Fad. Craze. Trend. These are three words you'll never attach to the brand Colnago. It's a company revered worldwide for two reasons: 1) Way-ahead-of-their-time innovation. Bikes like the C40 and C50 didn't just change the image of Colnago from that of classic steel manufacturer to a cutting edge visionary, but it redefined expectations throughout our industry as a whole about bike performance and technology. 2) A deliberate approach to change. We can think of some offhand examples. Colnago was one of the last companies to transition from 1" to 1-1/8" headtubes. They reserved their right to be skeptical about whether this change had real benefits to a cyclist, or if it was just a manufacturing convenience for companies that produced both road and mountain bikes. When they finally made the move to 1-1/8" with the C50 it was only after they felt certain they could fully leverage the performance gains of this change -- it wasn't a mere act to put themselves safely in the herd. Similarly, when the industry made the move to monocoque carbon frame construction, Colnago stuck to their guns and continued to manufacture lugged carbon frames. Monocoque designs limit the flexibility of the manufacturer to provide multiple sizes because monocoque molds are so forbiddingly expensive. One mold is required per size, and Colnago was in the habit of offering 15-20 sizes per model to ensure ideal fit. Most companies could only afford to offer 5 or 6 sizes per monocoque model. Furthermore, lugged construction gave Colnago the option to build custom geometry frames. With monocoque this is an impossibility. History will show that most manufacturers fully embraced the inherent efficiencies and conveniences of monocoque frame construction by making nothing other than monocoque frames. In contrast, when Colnago finally offered a handful of monocoque models such as the E1 and then the Cristallo, it was to supplement -- not to replace -- what they were already accomplishing with lugged frames like the C50, the Extreme C, and Extreme Power. It brought a different look -- and a newly attractive price -- to those of us who can't rid ourselves of our love affair with Colnago carbon. We're keen to provide this backstory as means of discussing the Colnago CLX -- the most accessibly-priced full carbon frame in the history of road cycling's most beloved manufacturer. The raison d'etre, of the CLX in the Colnago line is crystal clear: It brings the amazing experience of owning a full carbon Colnago to a price hitherto the realm of their aluminum/carbon frames. The price of the CLX, $2,400, is an indicator in our minds of how studious Colnago has been of the road marketplace. Frames in the $2,400-$2,800 price range have proven to be the sweet spot for manufacturers who pride themselves in building high-tech bikes, but who wanted to do so with a decent sales volume. In the $2,400-$2,800 Hall of Fame are bikes like the Orbea Orca, the Scott CR-1, the Cervélo R3, and the Pinarello F4:13. These were bikes light enough and stiff enough to fit seamlessly in the ProTour peloton, and beautiful enough not just for the cover of Velo News, but GQ. They were pure eye candy, they rode like a dream, and in comparison to bikes like the C50 they were worlds more affordable. Colnago studied this phenomenon of what we might call "value-focused high performance bikes", and rather than jumping into the fray a season or two ago to take advantage of the feeding frenzy, their approach was a soberer one. For starters, they wanted to make sure the trend was a sustained one, not just a fad, since Colnago's strategy has never been "Flavor of the Month". And when they were finally convinced that the phenomenon was here to stay, they wanted to offer the market a bike fully distinguished from an esteemable group of competitors. The CLX combines signature elements of other Colnago models, plus details unique to the CLX alone. It's designed as a pure race bike, so it's fitting that the top tube is oversized and built with ribbed reinforcements nearly identical to those used on the Extreme Power. The seat tube is flattened in the aerodynamic design we're accustomed to seeing on bikes like the Cervélo Soloist Carbon, and similarly it comes equipped with Colnago's aerodynamic carbon fiber seatpost to ensure an aero profile -- especially ideal if you're a breakaway-style rider. The CLX is built with a full carbon, bowed seatstay to help increase rear braking power and give it responsiveness when you're hammering. The leaf-shaped carbon chainstays are exceptionally tall beginning at the BB shell, and they maintain a constant height for about 2/3rds their length before slimming down near the dropouts. It further maximizes drivetrain rigidity while saving weight. A final critical detail that ensures the ride quality and raceability of the CLX is its proven geometry. It comes in 6 sloping sizes, and the geometry is identical to the sloping sizes of the C50, Extreme C, and Extreme Power. So much of what makes great bikes great is their handling -- something almost completely a function of geometry. A huge bonus of the CLX is the proven nature of Colnago geometry. The CLX is available in 3 colors -- Red, Blue, and White. It comes equipped with a Colnago CLX full carbon monocoque fork and an Colnago aero carbon seatpost. It requires a 1-1/8" threadless headset, an English bottom bracket, and a braze on front derailleur.
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