Colnago C68 Super Record 2023

The Colnago C68 is not only a stunning bike to look at, it's also stunning to ride. Colnago describes it as the pinnacle of its craftsmanship. The geometry is a balance of endurance and race, with certain parts of the frame feeling pro peloton, others more Sunday club run – in a good way. This is probably as close to a race bike as a non-racer wants. In a nutshell, it's incredibly expensive but also incredibly brilliant to ride.

Don't have £15K to spend on a new ride? Check out our guide to the best road bikes, from £300...

> Buy now: Colnago C68 Road Super Record for €13,336 from CicliCorsa

Ride

A few months back I reviewed Colnago's V4RS and loved riding it. Considering its success in the pro peloton, its geometry kind of goes against the norm – it had stunning handling and comfort, but it wasn't as racy as I was expecting considering what it does for a day job.

That was the beauty of it, though, it was so easy to live with. Much easier to tame than many top-flight race bikes.

Colnago obviously has its own way of doing things, and the C68 is no different. In fact it has exactly the same geometry as the V4RS.

Looking at the setup we have here, with the slammed stem and deep-section wheels, this C68 looks aggressive and purposeful. And twitchy. As though it's going to need to be ridden on the rivet to get the best out of it.

That is so far from the truth. Don't get me wrong, smash the pedals round and this bike is going to impress – the frame is unbelievably stiff everywhere it needs to be, and at just over 7.5kg it feels light and nimble too.

The steep seat tube also puts you in a forward position to open your legs up and let you get the power down, and when you are out of the saddle you can feel the efficiency through the rear end of the frame, driving that power through the rear wheel.

The front end is quite the contrast, though. The head angle is nudging the numbers I'd expect to see on a gravel bike, and the whole steering feel is much less frantic than you would expect it to be.

It doesn't affect the handling overly so. It's still a quick bike through the bends – competently so – with direct steering and a precise turn in.

The stiff fork cancels out any understeer, which means you can carry plenty of speed through the corners, and the whole setup feels very stable. And that's the key; by subduing the steering just a touch Colnago has made the C68 a well-balanced bike, which gives security and confidence on a technical descent.

I can see the C68 being a great sportive machine, and I mean the sportives of Italy which, if you've ever ridden one, you'll know are very competitive – they're amateur races in all but name. The Colnago is going to give you the confidence in the middle of the pack and on the descents, while also providing the performance and easy-to-live-with nature required for big mile rides.

In terms of comfort the C68 does well. It's still a very firm road bike, but the carbon layup and construction minimise harshness. I'd say it feels a little smoother than the V4RS, but we are talking very marginally here.

Overall, the C68 is a stunning bike to ride, both in terms of how it behaves and the ride feel. There is an impressive level of refinement in the ride quality, even on poor UK roads.

Frame & Fork

Compared with earlier iterations such as the C60 and C64, the C68 has very different aesthetics, losing the lugged tube construction look.

Colnago is keen to point out that the number of parts used in this handbuilt-in-Italy frame is the same as the C64; it's built in a different way, with many sections being created in one piece.

This has allowed Colnago to increase stiffness in some areas, like the top of the down tube where it meets the head tube, for instance, and the bottom bracket shell as it is now part of the seat tube.

I prefer the look of the C68 over the C64. This new smooth design where the sections meet looks much more modern, although Colnago has managed to keep some joins noticeable, like where the seat tube meets the top tube, and I do love the split head tube design.

Colnago is also offering the C68 frame with a 3D printed titanium head tube (upper) and seat tube/top tube clusters.

It's not the lightest. The frame is claimed to weigh around 925g for a size 485 with a 535mm top tube (935g if you go for the titanium model). The next size up V4RS, for instance, is a claimed 798g.

Like many other road bikes now, the C68 has all of its wires and hoses running internally, through the handlebar, headset and head tube so that you don't see them at all. It results in a very clean-looking machine.

The fork has been completely redesigned as well, with Colnago getting rid of the previous TFS D-shape with internal ribbing, returning to a standard 1 1/8in steerer tube.

For the bottom bracket it has adopted the T47 standard, something a lot of brands are doing these days. It allows the use of the oversized dimensions of a press-fit system while retaining the threaded nature of attaching the bearing cups to the frame; the idea is that you can still get the performance gains without having to rely on tight tolerancing between the frame and bearing cup, to avoid creaking from a poor fit or water/dirt ingress.

