pivot calipers. for starters, calipers are attached at the portion of the front fork featuring the most amount of material, whether carbon or otherwise. the disc mounts, however, are at the opposite and often considerably thinner end of what could perceivably be thought of as a long lever. thus, in order to provide a bicycle capable of stopping without unduly stressing the immaculate carbon frame, colnago have all but redesigned both frame and fork on the c59.

its verisimilitude to the c59 reviewed almost two years ago is but skin deep.

of secondary notability is the singular purpose imposed by this particular colnago. if for any reason during an extended period of ownership, the rider became fed up with either hydraulic discs or the electronic gearing fitted to this model, they are, in truth, well and truly stuffed. all the cabling for the gears is internally routed, entering a grommeted hole in the top tube and exiting at both front and rear gears, the latter from the chainstay itself. and it's exactly the same procedure with the hydraulics for the brake. not unnaturally, the front pipe descends directly from under the bar tape along the rearmost section of the left fork leg to the formula caliper. the rear pipe enters another, but larger grommeted hole, at the front nearside of the down tube, exiting just before the rear dropout from the square section chainstay.

there are no external cable stops, and no holes in either the front fork or at the top of the rear wishbone, meaning nowhere to affix a standard pair of brake calipers, and no way of cabling them if there was. whether you find this a particularly parlous state of affairs depends on how committed you might be to modern bicycle technology.

overall, the method of frame build is pretty much identical to that of both the colnago epq and the more conventionally stopped c59. intriguingly shaped and fluted tubes of carbon are slotted into carbon lugs, to my mind the ideal way to build a carbon (or any other material for that matter) bicycle frame. all the main tubes are considerably less than round, leaning heavily towards the square, with a completely flat surface on the underside of the down tube. ironically, they all slot into predominantly round section lugs. the q-stay rear triangle is very square in cross-section with only a triangular slot just below the seattube junction.

the seatpost is possible the only truly round carbon component on the bicycle, though the tapered headtube (1.125" to 1.25") mirrors its white smoothness. despite having mentioned the acros headset in a previous post, it is remarkable enough to bring to your attention once again. eschewing the more common bung inside the steerer (which, incidentally, appears to be alloy lined carbon) coupled with a centre-bolt and top cap, the acros system relies on a push-me, pull you system. by tightening a small allen bolt on the lower of two alloy plates, one presses down on the top headset internal cup, while the other pushes up on a tightly clamped stem. it took one phone call to colnago and a certain amount of head-scratching to figure it out, and though it works, i'm not sure i see the point.

colnago offer the c59 disc frameset in a huge number of sizes, apparently easier to do than with monocoque designs due to the tubes and lug design. the bulk of these offerings feature a sloping top tube (42cm - 58cm) but the machine under review happily was one of the three sizes (52,53,54) available in traditional format with a straight top tube. from an aesthetic point of view, it's a look i prefer.

colnago's stem clamps a hefty pair of all carbon drop bars featuring more of a parabolic curve than the classic bend i tend to prefer. the saddle is a colnago branded leather topped model with a remarkably flat seating point.

i had great fears that the c59 disc would arrive replete with deep-section carbon wheels shod with tubulars; you'd tend to expect that sort of treatment at this end of the price scale. (my fears relate not to riding tubs, which i adore, but the fact that i have no spares readily to hand, should one of them puncture when out surveying the estates.) my expectations were at least partially correct, the bicycle arriving with a set of colnago designed artemis deep-section carbon clincher wheels, branded with both colnago and formula logos, riding on a pair of vittoria open corsa cx 700x25c clinchers. these demonstrate the need for disc-equipped wheels to move away from radial spoking on the front. it's a simple fact of physics that radial spokes would find it hard to resist the twisting forces applied by a rotor in the process of being stopped. it's the same reason that the drive-side on the rear always features a cross pattern to resist similar forces engendered by the torque applied to the cassette.

