Colnago. Few brands awaken the emotions of road cycling aficionados more than the artisan bike brand that rose out of Cambiago, Italy. The trademark clover logo elicits admiration and respect for the craftsmanship and heritage that spans 70 years, from lugged steel to carbon fiber. And Colnago bikes have claimed victories as far back as the 1957 Giro d’Italia and as recently as this year’s Tour de France.
Since I was 14, I’ve always wanted a Colnago. But the bikes were never within reach of my meager finances, so like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, they were strictly to admire. When I got the email stating a C68 Gravel was heading my way, I actually got nervous, just like I would if a Ferrari was coming.
But when I looked up the price, it doused me with the reality that this bike would be difficult to review. With a frameset-only price of $6,750, a bike build could easily run north of $14,000. It’s hard to justify a price like that, especially for a bike that Colnago stresses is not a race bike.
I rode the bike for a month around my home in Central Texas on mostly hardpacked dirt roads littered with embedded limestone rocks. Chip-seal roads that desperately need maintenance connect these dusty tracks. I was a little miffed at the price tag. So, I flogged the C68 Gravel hard over the countless punchy hills and rutted-out descents on a mission to squeeze out justification for a bike few can afford.
In short: The Colnago C68 Gravel is an amazing bike for gravel aficionados who want to ride fast yet remain comfortable. It is stiff in the right places and compliant where it matters. The handling characteristics are spot-on for higher-speed gravel-riding terrain. But … the price. In the end, the C68 Gravel is for the cyclist who is willing to pay for more than pure performance. For a customer who values aesthetics, tradition, craftsmanship, history, and the intangibles that only a brand like Colnago can deliver, the bike makes sense.
Colnago C68 Gravel (Frameset Only in the USA)
Specs
- Frame material Carbon fiber
- Fork material Carbon Fiber
- Drivetrain SRAM Red XPLR AXS
- Wheelset Zipp 303 S
Pros
- Excellent ride quality on faster gravel
- Great blend of efficiency and springiness while climbing
- Excellent cornering manners and balance
- Stunning aesthetics
Cons
- Expensive
- Not super light
- Not aero
The Colnago C68 Gravel Specifications
Colnago Bicycle Hierarchy
Colnago tags its pure race bikes V-series, and the brand states they are “designed to be the fastest in the pro peloton.” The brand can back that up with multiple Tour de France wins, including this year’s edition, piloted by Tadej Pogačar. Although the V-series bikes are at the pointy end of the pro peloton, Colnago manufactures the frames overseas and sends them to Italy for finishing and assembly.
In contrast to the V-Series, Colnago makes the C-Series bikes 100% in Italy. The C-series includes the C68 Gravel alongside an Allroad and Road version. Despite the brand’s statement that these are not pure racing machines, the C-series sits atop the V-series in the brand’s hierarchy.
C-Series Gravel vs. C-Series Road
Colnago raises the stack and shortens the reach on the C68 Gravel compared to the C68 Allroad and Road versions. And the brand widens the tire clearance to 42mm.
The top tube on the C68 Gravel also has a different shape from the road versions. Colnago states that the refinement specifically enhances the ride quality on gravel.
As is the trend on high-end bikes these days, Colnago follows suit by gracing the C68 Gravel with an integrated rider cockpit with a one-piece bar and stem. Similar to the frame, the bars differ from the CC.01 cockpit on the road-bound models; the CC.01 Wide bars have a wider flare. The frameset includes this integrated cockpit (available in five sizes) and seat post.
Colnago C68 Gravel Details
The C68 Gravel frame has three sets of mounting bosses: one bottle cage mount on the downtube and seat tube and a set of bosses for a frame bag on the top tube. It also comes with an NFC tag that aligns with MyLime Polygon Blockchain, which absolutely proves ownership of the bike. Colnago was the first bike brand to employ blockchain security.
The Colnago C68 Gravel frameset with rider cockpit is compatible with all 1x electronic and mechanical drivetrains.
The claimed weight of a 54cm frame, complete with the derailleur hanger, seat post wedge, and fork, is 1,630 g. My 56cm test sample with SRAM Red XPLR drivetrain and Zipp 303S wheels weighed a verified 17.7 pounds. It was set up tubeless, with bottle cages but no pedals.
And, yes, the frameset alone is $6,750. It’s not a typo.
Uncommon Carbon Construction
It was visibly apparent that Colnago didn’t use standard carbon bike frame construction on the C68 Gravel. Although the angular tube shapes suggested the usual monocoque in-mold method, the “lugs” told a different story.
Colnago uses a modular system to construct the C-series frames. Six separate carbon pieces combine to form each frame. The high-modulus carbon tubes are lugged, and these lugs can slide slightly on the tube with which they mate. This allows the builder to slightly alter things like stack and head tube height using the same tube set. These lugged junctures are clearly visible, and Colnago accentuates them in a way that creates a unique look for a carbon frame.
Although this modular frame design is unique in the bike industry, it’s not new to Colnago. In the early 1990s, it was the first in cycling history to introduce carbon frames to professional riders. The lugged carbon Colnago C40 famously won the most arduous race on the calendar, Paris-Roubaix, five times between 1995 and 2000.
