Colnago C68 Allroad
£14,000 Colnago’s superbike goes endurance
Weight 7.6kg (Size 550, 58cm equivalent) Frame Handmade Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12spd (52/36t, 11-30t) Brakes Shimano Hydraulic disc Wheels Enve SES 3.4 carbon Finishing kit Colnago CC.01 bar system, Colnago D-shape carbon seatpost, Selle Italia Boost SLR Superflow saddle, Pirelli P-Zero Race 30mm tyres
COLNAGO’S C SERIES HAS always been the pinnacle of handcrafted Italian-made carbon from the Cambiago-based brand, and, as well as the brilliant C68 Road (CP396), there’s now this C68 Allroad version, plus an imminent C68 Gravel model.
Looking at the tweaks to the geometry, construction and tyre clearances, it seems to us that the C68 is actually a pure, modern endurance bike. The Allroad’s shape has been subtly tweaked from the race-bred dimensions of the C68 Road. In my 550sized test bike (equivalent of a 58cm) the stack has grown 10mm to 603mm, and the reach reduced by 10mm down to 393mm. That makes it taller and shorter for more comfort on long rides, but it’s still very much at the sportier end of sportive-ready endurance machines. In comparison, our current Bike of the Year, the all-road/ endurance-focused Vitus Venon, has a stack of 607mm and reach of 403mm in the same size.
Colnago have also relaxed the head angle half a degree down to 72.5, and at the same time steepened the seat angle by the same amount to 73.5. The chainstays have been lengthened to provide 35mm tyre clearance and the fork rake (the distance between the front axle and the steering axis; imagine a line running straight through the middle of the head-tube and down to the ground) has increased by 7mm to keep the handling stable and swift with larger tyres in place. The Allroad’s modular frame build shares plenty of pieces from the road version, though they’ve tweaked it to cope with its new duties (the down-tube is a different shape and they’ve reinforced the chainstays and seatstays).
High-spec kit
As you’d imagine for a bike costing £14,000, no corners have been cut on the build. For starters, you’ll get Shimano’s latest topnotch 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. It’s the very sporty 52/36 chainset and closeratio 11-30 cassette, but I would’ve liked to have seen at least the 11-34 option included here for a wider range of high gears for steep ascents.
Dura-Ace hydraulic brakes, with their progressive, power-laden feel at the lever and superior ergonomics, are one of my favourites. On this test machine, though, both brakes felt a little soft at first and needed a full bleed.
Colnago provide both the seatpost and their CC.01 one-piece carbon bar
system (available in 16 width/length combinations). A nice touch is the useful integrated multitool in the head-tube top cap.
The All-Road rolls on a fine combination of Enve’s stiff, light SES 3.4 wheels wrapped in Pirelli’s P-Zero TLR tyres in 30c width (that measure up closer to 32mm on the wide rims). Fellow Italians Selle Italia provide the superbly shaped SLR Superflow Boost saddle with carbon rails.
You also get Colnago’s digital ownership benefits, thanks to its use of digital blockchain technology. A unique NFC (near field communication) tag is installed when it’s made, and there’s a record of the specification in the digital identity that can’t be changed. The bike has a diary of ownership, and you can flag it as stolen (through an app) if the worst happens, plus you’ll never lose your receipt or warranty information.
Beautifully balanced
The All-Road’s handling is beautifully balanced and not just a diluted version of the C68 Road. It’s nimble enough to make fast direction changes on the road, yet stable enough to feel poised when the road surface (and even very light gravel) is
“As you can imagine for a bike costing £14,000, no corners have been cut on the build”
broken and bumpy. The big-volume tyres and the frame dissipate wearing vibrations with ease, too.
The Enve wheelset is impressively stiff through corners and feels tight and responsive when sprinting or out-of-thesaddle climbing. You do need the extra tyre volume to keep comfort levels on a par with the bike’s contact points, though.
On the hills, the Allroad’s impressively low weight (7.6kg) came into play, helping me get up all but the steepest gradients with ease, despite the bike’s low gearing. Descending is a glorious experience, thanks to the bike’s handling. It absorbs bumps and chatter with ease and the slick, sticky P-Zero tyres have great dryconditions grip. This all adds up to a confidence-inspiring ride.
The C68 Allroad’s title is slightly misleading, but as a pure endurance bike, it’s one of the smoothest, fastest options around. Like most modern road bikes, it’ll handle an occasional dirt-road shortcut, though.
Verdict The C68 All Road is close to endurance-bike perfection... if you can afford it