ColnagoMaster
Origin
Introduced in 1983 after Giuseppe Saronni's 1982 World Championship, the Master was Ernesto Colnago's answer to pros who complained that round steel tubing flexed under power. Working with Gilberto Colombo (Gilco Design) and Columbus, he created the now-iconic star-section 'crimped' tubeset for extra stiffness. Saronni won the 1983 Giro d'Italia on it, and the frame became an instant sporting and commercial icon. More than four decades later it is still hand-built in Italy — Colnago's longest-running model and one of cycling's definitive lugged-steel machines.
Specifications
- Frame
- Lugged steel; Columbus/Gilco Master 'Profilo S4' star-section tubing (four-rib crimped flutes on the three main triangle tubes). Tubeset drawn on Gilco's oleodynamic 'T15' machine in micro-alloyed 25CrMo4 + 15CDV6 (Cr-Vo) steel; later marketed as DT15V on the Master X-Light
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Frameset only — built to order. Period/X-Light builds run Campagnolo (Chorus / Super Record) 2x10/2x11 mechanical, rim-brake era
- Brakes
- Rim brakes (dual-pivot caliper); no disc-brake version — classic rim-brake road frameset
- Wheels
- 700c, frameset sold without wheels. Reviewed builds used hand-built Ambrosio Excellence rims on Campagnolo Record hubs or Vision TriMax 30
The verdict
- Timeless lugged-steel icon — 'true style icon with authoritative charisma', a genuine collector/heritage piece still hand-built in Italy
- Lively, characterful steel ride quality with the 'souplesse' and comfort no carbon frame fully replicates
- Surprisingly stiff for skinny tubing thanks to the star-section crimped tubes — the back end 'glues onto the tarmac'
- Confident, surefooted high-speed handling — 'descends like a hawk' on technical descents, textbook stable geometry
- Available in 17 sizes with classic Art Decor paint options, so a precise fit and bespoke aesthetic are possible
- Heavy by modern standards — frame ~1.6 kg and full builds ~8.1 kg, well above carbon race bikes
- Slow to accelerate: 'needs coaxing up to speed, not bullying' — punishes aggressive out-of-saddle efforts
- Aggressive traditional fit (long top tube, ~108 mm head tube, deep drop) is long-and-low and 'won't suit everyone'
- Rim-brake only with narrow ~25 mm tyre clearance — no disc, no modern wide-tyre/aero options
- Sold as a frameset built to order, so a complete bike is expensive and requires sourcing a period-correct (Campagnolo) groupset
Where to buy Colnago Master in Estonia
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Want one?
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