the most obvious aspect of the artemis wheels is the lack of a braking surface, now that this is an aspect of wheel design no longer required on a bicycle such as this. the last pair of carbon clinchers i had for review, came with all manner of warning decals not to over-inflate the tyres, under threat of explosive decompression. these, however, were apparently without restriction (i only inflated the open corsas to 90psi), and i'm not sure whether the lack of requirement for a braking surface has allowed this problem to be circumvented.

and then we come to the bits that set this bicycle apart from the others. currently the uci does not allow disc-equipped road bikes to be used for sanctioned race events, so the only customers for this particular velocipede will be well-heeled mamils i think. it is, to all intents and purposes, a proof of concept machine, with colnago and others lobbying the sport's governing body to allow disc-equipped machinery for the 2014 season. though there are currently converters on the market that allow transformation between wires at the lever end into hydraulic pressure to the brakes, colnago have gone the whole hog and fitted sti levers from formula brakes including both the pots for the hydraulic fluid and the switchgear to operate the campagnolo electronic gearing.

the electronic interface is zip-tied to the underside of the stem. this little box, aside from serving as a diagnostic tool for the system as well as a battery level indicator digitises the analogue signal received from the up and down switches on the formula levers. it works in tandem with the battery unit bolted to the underside of the downtube just above the bottom bracket, with part of the sytem firmware living in each box. unlike shimano's di2, the battery is not removable and thus requires to be charged while on the bike. windwave did not supply the charging unit, secure in the knowledge that i was unlikely to drain the battery during the time the bicycle holidayed on islay. in view of the fact that i might have been forced to take the bicycle indoors and that mrs twmp is particularly house-proud, this is perhaps just as well.

with an non-removable battery, at least not without undue faff, there ought to be some way of disabling it when in transit, to prevent inadvertant changes when the bicycle is essentially stationary. and there is; stuck in a small hole on the top of the battery is a magnetic plug, small enough to lose quite easily. luke at windwave told me that campagnolo sell these in packs of five, which ought to give some indication of just how simple it is to have it roll into an unseen corner, or fall out a jersey pocket when fishing for an energy bar.

as previously mentioned, the sti levers are not native campagnolo units, having been supplied by formula to match their hydraulic disc calipers and thus fitted with the fluid compartments. they remain true, however, to the campagnolo operating system, with a flip lever sited behind the brake lever to shift up the cassette and a button lever on both inner edges to shift down, behind each of the down buttons are the system's mode buttons, concealed within the lever hoods, allowing for querying of the interface box and a soft reset of the system. the only part that concerns me just a tad is the apparent fragility of those little wires trailing from under the bar tape to the interface and onwards to the bike's tubing. having inadvertently snapped a few similarly constituted wires belonging to cycle computers over the years, i wouldn't think it too hard to repeat the procedure on campag's super-record eps. except the latter would be a darned sight more expensive.

the super-record groupset as fitted consists of a carbon compact chainset, a rather bulky front gear mech and a rear mech that alternates between clumsy looking plastic (resin), and rather fabulous carbon fibre. i fitted a pair of mavic pedals to let me get up a head of steam when in the saddle.

the brake calipers each badged with colnago's logo are a lot smaller than i had expected them to be. the 140mm rotors are heavily perforated, and though almost undoubtedly heavier than a pair of caliper brakes, they're unlikely to have made the c59 more than a few grams heavier than the regular version.

riding as fast as i can

it is an intriguing, but no less salient observation that, despite the colnago c59 being one of the fastest bikes on the planet, what we're all specifically interested in, concerning the model under discussion, is how it stops. ernesto colnago has always seen himself as being at the vanguard of racing bicycle design and technology, and it seems likely that the c59 disc was born more from the point of proof of concept rather than as a currently realistic commercial proposition. let's face it, a price tag of £9,999.95 will place it well outside the acquisitive wherewithal of most. and since the union cycliste international have yet to homologate disc brakes for use in road racing, there is currently limited mileage in the concept.

