# C50 NL38 build odyssey



## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

YES!!! I have just received a shipment containing my new C50 frame with a NL38 paint scheme. This is a new old stock 2004 C50, size is 58cm by Colnago factory measurements, C to T on the seat tube. This measures out at 56cm C to C on the seat tube, 56.3cm C to C on the top tube. Same measurements as my current bike, a Colnago Dream with AD4 paint scheme, which has been an excellent ride for the last couple of seasons.

I like to build my own bikes up as custom builds with all the exact parts on it that I want to see on the bike. ...A bit of wintertime fun and providing a spring, summer and autumn of rewarding rides. The build will be based around Campagnolo Record parts but with perhaps some nicer trick bits and pieces here and there. Suggestions accepted.

So what I will do is post details/photos of the build as it progresses. I'll be adding the parts bit by bit as I decide on them and acquire them. Today is step one: showing the bare frame and then I put some wheels into it for contemplation purposes. The wheels are Campagnolo Neutron Carbon (not so common) wheels with black Vittoria Corsa CX Evo tires (not yet sold on the all black tires...) 

Enjoy. More to come posted here later as it happens.


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## oneslowmofo (Feb 29, 2004)

*Looks great*

Post a pic when you're done building it up. The black Neutrons look stealth with that paint scheme.


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## [email protected] (Feb 7, 2006)

My buddies would never let me hear the end of it if I showed up with a frame reading 'World Champion', but man, that is one sweet looking frame!


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*...seatpost and seat detail*

Here are the seat and seatpost installed on the frame. Overall the red and black pick up on the same colors as on the wheels so aesthetically they fit into the overall scheme well. 

Seatpost is a FSA K Force Lite seatpost and functionally it is a nice one as it has the two bolt adjustment from the bottom. The seatpost is available with two set backs, this one is the regular set back which is 25mm, same as a Campagnolo seatpost would provide. The fine threading lets you get the seat tilt just right very easily. Quick and easy to fine tune with one allen key even during a ride. Its a fairly light seatpost, 200 grams weight for the 350 mm size. This one is actually 350mm long and I don't need it that long but the 250 size was not readily available. I think I'll cut it down to about 275mm or so just to lose some weight, probably end up about 175gms after cutting it. Could be lighter if the clamping parts were made of lighter metals or even carbon. 

The saddle is a Selle San Marco Aspide with titanium rails, weight is 160 grams. I also replaced the cheap not so good Colnago clamp that came with the frame with the Campagnolo one which is far nicer, and more importantly evens out the clamping pressure on a carbon seatpost. The size of the original Colnago clamp for this C50 frame was 31.8, I used the Campagnolo clamp size 31.6-31.9, a perfect fit obtained with this size.


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*...brakes to think on*

Check the Tektro brake calipers out. Anybody tried these brake calipers? Got these for a bike buddy and tried them on the frame when he came by to pick them up. They look kind stealthy on there. Just wonder about the actual braking performance of these.

Probably I will just use a pair of Campag Record calipers that I found in my junk drawer and customize them with Kool Stop extreme weather pads (the salmon color ones). Used this combo last year all season long and it was a good one. Later on in the season I might check into a set of extra leggero Zero Gravity calipers.


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## 2wheelsport (Sep 23, 2005)

campagnoloneutron said:


> YES!!! I have just received a shipment containing my new C50 frame with a NL38 paint scheme. This is a new old stock 2004 C50, size is 58cm by Colnago factory measurements, C to T on the seat tube. This measures out at 56cm C to C on the seat tube, 56.3cm C to C on the top tube. Same measurements as my current bike, a Colnago Dream with AD4 paint scheme, which has been an excellent ride for the last couple of seasons.
> 
> I like to build my own bikes up as custom builds with all the exact parts on it that I want to see on the bike. ...A bit of wintertime fun and providing a spring, summer and autumn of rewarding rides. The build will be based around Campagnolo Record parts but with perhaps some nicer trick bits and pieces here and there. Suggestions accepted.
> 
> ...


Beautiful! Don't forget to post pics of the final build. Here's a shot of mine. 
<IMG SRC="https://www.2wheelsport.com/ColnagoC50.jpg">


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## GONE4ARIDE (Mar 19, 2003)

2wheel,

That is one shweeeeet looking C-50!!!! Love the scheme as well as the set-up. Is your's a 
57 or 58?

Out of curiousity, what are the BB to top of saddle, saddle set-back, saddle to bar drop and tip of saddle to center of bar measurements as shown in the photo? Is that a 14cm stem?


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## 2wheelsport (Sep 23, 2005)

GONE4ARIDE said:


> 2wheel,
> 
> That is one shweeeeet looking C-50!!!! Love the scheme as well as the set-up. Is your's a
> 57 or 58?
> ...


Thanks! It's a 58cm. Oh man, the measurements off the top of my head....
in order asked-30.5 inches, set-back about 10cm, drop is I think around 3 inches, reach is around 23 inches although I shoot for 30 inches for tip of saddle to the levers.

The K-Sword is actually a 135mm. I'm looking for a bar with a little more reach so I can go to a 130mm stem, which are obviously more plentiful. 

2wheelsport


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## Bonked (Nov 11, 2002)

let me get this straight...you have record brake calipers in your "junk" drawer? give me your address and i'll come by and releive you of some of your other "junk!"

beautiful bike!


