Editing Colnago (section)

== History ==
[[File:Ernesto Colnago signature.JPG|thumb|left|The signature of Ernesto Colnago, no longer seen on new Colnago bicycles,since Chimera/UEA 51% share stake in brand.]]
One of the first big victories on a Colnago frame was in 1957, when [[Gastone Nencini]] won the 1957 edition of the [[Giro d'Italia|Giro d’Italia]] bicycle race on a Colnago bicycle.<ref name=":1" /> In 1960, Colnago achieved more recognition as [[Luigi Arienti]] rode to a gold medal at the [[1960 Summer Olympics|Rome Olympics]] on a Colnago bicycle. By the late 1960s, Colnago was generally regarded as one of the builders of the world's best steel road race frames.

While Ernesto was the head mechanic of the [[Molteni (cycling team)|Molteni]] team riders such as [[Gianni Motta]] raced on Colnago cycles. A win on a Colnago in the 1970 Milan-San Remo race by [[Michele Dancelli]] for the Molteni team inspired Colnago to change his logo to the now-famous 'Asso di Fiori' or Ace of Clubs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/italia/2004/colnago/?id=colnago3 |title=News and analysis |publisher=Autobus.cyclingnews.com |date=2004-01-08 |access-date=2012-10-23}}</ref> After the demise of the Faema team, Eddy Merckx joined the Molteni team, and what ensued was mutual innovation—as Colnago describes it: "Merckx was an up and coming champion, and I was an up and coming bike builder. So it was a real honour to work for a great champion like Merckx. It helped us to grow... when we made special forks, and special bikes." This included the super-light steel frame used by Merckx in 1972 to break the world one-hour record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/italia/2004/colnago/?id=colnago5 |title=News and analysis |website=autobus.cyclingnews.com |access-date=2012-10-23}}</ref>
[[File:EddyMerckxHourRecordBike2.jpg|thumb|The bicycle used by [[Eddy Merckx]] to break the [[Hour record]] in 1972 used a Colnago frame]]
With a growing reputation from their racing wins, Colnago entered the market for production bikes. In the U.S., the early seventies saw another [[bike boom]], and Colnago "pumped out bikes as though the future of humankind was at stake."{{citation needed|reason=who said this?|date=July 2022}} The mainstay of the Colnago line in the 1970s was the Super, followed by the Mexico, named in honor of the successful hour attempt.{{clarify|date=July 2022}} Other models were added including the Superissimo and Esa Mexico. While the finish on these early Colnagos could be variable, they were great riding bikes and developed a cult-like following.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheldonbrown.com/vrbn-a-f.html|title=Vintage Lightweight Pricing Guide Atala to Fuji|website=www.sheldonbrown.com}}</ref>

In 1979, Ernesto Colnago presented [[Pope John Paul II]] with a custom gold-plated steel bicycle.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://rouleur.cc/editorial/colnago-and-pope-john-paul-ii-the-man-with-the-golden-bike/|title=Colnago and Pope John Paul II: the Man with the Golden Bike - Journal|date=2016-10-28|website=rouleur.cc|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In response to criticism that his frames were not stiff enough, next Colnago experimented with ways to change the behavior of frame components. In 1983, he introduced the Oval CX with an oval section top tube to add stiffness. He then experimented with various crimped-tube frames which became production models as their top of the range frames, beginning with the "Super Profil" and "Master." Later "Master-Light", Master Olympic and Master Più extended the range. Colnago built a frame from [[Columbus tubing]] used by [[Giuseppe Saronni]] to win the world professional road race championship in 1982, and afterwards a short-lived collection of bikes were badged with the Saronni name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/italia/2004/colnago/?id=colnago6 |title=News and analysis |website=www.cyclingnews.com  |date=2004-03-19 |access-date=2012-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cycling-obsession.com/how-to-identify-a-colnago-sarroni/|title=How to identify a Colnago Saronni|website=www.cycling-obsession.com|date=14 August 2020 }}</ref> In 1983, Giuseppe Saronni would go on to win the Giro d'Italia stage race on a Colnago bicycle.<ref name=":1" /> Steel frames winning races made Colnago's reputation: "Between them, Eddy Merckx and Giuseppe Saronni won 719 races from 1965 to 1988, and the bulk of those victories were aboard a steel Colnago. Ernesto Colnago first designed the Master frame in 1982 as a replacement for the Mexico, which was named after Eddy Merckx’s successful Hour record in Mexico city. Over the course of 17 years in the pro peloton, the Master was ridden to hundreds of wins, and there are few bikes that have such a palmarès.":<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclist.co.uk/colnago/master/1022/colnago-master-x-light-review|title=Colnago Master X-Light review|website=www.cyclist.co.uk|date=25 March 2016 }}</ref>

