Colnago launch C60 Disc and V1-r Disc bikes for 2015

Colnago unveiled their brand new C60 Disc and V1-r Disc road bikes at Eurobike this week, along with a very special limited edition C60 to mark Ernesto Colnago’s 60th anniversary of making bikes - they do like an anniversary in Italy.

If the new C60 disc is anywhere near as good as the hugely impressive rim braked C60 we reviewed a couple of months back then we are in for a treat. Colnago are very much fans of disc brakes on road bikes. The Italain outfit were the first big player to launch a disc braked carbon bike with the C59 Disc which made it's bow at the Taipei trade show three years ago. While that model was a late update of the existing C59 frame, the company have designed the new C60 and V1-r aero road bike from the outset with disc brakes in mind. It’s taken them a little while to get the bikes ready to show everyone, but at Eurobike the covers were firmly whipped off. By contrast the rim braked versions of both were launched earlier this year.

The C60 Disc was talked about at the launch for the regular C60 but they only had a few design drawings to show of the new dropouts, so this is our first proper look at the bike. There will be other paint job options available if this one isn’t to your taste, but I should add it looks much better in the flesh, my photography skills don’t do it justice, that and the bright white floor of the stand doesn’t help either.

Like the C59 Disc, the new C60 Disc sticks with regular quick release axles. And while that early C59 Disc had Formula’s hydraulic disc brakes because there was no other choice, this year Colnago have fitted a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 group set with hydraulic disc brakes. Pretty much most of the disc-equipped road bikes we’ve seen at the show so far have been using Shimano’s hydraulic disc brakes. Also like a number of the bikes we've seen at the show Colnago have opted for 140 rotors front and back. Shimano say that is the ideal set up, and heat dissipation shouldn't be an issue - but up until now most manufacturers seem to have been going for 160mm rotors. 

Colnago’s first aero road bike, the V1-r, was revealed just before the Tour de France where it was first put into action by the Europcar team, and Colnago did tell us they were going to do a disc brake version at the time. And here it is. It’s a fine looking bike. 

Interestingly, for the V1-r Colnago have specced a fork with a thru-axle, with a regular quick release rear axle. The fork uses a hexlock15 bolt-thru axle developed by suspension manufacturer Manitou. Unlike other bolt-thru axle standards, hexlock15 is really easy to use, simply requiring turning the quick release lever 90 degrees to release it.

Again it's fitted with Shimano's hydraulic disc brakes and all cables are neatly routed internally, even the fork.

Colnago's collaboration with longtime partners Ferrari, who were apparently involved in the development of the V1-r, is honoured with a top tube decal. And to really get the message across, they had a bright red sports car on their stand...

Offering a disc version of both the C60 and V1-r shows commitment to disc brakes for Colnago, we can certainly expect all future models to be offered with disc brakes. However, they’re offering the customer the choice, and not dropping the conventional calliper rim brake option - that's a more pragmatic strategy than that taken by Giant with the new with their new carbon Defy where if you want carbon you have to have discs too. We’ll have more details on both bikes very soon and we'll add them in here…

Finally, this is the new C60 Anniversario, created to mark Ernesto Colnago’s 60th anniversary of “building great bicycles.”

It’s the regular C60 frame but with lugs painted silver and a plaque on the fork and top tube to remind everyone what a special bike you’re riding. It’s available in limited numbers only and will be sold as complete bikes only.

Click here to read all of our stories from Eurobike 2014, the world's biggest bike show.