The C59 Italia is the pinnacle of the 2012 Colnago range. A custom made 100% carbon fibre racing machine designed, built and painted in Italy. With a frame weighing approximately 1000g it features an internally ribbed top tube shaped similar to the iconic Colnago Master frame. Frame efficiency is further increased by the use of specific square section chainstays and seatstays.

Two versions are available: One for electronic shifting systems such as Shimano Di2, and one for traditional mechanical shifting systems. Small features on each type of frame are changed subtly to ensure that the ride quality, performance and reliability are identical, no matter which one you choose.

Light, strong and efficient it is made to fit you perfectly and is the result of decades of experience and knowledge in producing lugged carbon fibre bicycle chassis. This allows the Colnago engineering knowledge and vast levels of experience to be applied to every rider of a C59 Italia, ensuring you are rewarded with a ride that is beyond comparison.

Colnago always took particularly care to the rider safety. Our product analysis lab utilizes the highest standards in the industry. Our frames undergoes through impact tests and fatigue tests, following both the international homologation protocol and our internal security protocol. Every frame must pass the homologation test in every size and in every specific set-up before going in production or before every test on the road.

 COLNAGO C59 2012 ITALIA carbon road bike frameset 

Colnago production process implies intensive use of prototyping technologies. Before realising the final model, we analyse specifications and different variables through samples and lab tests. The first visual and dimensional analysis is made through visual prototyping software, which allows us to evaluate inferences and evaluate if what we could do in the production phase. After that we go to the rapid prototyping phase, for a “real” visual analysis and a second dimensional verification. We use 3D printing machines and we realize samples in resins and plastic powders. Once validated the visual sample, we realize several bike samples with different features in order to further test them in lab and on the road.

As the popularity of granfondo and sportive events has grown in recent years, a new type of rider has come to road cycling. Without a lifetime of acclimatisation to a tucked riding position, these riders are not comfortable on a traditional road racing bicycle, but they still demand and deserve a superb ride.

With our new Real-X geometry, Colnago provides sportive riders with a more upright and less aggressive riding position. By extending the head tube 20mm on our Ace model, we give a riding position that’s better suited for enjoying the scenery, while maintaining the legendary Colnago handling, stability and ride safety.

Having a more upright riding position puts less strain on the rider’s shoulder and neck, allowing them to achieve a perfect position and still enjoy the legendary Colnago ride.

 COLNAGO C59 2012 ITALIA carbon road bike frameset 

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It’s not enough for a bicycle to be beautiful: it also has to look beautiful.

Colnago frames are hand painted and, as a result, every one is unique. Your bicycle is painted by the same craftsmen who paint frames for the professional riders of Bbox Bouygues Telecom and Colnago – CSF Inox.

A Colnago paint finish is an intricate and beautiful job. Except for the head badge, none of the coloured areas or logos on a Colnago frame is a stick-on decal; all are the result of the painstaking skill of our paint team.

The paint process starts with masking tape and thread protectors to keep paint out of the parts of the frame where none is needed. Then, we apply a layer of special primer that helps the outer layers bond to the carbon fiber.

When the primer has been dried in an oven at 50 Celsius, the painter applies laser-cut masking decals and then adds the first layer of paint. Several more masking steps and layers of paint go to build up the eventual colour scheme.

In time, the masks are all removed to reveal the final finish. The only remaining step is to coat the whole frame in a layer of lacquer that stops the ultra-violet rays in sunlight from fading the paint and helps protect the more intricate areas from damage.

For 2010 we have introduced metallic paint options for some frames. It’s not enough for us to innovate in the technology of our frames, we want to make them more beautiful too.

COLNAGO C59 2012 ITALIA carbon road bike frameset 

COLNAGO C59 2012 ITALIA carbon road bike frameset