C Series (C68 / C64 / C60)

Name: Colnago C Series (C68 / C64 / C60)
Brand: Colnago

road

Origin

Colnago is one of the most storied names in road cycling, founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milan in 1954 and long associated with Italian craft, Ferrari collaborations and the cloverleaf (asso di fiori) badge. The C Series is the direct descendant of the C40 (1994), one of the first mass-produced carbon race frames and the first carbon bike to win Paris-Roubaix (1995). Where most of the industry moved to one-piece monocoque molds, Colnago kept the C line true to lugged construction: separate carbon tubes bonded into carbon (later partly 3D-printed titanium) lugs. That method is heavier and costlier to build, but it lets Colnago tune each tube individually, offer a very wide size range, and hand-finish and hand-paint every frame in Cambiago, Italy. The C60 (2014) marked 20 years after the C40; the C64 (2018) landed on Colnago's 64th anniversary and shed ~205 g; the C68 (2022) modularised the lugs into eight bonded carbon parts and made the whole platform disc- and electronic-only.

Specifications

Frame: Hand-built lugged carbon (bonded carbon tubes into carbon lugs); made in Cambiago, Italy. C68 uses a modular 8-carbon-part construction (head tube+down tube as one piece, seat tube+BB cluster as one piece).
Weight: kg
Drivetrain: C60/C64: mechanical or electronic (mech/Di2/EPS routing supplied). C68: electronic only (Shimano Di2, SRAM AXS, Campagnolo EPS); removable front-derailleur mount allows 1x.
Brakes: C60: rim (disc version later). C64: rim OR disc (flat-mount, 12mm thru-axle; disc adds only ~15 g). C68: disc only (flat mount, up to 160 mm rotors).
Wheels: Sold as frameset; complete builds pair with high-end carbon (e.g. Shimano Dura-Ace C50, Zipp 303 Firecrest, Campagnolo Bora, Ursus Miura).

The verdict

+Strengths

Sublime, planted ride quality — stable at speed, superb descender, refined rather than harsh.
Genuinely hand-built in Italy with lugged construction and a very wide, precise size range for good fit.
Serviceable, durable design (replaceable threaded BB inserts, hand-finished paint) — a long-life keeper frame.

−Weaknesses

Very expensive — framesets ~4,500-6,700 EUR, top complete builds well past 13,000-17,000 EUR.
Heavier than modern monocoque superbikes; not the choice for pure weight-weenies.
C68 is disc- and electronic-only (no rim/mechanical), and some testers find it less overtly 'racy'/lively than the sharpest race bikes.

Generations

C60 (2014)
- 20 years after the C40; star-shaped 3PRS lugs; heaviest of the three, most classic feel.
Brakes
Rim (disc later)
C64 (2018)
- ~205 g lighter than C60, UD carbon, seat-tube lugs moulded in; last C to offer rim + mechanical.
Brakes
Rim or disc
C68 (2022)
- Modular 8-part construction, near-monocoque look, up to 32mm tyres, racier V4Rs-like position; disc+electronic mandatory.
Brakes
Disc only

Versions & builds

Every official build side by side — differences highlighted.

Versions & builds
Spec	C60	C64 (Rim / Disc)	CurrentC68 Road
Year	2014	2018	2022
Frame	Lugged carbon, star-shaped 3PRS tubes	Lugged carbon, wider/lighter UD tubes	Modular 8-part lugged carbon (some builds w/ 3D-printed Ti lugs)
Drivetrain	Mechanical or electronic (11-speed era)	Mechanical or electronic (mech/Di2/EPS)	Electronic only (Di2 / AXS / EPS)
Brakes	Rim (disc version later)	Rim OR disc (flat mount, 12mm thru-axle)	Disc only (flat mount, up to 160mm)
MSRP	€4,200	€4,500	€6,750
Purpose	Value	Balanced	Flagship