The New Colnago C72 Keeps the Heritage, Adds the Tire Clearance You Actually Need

The new Colnago C72 is still handmade in Italy from seven bonded carbon pieces, still looks unmistakably like a C-Series bike, and still costs enough to make you wince. But this time, Colnago added 35mm tire clearance, integrated downtube storage, a new cockpit, and a slightly more relaxed geometry. The result is a bike that keeps the heritage intact while finally acknowledging that fast road riding in 2025 involves wider tires and longer days than it did when the C-Series was born.

I haven't ridden it yet, but the specs that matter are the tire clearance bump (32mm to 35mm), the 30-gram frame weight drop (895g unpainted for size 485), and the higher stack-to-reach ratio compared to the old C68. That last change means you can build the bike into something that feels properly fast without needing a stem spacer stack that screams "I bought this used." The new CC.02 integrated cockpit drops 15 grams and tightens up the hand position in the drops, which matters more than the weight savings if you spend any real time down there.

The lugged construction is still the defining feature here. Colnago builds the frame from seven separate carbon sections joined at visible lugs, a method most brands abandoned years ago in favor of monocoque layups. This time, instead of hiding the joints, Colnago highlights them with small panel gaps, turning what could look like an engineering compromise into a design statement. Whether that reads as "tailored craftsmanship" or "expensive anachronism" depends entirely on whether you care about owning a bike that still gets built with some romance baked into it.

Here's the catch: you're paying a premium for construction method and exclusivity, not outright performance dominance. Colnago caps production at 3,000 frames per year, and pricing starts at £6,299 for the frame kit. Complete builds run £13,299 to £16,299 depending on spec, with a 72-unit La Scala launch edition hitting €22,000. That puts the C72 firmly in "if you have to ask" territory, and you can absolutely find lighter, stiffer, or more aero bikes for less money. What you can't find is a handmade Italian road bike that clears 35mm tires and includes downtube storage without looking like it's trying too hard to be something it's not.

The downtube storage is smarter than expected. It opens via a twist-tab at the bottom of the tube, and the bottle cage lifts away to reveal the compartment. Colnago includes a storage bag with a ratchet wrench, tool kit, CO2 head, and a TPU tube. It's subtle enough to stay out of the way visually, but useful enough that you'll immediately wish more premium road bikes had it. If you're the type who likes the idea of a superbike that can still handle a long, self-supported day without looking like a gravel bike, this is the detail that makes that possible.