Colnago C68 Super Record WRL Custom Paint 53cm

There are road bikes, and then there are objects that happen to be road bikes. The Colnago C68 Super Record WRL Custom Paint sits firmly in the second category. Built at Colnago's facility in Cambiago, Italy, and finished in a bespoke paint scheme that sets it apart from anything on a showroom floor, this 53cm build represents the current pinnacle of a modular carbon construction tradition that stretches back more than thirty years. Ernesto Colnago and his team introduced carbon frames to professional racing in the early 1990s — and the C40 subsequently won Paris-Roubaix, which remains one of the most demanding tests of frame integrity in all of cycling. The C68 carries that lineage forward with new materials, new processes, and a drivetrain pairing that is as definitively Italian as the frame itself.

The frame is built from eight individual carbon modules — the same part count as the predecessor C64 — each produced in smaller moulds that allow for tighter quality control than a monocoque construction permits. Those modules are then hand-assembled through joints and interlocks by Colnago craftspeople in Cambiago. What makes the C68 distinct from its predecessors is a new technique called banding: carbon strips are applied manually at each joint after assembly, then filed and hand-polished until the seams disappear entirely. The result looks like a seamless monocoque frame but retains the compliance and ride character that Colnago's modular approach has always delivered. Up front, a carbon fork handles disc-specific loads with integrated cable routing and a 1"1/8 steerer, while a CeramicSpeed SLT treated headset and T47 bottom bracket complete a frame kit that has clearly been thought through at every junction. The frame is UCI homologated and carries a maximum combined load rating of 120kg. This is a race bike, designed with racing geometry — Colnago is explicit that the C68 is built for riders who want speed and prestige, not a softened riding position.

Campagnolo Super Record WRL is the natural companion for this build, and RA Cycles has specced it correctly. The fully wireless 12-speed disc groupset runs a 48-32T front double and a 10-27T cassette, with Campagnolo Ergopower hydraulic brake levers feeding 160mm front and 140mm rear rotors via Standard Flat Mount calipers. The 172.5mm cranks are the appropriate length for the 530mm frame. Shifting is quiet and immediate — Super Record WRL's reputation is well-established at the WorldTour level, and in this configuration it matches the quality of the frame beneath it. The Colnago CC.01 integrated cockpit keeps the front end aero and clean, with a regular geometry fit suitable for a wide range of riders in a proper race position. For wheels, the build ships with Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 45 carbon clinchers — H.U.L.C. carbon fiber with C-Lux finishing, CULT ceramic bearings in carbon hub shells, and a 45mm rim depth that balances aerodynamic efficiency against crosswind stability over a full day in the saddle. The 21mm internal channel width and Pirelli PZero Race TLR 700x28 tires are a well-matched combination. The C68 accepts up to 30mm nominal tire width, leaving room to adapt the setup for different conditions.

Design Benefits

1. Handmade modular construction with banding technology. The C68's 8-part carbon frame is built by hand through a process Colnago has refined over three decades. The new banding step — carbon strips applied and polished at each joint — delivers the aesthetic finish of a monocoque with the tuned compliance of a modular design. No two frames leave Cambiago identically.
2. CeramicSpeed and CULT bearings throughout. The CeramicSpeed SLT headset and Campagnolo CULT ceramic wheel bearings are the specification choices of riders who understand where efficiency is actually lost. Reduced friction at the contact points that matter most translates directly to faster, smoother riding over long distances.
3. Campagnolo Super Record WRL — the complete Italian build. Wireless 12-speed shifting with hydraulic disc braking, assembled by Campagnolo to pair specifically with the Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels. The 48-32T / 10-27T gearing covers criterium efforts and mountain passes without compromise, and the system is maintained and adjusted without a single cable to fuss with.
4. Bora Ultra WTO 45 carbon wheels. A 45mm rim profile in H.U.L.C. carbon — Campagnolo's high-modulus unidirectional construction — with a C-Lux surface finish optimized for low aerodynamic drag. Combined with the 21mm internal channel, these wheels run wide tubeless tires at lower pressures for a faster, more comfortable ride without sacrificing stiffness underfoot.
5. One-of-a-kind custom paint. This build carries a bespoke Colnago paint finish, produced at the brand's dedicated painting facility in Cascina. The result is a bike that is visually unique in addition to being technically distinguished — the kind of machine that stands apart at a start line or on a display stand.

Final Take

The Colnago C68 Super Record WRL Custom Paint is built for riders who have done the research and know what they want: a handmade Italian race bike with no meaningful compromises in its component specification and a paint finish that makes it genuinely one of a kind. At this level, you are not just buying a bicycle — you are buying into a construction philosophy, a heritage of professional victories, and a level of craftsmanship that is increasingly rare in an industry moving toward full automation. If riding something that has been touched by human hands at every stage of its production still means something to you, the C68 delivers that without asking you to sacrifice anything in the way of performance.