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Colnago
45°34′22″N 9°25′05″E / 45.5729°N 9.4180°E
Colnago Ernesto & C. S.r.l. or Colnago is a manufacturer of road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milan in Cambiago, Italy. It remained a family-controlled firm until May 4, 2020, when it was announced that the UAE-based investment company, Chimera Investments LLC, had acquired a majority of the Colnago shares from Ernesto Colnago, although the headquarters will remain located in Italy after the acquisition. Instead of following his family's farming business, Ernesto Colnago chose to work in the cycle trade, and was apprenticed first to Gloria Bicycles at the age of 13, and subsequently taking up road racing. After a bad crash ended his racing career, he began subcontracting for Gloria, and opened his own shop in 1954, building his first frames the same year. While building frames, he remained much in demand as a racing mechanic. He was second mechanic on the Nivea–Fuchs team in the Giro d'Italia race under Faliero Masi in 1955, eventually being employed as head mechanic for the Molteni team of Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx in 1963.
The company first became known for high quality steel framed bicycles suitable for the demanding environment of professional racing, and later as one of the more creative cycling manufacturers responsible for innovations in design and experimentation with new and diverse materials including carbon fiber, now a mainstay of modern bicycle construction. In 2020, having lost his wife and brother, Ernesto Colnago sold his majority interest in the company to a United Arab Emirates investment firm.
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 bicycle race on a Colnago bicycle. In 1960, Colnago achieved more recognition as Luigi Arienti rode to a gold medal at the 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 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. 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.
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] The mainstay of the Colnago line in the 1970s was the Super, followed by the Mexico, named in honor of the successful hour attempt.[clarification needed] 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.
In 1979, Ernesto Colnago presented Pope John Paul II with a custom gold-plated steel bicycle.
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. In 1983, Giuseppe Saronni would go on to win the Giro d'Italia stage race on a Colnago bicycle. 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.":
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Colnago
45°34′22″N 9°25′05″E / 45.5729°N 9.4180°E
Colnago Ernesto & C. S.r.l. or Colnago is a manufacturer of road-racing bicycles founded by Ernesto Colnago near Milan in Cambiago, Italy. It remained a family-controlled firm until May 4, 2020, when it was announced that the UAE-based investment company, Chimera Investments LLC, had acquired a majority of the Colnago shares from Ernesto Colnago, although the headquarters will remain located in Italy after the acquisition. Instead of following his family's farming business, Ernesto Colnago chose to work in the cycle trade, and was apprenticed first to Gloria Bicycles at the age of 13, and subsequently taking up road racing. After a bad crash ended his racing career, he began subcontracting for Gloria, and opened his own shop in 1954, building his first frames the same year. While building frames, he remained much in demand as a racing mechanic. He was second mechanic on the Nivea–Fuchs team in the Giro d'Italia race under Faliero Masi in 1955, eventually being employed as head mechanic for the Molteni team of Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx in 1963.
The company first became known for high quality steel framed bicycles suitable for the demanding environment of professional racing, and later as one of the more creative cycling manufacturers responsible for innovations in design and experimentation with new and diverse materials including carbon fiber, now a mainstay of modern bicycle construction. In 2020, having lost his wife and brother, Ernesto Colnago sold his majority interest in the company to a United Arab Emirates investment firm.
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 bicycle race on a Colnago bicycle. In 1960, Colnago achieved more recognition as Luigi Arienti rode to a gold medal at the 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 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. 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.
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] The mainstay of the Colnago line in the 1970s was the Super, followed by the Mexico, named in honor of the successful hour attempt.[clarification needed] 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.
In 1979, Ernesto Colnago presented Pope John Paul II with a custom gold-plated steel bicycle.
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. In 1983, Giuseppe Saronni would go on to win the Giro d'Italia stage race on a Colnago bicycle. 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.":