Colnago C68 Gravel Ride Characteristics
First, the gloss black finish on my tester was stunning (it is also available in an equally stunning pearl green). In the sun, it revealed red hues hiding beneath the black, and it was hard for others not to inch in and really take a look. Almost everyone had to touch one of the iconic Colnago clover logos, which make rare appearances. For any even semi-serious bicycle racing fan, the bike obviously pulled at heartstrings.
Fit and Ride Impressions on the Flats
The geometry and cockpit dimensions luckily fit me well out of the box. The nonadjustable stem/bar combination, at 100mm long and 40cm wide, seemed tailor-made for my shoulder girdle. I felt comfortably stretched out and aero but still “compact” on the bike, and the front end felt neutral in position.
If I closed my eyes, sat on the bike, and outstretched my arms, they would land where the hoods were right out of the box. The only thing I could have changed was to lower the stem height, but I was totally comfortable with the way the bike arrived.
The Colnago 68 Gravel ride quality suited me and my local gravel grounds exceptionally well. My usual tracks are hardpacked caliche clay with limestone rocks embedded within them, from pebbles to tabletops. Cars clear narrow, bullet-hard tracks, but anything from talcum powder dust to baby-head boulders pepper the remainder.
Line choice is super-crucial; getting off the proper line at speed and almost any amount of lean will cause a low-side crash. As I type, I’m nursing wounds from this exact scenario caused by a moment of inattentiveness.
On the straighter gravel sections and the blown-out chip-seal roads, the Colnago felt amazingly fast and efficient for a gravel bike. The perfect positioning helped, but the chassis definitely had a road-first feel to it. At these higher speeds, I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of a gravel bike chassis.
Climbing Performance
The Colnago C68 Gravel climbed well on the short, steep, and punchy slopes that are everywhere around my home. Seated or standing, the front-to-rear balance felt great. I rarely struggled for rear-wheel traction on the super steep and slick sections that give a lot of bikes fits. The amount of lateral stiffness delivered an excellent and difficult-to-achieve blend of efficiency and springiness.
Bombing down the always-rough descents proved that the front was calm for a bike that felt so good on the tarmac. No death grip on the drops or hoods was ever necessary. And I didn’t feel I had to squeeze the saddle with my legs, which is common with racier gravel bikes.
Into the Rough
As the surface grew chunkier and more uncertain, the C68 surprisingly maintained composure for a bike that felt so road-inspired. With 32 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the Pirelli gravel tires, I couldn’t blithely hammer sections, but I could flick the bike at will to adhere to the correct lines.
The confidence in this ability is what gave me the willingness to run these lower pressures on tire and rim-wrecking terrain. I usually run higher for 40c rubber due to the countless square rock edges.
When on lean in the loose stuff, I felt that the front-to-rear balance was on point; I didn’t have to make tire loading adjustments while leaning over in what is always a precarious position in my neck of the woods. The feedback from the tires on lean was excellent and reminded me of road racing bikes.
In the bigger chunder, the ride wasn’t cushy, but I didn’t consider it overly harsh or difficult to handle for a bike built to go fast. I could feel the jolts, but the bike didn’t unpredictably bounce around. I reacted to the chassis movement without thought, and it came naturally. On some bikes, it takes quite a bit of time for me to learn how the bike will bounce. Not so on the Colnago C68 Gravel; brainless reactions came immediately.
The Final Say on the Colnago C68 Gravel
So, who’s this bike for? Well, first off, the reality is you need deep pockets, or it’s such a priority that you scrimp big time in other areas.
The chassis fit for me was perfect, and the ride quality was among the best I’ve ridden. On the road and faster sections of gravel, it was sublime.
The Colnago C68 Gravel is not a bike for chunky tracks, adventure cycling, or bikepacking. It’s also not aero, and it’s not that light, either. And, remember, Colnago states it isn’t a race bike.
Justify the Money … Or Not
These latter points beg the question, “Why spend so much on this bike?”
The Colnago C68 isn’t a bike for everyone, nor do I feel that was the brand’s goal. If I were a profiler, I would say it’s for someone who appreciates the deep history of the Italian brand and is most likely a road racer, ex-racer, or fan of the ProTour. This cyclist also appreciates artisan craftsmanship in other areas, like cars, furniture, and watches. And yes, they desire rare and hard-to-get items.
I only fit part of that profile, but I did feel the intangibles. I had fleeting visions of an older craftsman in Cambiago, Italy, assembling the modular frame in a jig, wearing a leather apron, and smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. He is not in a hurry; this is not an assembly line with a daily quota. I felt the pride of the person packing the frame into a box, taking one last longing look and smiling at the knowledge that a cyclist would be equally proud to ride the C68 Gravel.
The Colnago 68 Gravel is for the person who has an emotional need for riding and connects to the history, lifestyle, and cycling community. They don’t shop for a bike by looking at millimeters and grams; they make bike purchasing decisions with heart.
This bike is meant to live inside the house, so its elegance can be displayed in the living room or office. It’s meant to be ridden for the joy of cycling and to appreciate the craftsmanship and Colnago’s history. Then, it’s carefully washed and brought inside because its mere presence is felt.
Yes, this bike is not for everyone. But for the right person, it’s the only choice.
