The art of steel bikes reinvented.
A fusion of tradition and technology: hand-crafted steel meets 3d precision in a frame that celebrate 70 years of colnago'S italian excellence.
Colnago celebrates 70 years of history with steelnovo, a bicycle that brings steel back into the spotlight. Launched as a 70 pieces limited-edition if features premium, custom components crafted by colnago'S italian partners exclusively for this release. In a market dominated by carbon, steelnovo is a return to the essence: meticulously crafted steel, hidden welds, and 3d printed components.
This edition fo for those seeking not just a bicycle but a piece of colnago'S history to tak on the road, where past and future converge with ever pedal stroke.
Milan, 20th november 2024
colnago is proud to unveil its latest masterpiece, steelnovo, a modern steel bike that perfectly combines the mastery achieved in seventy years of history by the manufacturer from cambiago, and the finest modern standards.
Entirely made in italy, steelnovo is launched as a limited edition of 70 pieces, equipped with columbus tubing and campagnolo components — colnago'S historic partners — and boasts an elegant, refined and modern design that guarantees high levels of performance, offering cyclists the unmistakable riding pleasure typical of the brand.
Proudly italian
the steelnovo is an ode to italian excellence in craftsmanship.Made to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the company founded in cambiago in 1954, it's made even more special by the dedicate campagnolo groupset.
It is equipped with a modern campagnolo super record wireless with each component customized with italian flags, reminders of the italian origin of both the groupset and frameset suppliers.
The network of highly-specialized firms behind this bicycle are entirely italian: additiva, carbon-ti, colnago, columbus, pirelli, selle royal.
All the partners have contributed to the project in a significant way. A particular mention goes to columbus, who actively participated in the tube design and to additiva, who enhanced its process to meet colnago'S high requirements.
Design inspiration: tradition meets modernity
it may seem like an oxymoron, but eh steelnovo is a bike designed to enhance the great tradition of colnago, with an approach oriented towards modernity.
Tradition thrives primarily in tow key aspects:
- frame materials: steel has been the cornerstone of bicycle history and colnago'S legacy until the late '90s. The tubes and lugs are meticulously welded and brazed, reflecting the right italian craftsmanship tradition in frame building. Some of the most iconic steel colnago models are the super (1968), the mexico (1972), the master (1982) and the arabesque (1983).
- Historical partnerships:
- columbus: this partnership goes beyond just supplying tubes; columbus has played a vital role in developing custom tube shapes for colnago, tailored to meet specific design requirements. They even provide proprietary molds for shaping and bending the tubes.
- Campagnolo: the latest innovations, including the campagnolo super record wireless groupset and the bora ultra wto wheelset, have been specially customized to highlight the strong collaboration between these tow esteemed italian companies.
Several models from the archives represent the successful cooperation from these three brands think of a master, with its distinctive 5-point-star tube shape developed with columbus, equipped with a campagnolo super record pantographed groupset. With this bicycle, there is a real celebration of the history of cycling manufacturers.
Modernity, instead, is prominently showcased in other key aspects:
design: the design features essential tube shapes that seamlessly integrate with one another, thanks to fully 3d-printed lugs and lugs. This includes top and bottom head tube lugs, seat tube-top tube and seat stay lugs, rear dropouts, and custom components. There is a strong emphasis on customization and the integration of all components and details, including fully integrated cable routing, custom nylon headset components, and a seatpost-clamp system that is integrated with the seat stays.
Technology:
the creation of complex, surface-modeled lugs that are internally hollow to minimize weight is made possible by advanced 3d printing technology. Colnago has partnered with additiva, an italian leader in technology, expertise, and quality, which has established a strong presence in top motorsport competitions. This collaboration resulted in a complete suite of 3d-printed lugs. After several iterations and refinements, the outcome is a robust connection that perfectly aligns tube profiles while achieving a competitive weight for an oversized, fully integrated steel frame.
Performance:
as always, performance remains at the heart of colnago bikes. The steelnovo model is compatible with all modern standards and components, ensuring that riders experience exceptional handling, superb comfort, and a strong sense of safety:
- tyre clearance: with the ability to accommodate tires up to 35mm, riders can enjoy maximum grip in all conditions and added comfort.
- Racing carbon fork: the lightweight racing carbon fork, combined with oversized headset bearings, provides both stiffness and quick handling. The design also ensures steering precision and a sense of safety, thanks to the 1.1/8" top and 1" bottom bearings, which feature slt technology to prevent wear.
- Oversized bottom bracket: the t47-68 bottom bracket increases stiffness in the bottom bracket area, enhancing responsiveness during acceleration.
- Udh rear dropout standard: this standard ensures compatibility with all modern electronic groupsets, making the bike adaptable to current technologies.
Geometry:
steelnovo features modern geometry to accommodate wide tires and to provide comfort in everyday or endurance rides, without preventing a more aggressive position for more speed-oriented riders.
It is available in seven sizes: 420, 455, 485, 510, 530, 550, 570.
Highly personalized details
the bike is embellished with several personalizations, as anticipated.
Front ace of clubs in relief. The logo of colnago on the front is 3d printed, in relief.
Top of the steering tube: a special cap. Custom steering tube cap and personalized screw from carbon-ti.
Campagnolo dedicated super record wireless groupset and custom bora ultra wto. Campagnolo was one of the main partners for the bike, and provided a dedicated campagnolo sr wireless groupset. Furthermore, the wheels also pay homage to italianity, with a custom set of bora ultra wto.
Personalized thru-axles and handlebar caps. The front and the rear thru-axle are personalized with the ace of club logo, as well as the handlebar caps.