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FEATURES: BEING THERE: THE COLNAGO FACTORY TOUR
Zap
August 3, 2011
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On my recent trip to Italy, I was once again afforded the special opportunity to drive to the outskirts of Milano to the visit the Colnago factory in Cambiago. Unlike my visit to the "House that Ernesto built" last November when the master himself was away at the Tokyo bike show, this time Ernesto was in his office. Not only was I able to enjoy a personal tour of his frame shop and world-class museum, but also an off-site lunch at his local diner, Osteria Della Corti.
Although the chance to have Mr. Colnago and his nephew Alex guide me through the museum was unforgettable, it was the opportunity to have him walk me through the build process for his vaunted C59 that was most memorable. While Mr. Colnago is clearly proud to revel in the showroom of bikes that have helped make his namesake brand world famous, it's his legacy and passion as a frame builder that seem to shine brightest as be walked through the production process of the Colnago C59 (the #1 frame above).
It doesn't get more personal than this - the factory where the Colnagos are built lies beneath the very house that Mr. and Mrs. Colnago live in...which happens to be across the street from the office and museum. The Colnago crest on the driveway gate is the give-away.
Down in his "basement" Mr. Colnago still oversees the manufacturing process of his high end bikes.
It all starts here. The custom carbon tubes are designed by Colnago and made in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Over the years Mr. Colnago has enjoyed a strong R&D relationship with the engineers at the Ferrari factory who have helped him develop his carbon designs.
Step 1. Each of the frame pieces for a particular frame size are laid out and individually glued.
Step 2. Glued and ready to be assembled.
Step 3. After they are glued, the tubes are joined by the three main triangle lugs (head tube, seat tube and bottom bracket) in one of many mobile frame jigs each set-up for a specific frame size.
The heart of the Tour de France leading C59 frame is of course the lugged construction. Deemed "old fashioned" by some, the lugs allow for the widest selection of frame sizes (20!) and custom builds.
Step 4. Following assembly, each frame jig gets in line where it awaits its 35 minute stint in the mobile oven.
Step 5. Out of the oven, the frame is then sent to another line to wait for the next step in the production process.
Step 6. Once the frame has been baked, it heads over into an adjoining room where the hand finish work (sanding, installation of bottle mounts and cable guides) is done. The claimed weight for a C59 frame is 1000 grams.
Step 7. If ever there was a sign of the times to be found at the Colnago factory it would be the dormant status of this old rotating welding line that is now used to store finished frames ready to shipment to Colnago's off-site paint shop which is located down south near the city of Pisa. All the graphics on each frame are hand painted - no decals! Back in the day the factory churned out 10,000 steel frames a year. The number is now down to about 800.
The Finale. With each finished frame comes the final once-over by the "Master" himself.
Back from the paint shop, the frames head to the workshop where they will be assembled. The green frame is the new color that was introduced at the Tour de France with Team Europcar.
The Di2 bikes with the internal mount battery involve extra work for wiring the system through the frame. The battery resides in the seatpost (l). The C59 is also available with standard drivetrains as well.
The most telling detail in this photo is the attention that Mr. Colnago is paying to the final assembly.
Whether it's a complete bike or frameset, once each C59 is finally finished, it heads to the shipping department. While the M10 is the top seller worldwide, the C59 is currently the number one Colnago import in America.
The finished product as it sits in the massive Colnago museum.
This is is the Shimano Di2 model that uses Colnago's own internal battery mount with the fabulously novel indicator lights located in the stem cap.
THE C59 PRODUCTION LINE-UP
For more info, head to Colnago Bicycles.
LOOK FOR AN EXCLUSIVE TOUR OF THE COLNAGO MUSEUM SOON. |
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