Since the 1980s, while Colnago continued to produce high-end steel bikes, they began to produce cycle frames using material other than steel, including titanium, aluminum, carbon fiber and mixed materials. One unique frame from this period, the Bititan, has a dual titanium down tube. Crimped and oversize tubes were used on the Tecnos{{Ndash}}one of the lightest production steel bikes produced. Similarly crimped oversized aluminum tubes were used on the Dream frame. In 1981 Colnago prototyped the CX Pista{{Ndash}}a full monocoque carbon fiber cycle with disc wheels, which was shown at the Milan bike show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/sponsors/italia/colnago02/?id=bikes |title=News and analysis |website=autobus.cyclingnews.com |access-date=2012-10-23}}</ref> Subsequently, Colnago worked with [[Ferrari]] to develop new [[Graphite-reinforced plastic|carbon fiber]] technology, and Ernesto also credits their engineers for challenging him regarding fork design, which led to Colnago's innovative Precisa straight-bladed steel fork (1987). Colnago also experimented with multi-material frames, including the CT-1 and CT-2 constructed with titanium main tubes, carbon fiber forks and rear stays, and a similarly constructed (although short-lived) Master frame constructed with steel main tubes, carbon forks and stays.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebykr.com/2005/12/02/colnago-2/ |title=Ernesto Colnago: Fortune in Fracture and Ferrari |website=www.ebykr.com |access-date=2016-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102011200/http://www.ebykr.com/2005/12/02/colnago-2/ |archive-date=2018-01-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Colnago's early attempts at carbon fiber frames were not commercially successful, but the lessons learned were embodied in their flagship frames, such as the C-40, the most sought after bicycle (1994), and its successor, the C-50 (2004){{Ndash}}respectively named for Colnago's 40th and 50th years in bike building. These carbon fiber frames set new standards of excellence.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} They were built using a modified form of traditional cycle frame construction, substituting carbon fiber lugs for microinfusion cast steel, and carbon fiber "tubes" for the complex steel tubes used for steel frame construction. Similar building techniques are used in the latest design, the C59, named (as before) for its year of production. While we take for granted the spread of carbon frames, their success was not a foregone conclusion:

“When we built the C40 we were the only ones to build carbon frames and all the mechanics and competitor technicians were saying that they would be too dangerous to use on cobbled roads, especially with the straight carbon forks. There was a company that wanted to fit suspension forks on the bicycle, but I wasn't going to have suspension forks on the C40. The night before Paris- Roubaix I had Mr. Squinzi, the Mapei boss, on the phone to me raising his concerns about using such a delicate-looking thing. I told him that we'd done all of the tests that we could on the frame and the fork and we were certain there would be no problem. I had to take personal responsibility for what was going to happen and I spent all night worrying about it, barely able to sleep. But when I heard that there were 4 Mapei riders in the break, I knew I could relax.”<ref name="pedalheadroadworks.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.pedalheadroadworks.com/bicycles/colnago|title=Pedalhead Road Works - Colnago|access-date=2016-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821150652/http://pedalheadroadworks.com/bicycles/colnago|archive-date=2016-08-21|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Tadej Pogačar (2020-09-20) - Yellow jersey - Tour de France 2020.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tadej Pogačar]] riding a yellow Colnago on the final stage of the [[2020 Tour de France]]]]
The C40 went on to win 5 editions of Paris-Roubaix in 6 years.<ref name="pedalheadroadworks.com"/> Surprisingly, the victory of [[Tadej Pogačar]] in the [[2020 Tour de France|2020 edition of the Tour de France]] marked the first time a Colnago-branded bicycle was ridden by the overall classification winner, since Merckx's victories were aboard re-branded bikes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pogacar-to-ride-yellow-colnago-for-tour-de-france-final-stage-in-paris/|title=Pogacar to ride yellow Colnago for Tour de France final stage in Paris|website=www.cyclingnews.com|date=20 September 2020 |access-date=2020-09-20}}</ref>

An interview with Ernesto Colnago in which he describes various iconic Colnagos (filmed in the factory museum) is available on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ3zpFsmslo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/yZ3zpFsmslo| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Ernesto Colnago explains all the historical model Colnagos to have been made.|date=9 November 2011 |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Colnago family launch La Collezione, 25/11/22 in Milan, 18/12/22 La Collezione Cambiago guest pre opening .

[https://saarf.london/2022/12/26/inside-la-collezion-cambiago/]