sad to relate, my oft-aired prejudices and fears regarding the affixation of disc rotors to road bike wheels, whether cable or hydraulically operated, have been all but completely undermined. in truth, the formula disc brakes either slow or stop the c59 with the utmost of control, with no learning curve whatsoever and no chance of inadvertently flying over the handlebars if braking suddenly. i would still question the need for fitting a seriously powerful pair of brakes to a featherlight carbon fibre bicycle, but in truth, the discs are quite fabulous. it is remarkably easy to feather them where it is only necessary to scrub off a modicum of speed, yet perfectly possible to come to a complete halt when hitherto unseen sheep decide that the left side of the road looks far safer than the right when faced with a speeding bicycle.

the formula manufactured levers are not as ergonomically satisfying as campagnolo's own offerings, particularly when riding on the hoods. it is simplicity itself to use both upshift and downshift buttons when in this position, but it was sometimes a stretch too far to reach that little downshift button when on the drops. of course, that may also be affected by the shape of the drops. which brings me neatly to the colnago badged carbon bars themselves.

the parabolic curve beloved of modern day manufacturers has been the subject of my dissension on previous bike reviews, if for no other reason than their unfortunate tendency to move the fingers just a smidgeon too far from the levers. however, in this particular case, that seemed less of a physical concern, allied to an unexpected degree of comfort when in the drops. though bereft of the climbing prowess of marco pantani, i have always enjoyed climbing when in the drops, a factor immeasurably improved via these particular handlebars. pulling hard or soft on the brake levers was never a concern.

if i may briefly be so bold as to ignore the brakes for a short period, riding a colnago c59 has to be one of the most rewarding experiences known to mankind. or at least those of us with a predilection for attempting to go as fast as our meagre talents will allow. chuck yeager struggled manfully with his x-1 jet plane while attempting to break through the sound barrier, after which, the aeronautics settled down a smidgeon. a similar feature might be seen to apply to the c59; the harder you ride, the more benefits are revealed and there is no doubting that greater effort pays greater dividends.

but it's when climbing that the true worth of the c59 lights up. islay doesn't harbour an excess of hills; the really bumpy stuff hugs the coastline where there are no metalled roads. however, the longest stretch of uphill i could find, flipping between six and eight percent, though damned hard to ride at speed, engendered a smile that refused to go away. the subsequent short, sharp downhill could easily be taken at speed, for not only is this the most stable bicycle i have ever ridden, by that time my confidence in those previously maligned disc brakes was at an all-time high.

my new-found hydraulic joy was slightly, and ultimately erroneously, tempered by use of campagnolo's super record electronic groupset. on only my third day out on the bicycle, suddenly and inexplicably, the rear mech shifted all the way up the block to the largest sprocket and refused to come back down, no matter how often i vainly pressed that slotted flip lever. i did eventually manage to have it slip down to the middle gear of the eleven speeds, but changing back up became a lost cause. pressing either of the mode buttons on the lever hoods ought to provoke a soft reset, but failed to do so, meaning, as a last resort, i'd to refit the magnetic pin to force a hard reset.

this inability to shift up the block reared its ugly head only a few days later at which point, i thought the review was over. however, the problem was traced to a mechanical, rather than electronic fault; there's a tiny spring between the inside of the flip lever and the brake lever which had stuck in place, preventing the flip lever from returning to its original position. further experience taught that this upshift lever worked best if pressed at its tip, rather than on the slotted mid-section. on occasion, the downshift button on the left lever has failed to shift the chain from outer to inner ring, but i truly think that has more to do with pilot error than either the electronics or the formula sti units.

if electronic shifting has one to-die-for feature, it's the upshift from that front mech, something that i could see myself riding into the back of parked vehicles while watching and listening to its effortless electronic action. minor (and not its fault) glitches aside, the eps works exceedingly well, but i still view it as a solution in search of a problem, a perception that applies to its japanese counterpart. has anyone seriously noticed the sram equipped professionals lagging far behind their electronically equipped competition?