Looking at the geometry, the C68 is available in seven sizes, with the average stack to reach ratio being around 1.43, which highlights the C68's performance intentions. An endurance style bike is around the 1.5 to 1.55 mark.

This 510 size (which relates to the seat tube measurement) has a 550mm top tube and a 148mm head tube. Its stack and reach figures are 557mm and 388mm respectively.

The seat angle is 74 degrees, while the head angle is a much slacker 71.8 degrees.

Groupset options

The C68 is, as you'd expect, only available in top-end builds or as a frameset. Ours came with Campagnolo's Super Record EPS groupset for a cool £14,995, while other options are SRAM Red eTap AXS, and Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Ultegra Di2.

The groupset we have here isn't the latest wireless version of Super Record EPS (which we have a review of in the next couple of weeks), but it is very good nonetheless.

Whereas the new version has done away with the thumbshifter, these SR levers still have them, so you get that traditional Campagnolo feel to the ergonomics. I am a massive fan of the hood shape of Campag's levers too.

As a groupset the performance is great, with crisp, quick shifting up and down the cassette and across the chainrings.

Campagnolo has done a great job of maintaining the feel of its mechanical levers too. Whereas Shimano and SRAM's electronic levers have a very lightweight feel to the gear changes (as their mechanical setups do), Campag EPS still has that reassuring clunk as you drop the chain down the sprockets.

The braking performance is very good, and I do think that the callipers and rotors look a bit more sculpted than the other two brands.

With the amount of carbon used in its construction, Super Record does look very high end, and its red and white logos blend well with the paintwork of the C68.

Finishing kit

For the cockpit, the C68 comes with Colnago's CC.01 integrated carbon fibre handlebar which is a monocoque design, the bar and stem all one piece. It's smart looking, has impressive stiffness even when you are yanking it hard from side to side when sprinting or climbing, and brings an aero advantage.

Hidden underneath the stem cap you'll also find a multi-tool, which is pretty cool.

The seatpost is full carbon fibre and has a slight aero shape to it rather than being completely round. I like the Colnago logo on it, another classy touch.

Saddle-wise Colnago has fitted a Prologo Scratch M5 Ti, which has titanium rails. I like Prologo's saddles, and have ridden loads of them over the years; the shape suits me, and I like the firm padding – I'm not a fan of anything too squishy.

Wheels & tyres

With a Super Record groupset there isn't really any other option than Campagnolo's Bora WTO wheelset if you want aero and to keep that complete groupset look.

At 45mm deep and an amazing 1,420g in weight, they give you a speed boost while also not hampering you on the climbs. Check out our review of them for the full details.

Across all of the builds Colnago has specced Pirelli's P-Zero Race TLR tyres, and I'd say that is a good shout. They'll be expensive to replace (or probably not for someone blowing £15k on a bike), but the performance and fun you'll have out of them while they're wearing out will be worth it, and their rolling resistance and grip will allow you to exploit the characteristics of the C68.

Value

It'll come as no surprise that Colnago can price its bikes higher than most because of the badge and the company's heritage. Branding and perceived image are very powerful, and while I'm more of a value-for-money kind of consumer, balanced with quality, performance and so on, if you can get away with it, then why not?

I'm not saying that the C68 isn't a high-end product either, it definitely is. In terms of the overall quality and finish it's excellent. It's just that you can get similar weight, stiffness and performance elsewhere for less.

Even against other Italian superbikes.

The Pinarello Dogma F that Aaron reviewed recently is probably closer in genre to the V4RS, but it is still a top-of-the-range machine with a Super Record EPS groupset and Campag Hyperon wheels, yet it 'only' costs £12,400.

And Basso's Diamante Disc with Super Record Wireless and Campag Shamal Carbon wheels is a relative snip at £9,999.

We actually have one of these in for review at the moment (with Ultegra Di2), so keep your eye out for that one.

Conclusion

Is it worth £15k? Well, that's up to you to decide. Money aside, this is a stunning bike to ride; everything about the ride quality, the geometry, and the handling is spot on. It has character about it which can be hard to create in a carbon frameset.

On top of all that, it is a beauty. This latest design has brought Colnago's C series bang up to date.

Verdict

Stunning looks, build quality and ride characteristics, for a premium price