Colnago have launched their first ever disc brake equipped road bike, the C59 Disc. Based on their popular top end C59 frameset, Colnago say the C59 Disc has been redesigned to accommodate the different loading forces that disc brakes generate on the fork and seat stays.
The C59 Disc will come with Formula-made, Colnago-branded front and rear hydraulic 140mm discs. Alessandro Colango, the manufacturer's marketing and communications director, told BikeRadar that the brakes are based on Formula's R1, but modified for road use. The levers are Formula made and incorporate a hydraulic master cylinder into the leverbody; they also feature electronic shift levers, meant to simply plug-and-play with Shimano's Di2 drivetrain components.
The frame and fork will be compatible with standard brake calipers too. And in keeping with the in house branding, Colnago are fitting it with their own Artemis deep rimmed carbon wheelset, hammering home the point that this is a bike for road racing.
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Video: Colnago C59 Disc
"The bike isn't assembled with a low weight target," said Colnago. "But just for comparison it's more or less 150g heavier than the same model with standard brakeset. The brakeset itself is lighter than the original Shimano Di2 [7900 mechanical rim brake calipers], also without carbon and titanium (that will be in the final version). The rims will be much lighter than the standard set due to the missing braking surface. The frame will be heavier, specially in the fork, and the hubs will be heavier too."
In announcing the new bike, Colnago said that they've "taken a bold step towards the future of road bike evolution" - recognising and no doubt influencing one of the biggest trends in the road bike market at the moment.
The brakes are Formula-made, Colnago branded
Colnago have yet to announce a price for the C59 Disc, but they are expecting worldwide availability in late July or early August.
