Colnago C64 Disc Frameset

Colnago C64 Disc Frameset Info

The alchemists of Cambiago would have been forgiven for resting on the plaudits of their Colnago C60. It got love from every quarter. But as cyclists and designers, rest isn’t easy; they’ve trained themselves to keep going. No sooner was the C60 established as a super-frame, they made it their new benchmark and decided they needed to exceed it in as many ways possible. That’s what the C64 does.

They just wanted to make it lighter, stiffer, more comfortable, more aero, better looking,  easier to work on, and stops better. The proverbial going to eleven. Which is what they did, making the C64 the new ten, the new essence of their perfection, as best they can distill it today.

Of course, it’s made from carbon-fiber tubes and lugs. The joinery allows for better compaction, greater strength, better tuning of ride qualities. The tubes are formed with stainless steel inner and outer molds, which means they can remove the inner mold at the end of the effort and have a tube that is as smooth and even and good-looking on the inside as it is on the outside. The head tube is a single piece for strength and light weight, while the seat lug is designed with an internal binder for security and beauty and weight savings; a single 4mm hex head key does the tightening.

Another cool innovation, which follows a pattern with many of their other design innovations is the rear derailleur hanger. It’s mounted inside the right dropout so that when it deforms or breaks under stress, it doesn’t affect the carbon-fiber dropout at all. This is of a piece with their ThreadFit 82 bottom bracket, where you can replace the threaded inserts if they wear out or get damaged, though you still press in the bearings for weight savings and stiffness. It’s also the kind of thinking behind the headset, of which the body incorporates a special mix of carbon fiber, nylon, and elastomers, taking the edge of vibrations while still precisely tracking.

The seatpost is designed to integrate with the seat collar. It’s a truncated cylinder that is both aero and comfortable—aero because of the leading blunt edge and comfortable because the smallish diameter and Kamm-tailed style shape allows for rearward flex. The shaft is carbon-fiber for vibration-damping and weight-savings, while the forged aluminum head, hidden behind the paint, is light and durable and easy to micro-adjust.

Aerodynamics they considered as part of the package, but not a defining feature. They wanted aero, but not at the expense of ride quality. You’ll see that the head tube, the fork crown and head tube juncture, the fork crown, the seat post, and the down tube are tugged to make them slice the air better, but not dramatically. The most important tube shape might be that of the downtube, which is wider than it is tall and slightly lowered. This helps moves air around the water bottles and seat tube better, but it results in a better ride quality than a more dramatically-shaped tube.

The downtube shape also contributes to torsional stiffness, as do the chainstays and the seat tube. The stays are set as wide as possible, while still allowing for chainrings and generous tire clearance. They are also asymmetric, with the left leg lower than the right to better counteract the stresses that result from the right-side driving the rear wheel. The seatpost is as large as they could fit without impinging on tire size to make sure the bike was as rigid as possible for pedaling. The final part of the stiffness equation is the fork. They started with a tapered 1 1/8” to 1 ¼” steerer for stiffness. They also set the legs out a bit wider for both strength and to better fit direct-mount brakes.

In terms of comfort, there are several things both obvious and subtle that make the bike more compliant. You can see that the top tube is flattened toward the seat tube for comfort, and the seat stays are fairly thin. The seat stays also have mounting points for direct-mount brakes. The seatpost, too, has a shape that allows for some give. But they go beyond. The seat tube lengths have changed a bit from the C60, allowing for a little more post to be showing for what is otherwise the same size. The fork legs taper dramatically so that they can move vertically some without compromising steering. They also made room for 28mm tires, so you can put on your Roubaix tubulars and still have room for gravel and muck to pass through. And don’t forget the elastomers formed inside the headset.

The geometry is pretty much unchanged in key areas. This is, after all, a Colnago, and ride quality is paramount. The head and seat tube angles and fork rake are all unchanged. These are essential elements and there was no reason to tweak what is so cherished. Bottom bracket drop is unchanged on most sizes. Chainstay lengths have been adjusted to make room for 28mm tires. Other than that, little is different.

One last improvement Colnago made to the C64 was cable routing. No longer do you have to choose between electronic or mechanical routing. The bike has internal routing for both, and comes with the stops and plates and plugs necessary so you can choose which one you want at any time.

Weight for the C64 is 900g for an unpainted size 50 sloping, with a 355g uncut fork.

The Colnago C64 comes with frame, fork, headset, seatpost, small bits and pieces for cable-routing and such. The included seatpost is 350mm long and has 15mm of setback. There are accessory 0mm and 30mm setback posts available if the standard doesn’t work. You’ll need to supply the direct-mount brakes. If you go electronic wired, the battery mounts internally.