# colnagos not made by colnago?



## steel515

According to: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/profile-ernesto-colnago--30985 since 2006 italian-built Colnagos are not made by Colnago but by ATR (Italy). 

Also I think straight forks are a gimmick. According to Cadel Evans on http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/pro-bike-cadel-evans-ridley-helium-17288 he prefers curved, not straight blade. (on ridley bike)


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## iyeoh

steel515 said:


> According to: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/profile-ernesto-colnago--30985 since 2006 italian-built Colnagos are not made by Colnago but by ATR (Italy).
> 
> Also I think straight forks are a gimmick. According to Cadel Evans on http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/pro-bike-cadel-evans-ridley-helium-17288 he prefers curved, not straight blade. (on ridley bike)



Nobody has ever accused me of not being a troll. 

What doesn't make sense is that if ATR were really making the carbon frames from Italy, then wouldn't ATR want to pimp its own tubes? Instead, Colnago goes to the Japanese to source carbon fiber and tubes made in Guangdong, China and then ship it to Italy to its ex-carbon supplier for assembly? That's about the most twisted logic I can think of, but nothing is really out of the realm of possibility these days. It does make sense that ATR knows how to fabricate tubes and put bicycle frames together. It does not make sense that ATR no longer knows how to supply carbon fiber when they know how to build carbon fiber bikes. 

To me personally, I rather have ATR put the bikes together rather than the darn Chinese or Taiwanese.


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## iyeoh

What in Sam's hill you talking about curved forks??! That article was about a Ridley Helium that Cadel rode in 2008, and he hated the Silence Lotto team. That article doesn't even says that Cadel doesn't like straight forks and he prefers curved forks.

Cadel Evans just won the Tour de France on a BMC with a straight fork!


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## pete2528ca

If I am not mistaken, the tubes are produced by ATR and then Colnago builds the bikes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXgPJkX5LSE

I was talking to a large Colnago shop in Montreal, and they said that all the lugged frames, EPS, C59, and the older C50's and C40's were built by Colnago in the Colnago shop. All monocoque frames were outsourced. 

I would personally rather ride a used C40 than an asian made monocoque.

Hope that helps.


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## iyeoh

pete2528ca said:


> If I am not mistaken, the tubes are produced by ATR and then Colnago builds the bikes:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXgPJkX5LSE
> 
> I was talking to a large Colnago shop in Montreal, and they said that all the lugged frames, EPS, C59, and the older C50's and C40's were built by Colnago in the Colnago shop. All monocoque frames were outsourced.
> 
> I would personally rather ride a used C40 than an asian made monocoque.
> 
> Hope that helps.



That is ancient news. ATR used to make the tubes, but no longer. Italian-made Colnagos are made with Torayca carbon fiber. Toray is a Japanese company that manufactures in China.

The C59, EPQs etc are indeed manufactured at Colnago. I don't know where the original poster got the idea that ATR manufactures the frames for Colnagos.

ATR used to supply the tubes, but no longer. ATR is operating under bankruptcy proceedings, and I would think they hardly have the financial resources to do any in-house manufacturing.


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## pete2528ca

Meh, my C40 is 100% made in the home land, and from what I understand made with ATR carbon.


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## iyeoh

Yes... C40s use ATR tubes. At least they didn't have to get all hyper-defensive back then about being "Made in Italy." Nobody back then could even possibly imagine a Colnago being made of anything or any where else outside of Italy. Times have changed.


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## pete2528ca

yup, everything is outsourced now.


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## merckxman

ATR is trying to launch their own bike(s) now:
http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2011/02/leonardo-by-atr-group.html


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## QQUIKM3

*To each his own. .*



pete2528ca said:


> I would personally rather ride a used C40 than an asian made monocoque.



I sold my Colnago C50 for an Asian made Wilier Leroi. IMO the Wilier is a better bike. Italians are falling way behind in composite construction.


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## enzo269

It was my understanding that the Extreme C and c50 were the last two frames truly built in Italy 100%. I owned an Extreme C and I love the frame. I own a Pinarello Dogma 60.1 now, made of the 60 Ton Torayca in Asia and then put together in Italy and painted there as well. Its no big deal. It is a still the best bike I have ever ridden and not made entirely in Italy. Ducatis arent totally made in Italy either. They use suppliers from many countries. Doesnt mean that it isnt a true Italian machine. They are truly the essence of Italian motorcycling..


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## Cinelli 82220

iyeoh said:


> That is ancient news


No kidding!

Colnago was outsourcing frames back in the seventies.


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## config

Welcome to global economics and world trade.


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## Jbartmc

I have a C50 & a C59. Both are great bikes, but the C59 is better. I understand it is assembled and painted in Italy but the carbon source is Asia. I am doubtful that the tubes and lugs are made in Italy. Nonetheless, it is a great bike and is much better than the EPS or Extreme Power.


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## Dajianshan

Several models are made by Giant. That is not saying they are Giant bikes. Colnago manages the production, but Colnago is not immune to economies of scale.


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## Kenacycle

Were the EPS made from Toray or ATC carbon?


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## knakhemel

Does it mather what carbon source a Colnag has. You still have the Colnago quality. Built in Italy or Asia.
There is an important difference between the lugged frames and monocoques. The lugged frames are handmade (built in Italy). The monocoques are not handmade.
And last but not least, a lugged frame, like C59, EPQ, EPS, EP, Extreme-C, C50 and C40 (and the steel Master) can be repaired.
Last year I crashed with my C50. The bottom tube was in pieces. The frame was sent back to Colnago in Italy. Colnago Italy replaced the bottom tube and repainted the frame. Nice job. It took about 3 months.
Now I have a problem with my C40 bottombracket lug. It's already on his way to Colnago. )


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## colnajoe

"I would personally rather ride a used C40 than an asian made monocoque."

Oh Hell yea!!!


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## haydos

Early EPS's were made using ATR Carbon, later EPS's used Toray.


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