thought not.

though the man from the uci has yet to say yes to disc-equipped bicycles, there is never any doubt that this is a thoroughbred race bike. though inexplicably comfortable to ride, and i think this example of the c59 to be a tad stiffer than its non-disc stablemate, absolutely everything rattles, from the wheel valve extensions, to the steerer plug that i'd to tape to the stem to stop it driving me nuts. and though my choice to fit, the frame-fit pump did its level best to join the percussive throng. however, far from highlighting this as a criticism, this was all music to my ears. there is surely no better evidence of one's ownership (even if only temporary) of one of the world's finest bicycles than that of professional music.

despite all the aforementioned road induced clatter, the ingenious, if perhaps unnecessary method of tightening the acros headset never once showed any sign of loosening in the heat of battle or riding over cattle-grids. i sure as heck wish this inveterate tinkering would at least take a well-earned holiday, but when push comes to shove there's no denying that sometimes it just plain works.

some of the rattling must be laid at the door of the artemis deep-section carbon wheels. aside from the rattling valve extensions, couple relatively few highly tensioned spokes with those rims and well-inflated vittorias, and all that road chatter has to go somewhere. though occasionally a bit skittish on heavily gravelled and potholed roads, both tyres and wheels performed admirably. it was very easy to forget that the bike was not rolling on such perceived fragility. it does not, however, do the constitution any good to hear loud metallic pings as errant chunks of gravel bounce off the steel discs. suddenly one of those you'll laugh when i tell you... telephone conversations with colnago flashed before my eyes.

though not something likely to concern the recreational cyclists too much, there is of course the removal and refitting of either wheel, now that they include that shiny, perforated disc. it is wise to avoid touching the rotor at point of removal, for if you've been braking hard and constantly preceding the need for wheel removal, it's going to be a tad on the warm side. on 'cross bikes with cable discs, the single biggest restriction to wheel removal has been those tabs on the front fork, and the c59 is no different. other than that, provided you align the rotor with the slot in the caliper, and i admit i had no need to do this in a hurry, wheel removal and replacement is pretty much as simple as it's always been. and i'm sure that if they become legal for racing, the team mechanics will instil sufficient practice beforehand.

at the start of this bike review, i was disparaging the need for either electronics or hydraulics to anyone foolish enough to engage me in conversation, especially in the light of the mortgage required to own them. it's still a great deal more money than i'd consider (or could afford) spending on any bicycle, even a colnago. but, with an honours degree in hindsight, i now consider myself to have been a trifle foolish. perhaps there is no need to apply the science of hydraulics to lightweight carbon fibre, nor to design electronics that can substitute for the simplicity of mechanical wires and cables, but you know what; together they worked beautifully. if money was no object, i'd buy one in a heartbeat, though there's no denying that i'd have to train like the devil to keep up with it. my inherent luddite tendencies have seemingly a mind of their own, making a series of knee-jerk reactions the minute the likelihood of change rears it's ugly head.

and as one ever keen to criticise the uci for their need to base every technical decision on what was good enough for eddy merckx, i cannot deny that i have oft been guilty of similar narrow-mindedness. nobody, least of all ernesto colnago is emphasising hydraulic discs and electronic shifting as the price of entry into the world of the road race bike. while the cost of the technology is currently too high for all but the most financially well-off, it won't take long for this to become more affordable. i do have slight concerns over the long-term maintenance of both, particularly for those well-distanced from a local bike shop, but it may all prove a tad simpler than i have projected.

i now consider myself amongst the converted, and i want one tomorrow.

grateful thanks to velotech's graeme freestone king for expert advice on the campagnolo super-record eps, and to luke at windwave for invaluable help when setting the bike up on its arrival on islay. the recommended retail price fo the bicycle as reviewed is £9,999.95

posted tuesday 26 february 2013

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