Over the 10 years, the frame was revised on 3 occasions – so there are 4 different versions of the C40 frame. It was in production for approximately 10 years (1994 – 2004) and eventually superseded by the Colnago C50. The C40 name originates from ‘C’ for Carbon and ’40’ in recognition of Colnago’s 40th anniversary (1954 to 1994). However, I decided to only include C40 frames in this article that were listed in the Colnago catalogs and were therefore widely available to the general public. When researching the C40 on the internet, there is mention of an earlier carbon lugged frame with round carbon tubes rather than the Master profile tubes usually found on the C40. Please read my article on Colnago’s First Carbon Fibre Bikes to learn more about these models and what was happening in the industry at the time.
Other Italian brands have moved production to the Far East but Colnago’s current top model, the C60, still uses the legendary carbon-lugged design and, like its predecessor, is still handmade in Cambiago.The Colnago C40 was NOT the first carbon frame designed by Colnago, but following it’s release in 1994, the C40 was ridden to victory in some of cycling’s biggest races. In an entire decade, the frame went mostly unchanged, with just the seatstays updated to the wishbone-style B-Stay design and the chainstays reworked to incorporate the HP (‘High Power’) diamond-shaped cut-out that was intended to simultaneously add stiffness and reduce vibration.Įrnesto Colnago knew he had created something special. The C40 remained in production as Colnago’s flagship model, ridden by Mapei and Rabobank at the top level, until 2004. > Icons of cycling: the first Shimano STI gear shift system Incredibly Mapei repeated the one-two-three at Paris-Roubaix on board their C40s twice more - in 19. > Icons of cycling: Campagnolo Tool CaseĪnd to hammer home their point, the next year Mapei and the C40 effected a clean sweep of the Paris-Roubaix podium with Johan Museeuw, Andrea Tafi and Gianluca Bortolami arriving at the Roubaix velodrome together and crossing the line in formation, all three with their arms in the air.
This moment marked the end of the road for steel and aluminium frames.
Mapei was the team to which Ernesto Colnago gave the C40, and in turn Mapei gave Ernesto Colnago the first Paris-Roubaix win for a carbon bike, with Franco Ballerini in 1995. However, there was one paint-scheme destined to become the Colnago C40 colourway: the Mapei team livery with its tumbling multi-coloured cubes.
Bellerini riding Paris-Roubaix on the Colnago C40.
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