Collaborations

Collaborations

King Leopold of Belgium once called Ernesto Colnago "the Ferrari of bicycles", so it seems inevitable that Colnago's most successful collaboration would be with the great Italian Formula One car maker.

Ernesto Colnago and Enzo Ferrari met in late 1986 to begin a relationship that would lead to a series of ground-breaking bicycles.

The bicycle known simply as 'the Concept' was first. Years - perhaps decades - ahead of its time it had a carbon fiber frame, straight fork, hydraulic brakes and a full-enclosed gear system built into the chainset.

The Concept frame introduced ideas still present in todays EPS including hand-wrapped, high-compaction carbon fiber tubing and lugs moulded under high temperature and pressure.

That frame quickly led to Colnago's first production carbon fiber bicycle, the 1989 C35. A monocoque, or one-piece frame, the heritage of the C35 can be seen in today's CX-1.

The first limited edition bicycle to be badged both Colnago and Ferrari was the CF-1. Only 500 were made and they were bought by top athletes like Carl Lewis and famous actors Robin Williams and Tom Cruise.

None of these bicycles would have been possible without the cooperation of Ferrari, whose Ferrari Engineering division donated a level of enginnering and technical sophistication previously unknown in bicycle design.

Ernesto Colnago remains friends with today's Ferrari head, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and our collaboration continues with the limited edition CF-7, a very special version of the EPS in Ferrari colours.

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