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

The faux carbon calipers look a little hoky on there. Carbon is cool when it's real.....a carbon surface on an aluminum part with the sole purpose to look cool is, well, cheap!...especially on that bike. That's why I take issue with Campy Record Ergo levers inner lever....it's a sticker!

brewster


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*...getting there*

Well, I'm getting there, slow but sure. Here is a photo of where I am so far on this build. 

I was away riding/training in Mexico for the last three weeks so I got a little bit behind on this project. 

Currently awaiting the headset|handlebars|stem to show up to go to the next step. They should show next week sometime, then I'll be able to finish it up. The bars are FSA K Force carbon 44cm, the stem is FSA OS-115 13cm and the headset will be FSA Orbit Extreme Pro 1 1/8. I was originally going to use a Campagnolo Record headset but figured I'd try the FSA Orbit Extreme as I'd heard good things about it and it kinda went with the bars, stem and seatpost.


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*semi-final photo of build...*

Well, here is a semi-final photo of my C50 build. (nothing is final...)

Some semi-final notes;
The FSA K Force carbon bars that I planned to use had to go back for a couple of reasons; first they were defective in manufacture/ the left side was crooked. Also the bottom of the drops were just way too short. I kept the FSA 115 OS 13cm stem and for handlebars used some Deda Newton bars 46 wide in the anatomic bend. Much better choice. I still wish the FSA stem did not rise as much as it does (-6 degrees). Thinking of changing later on to a stem that is "flatter" like the matching Deda at -8 degrees. (possibly a Deda Newton 13cm or a Deda Mag00 13cm)

For the saddle, I started with a Fizik Aliante seat on a campag carbon seatpost but I have changed that to a Selle Italia Aspide seat on FSA carbon K force seatpost (as seen in some previous photos). I am awaiting arrival of a Fizik Arione full Carbone seat to try out. At that time I'll mount that on the FSA seatpost. 

Rode the bike about 24 times so far this month (yeah almost every day). Mostly 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hour rides. I decided I needed a seat that I can move around on a little depending on the terrain. The Fizik Aliante has "one postion" only and seems a little too squishy with almost a full cm of deflection to allow for in setting seat height. The Selle Italia Aspide is a little hard for me on longer rides, okay for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour rides but for longer rides I need just a little more cushioning. When it arrives I'll see how the Fizik Arione Carbon works out as it looks to provide a good comfort level, loads of room to move around and very light weight. 

Back to the rides, simply stated, the bike rides GREAT! Very smooth, very stiff and excellent handling characteristics. Every bit of what everyone says about the C50s. Not a superlight bike but not any heavyweight either. I like it. In fact, I like it a LOT. A good balance of weight against function, durability and ride.


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*update on new saddle*

Okay, finally the awaited Fizik Arione Carbone 2006 saddle with braided carbon rails showed up. The advertised weight is 179 gms but I did not weigh it myself to check the accuracy of that number. Felt extra light to handle and even looked lightweight! It's now installed and looks very good on the bike (see photo). The lines of the FSA carbon seatpost nicely follow through the bottom back part of the seat in one smooth continuous arc. 

So leaving the aesthetics of the situation aside it rides very comfortably down the road too. I guess a decent compliment could be that you forget about it while riding... a statement of comfort. It performs very highly on the comfort scale for me with the test being repeated back to back longer rides of 3 or 4 hours + duration. I seem to want to keep riding longer and longer these days... Super comfortable the whole time each and every ride. (the other Fizik Arione models should provide the same level of comfort but with just a little more weight, a trade-off which I certainly would accept if this ultra light version was not available).

Keep on ridin' forever. See you on the road, on a Colnago.
ogni epoca ha un campione | ogni campione ha una Colnago


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## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

the c50 seems worth the money, but what about the neutron carbon wheel? It must be very expensive.


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## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

how are the evo tires compared to others?


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## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

wow even the fork has the star shaped tubing


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## campagnoloneutron (Sep 15, 2005)

*three in one...*

steel515, you made three short posts to this so I'll cover them all in one reply... three in one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 Hours Ago 10:49 PM 
steel515 wow even the fork has the star shaped tubing 
12 Hours Ago 10:48 PM 
steel515 how are the evo tires compared to others? 
12 Hours Ago 10:44 PM 
steel515 the c50 seems worth the money, but what about the neutron carbon wheel? It must be very expensive 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Neutron Carbon wheelset is an appropriate match to this frame. They were only available from Campagnolo for one year (2005). These wheels have carbon hubs like the Hyperon but come with alloy rims. I believe that they were originally they were created by Camapgnolo for a BMW promotion in 2004 but were made more generally available in limited quantity the next year (2005), not available any more though... (unless new old stock)

Yup the forks are a "star/fluted" shape profile. Matches the frame tubing nicely.

The clincher Vittoria Evo tires run smooth and fast, very similar to the tubular version of the same Vittoria tire that I have run often in the past BUT the tubulars do run/respond just that little bit nicer for sure. In these clinchers I run butyl tubes. Down the road so to speak, I may try out latex tubes which are lighter and may be more responsive, but I'll have to test that out.

Thanks for your comments.

campagnoloneutron
ogni epoca ha un campione | ogni campione ha una Colnago


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## j.knight (Dec 14, 2005)

Next time get the Corsa Evo tires in the white/black combo. They look so sweet on a NL 38 or nearly any other color Colnago. For a few years all of the Colnagos at Interbike were built with white tires. It looked really good.


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