A History of Colnago Bicycles
No one could have realised the impact Ernesto Colnago was to have on the design and production of road racing bicycles back when he was a boy on his parent's farm in Cambiago, Northern Italy during the 1940's.
Turning his back on continuing the family's farming traditions he went to work in a local small bicycle factory which he then turned into a shop where he could service the local's bicycles.
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Like many young Italian men at that time Ernesto Colnago had dreams of becoming a professional bike racer and enjoyed some success until a particularly bad accident scuppered his dream leaving him with a broken leg. At this point he chose to focus solely on bicycle components and mechanics and joined a racing team as a mechanic. The team enjoyed success and rose to prominence when the famous Eddy Merckx joined - infact it is one of the most iconic teams of its time and one most afficianados of cycle sport have heard of - the mighty Molteni squad.
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 WALLONIE COLNAGO LOTTO 2011 TEAM BIB SHORTS L 4 US $129.99 |
 COLNAGO HORSE TEAM BIKE CYCLING JERSEY SHORTS S 3XL US $39.99 |
 Cycling bib shorts logo Colnago WhiteSize M US $32.00 |
 Cycling bib shorts logo Colnago WhiteSize L US $32.00 |
 Cycling bib shorts logo Colnago WhiteSize XL US $32.00 |
 WALLONIE COLNAGO LOTTO 2011 TEAM BIB SHORTS 2XL 6 US $129.99 |
 WALLONIE COLNAGO LOTTO 2011 TEAM BIB SHORTS XL 5 US $129.99 |
 NEW ORIGINAL COLNAGO CYCLING BIKE SHORTS BIB KNICKS PANTS M US $63.32 |
 NEW ORIGINAL COLNAGO CYCLING BIKE SHORTS BIB KNICKS PANTS S US $63.32 |
 Mint Rare Vintage Carrera Cycling Kit Jersey and Bib Shorts Campagnolo Colnago US $145.00 |
Ernesto Colnago didn't just service the bikes for Molteni, he started making the frames as well. Originally they were painted in the colours of the team and had the team branding on them but eventually people were clamouring to find out who was making the frames that Eddy Merckx was riding and winning aboard.
With Eddy's compulsive attention to detail and Ernesto's engineering genius an awesome partnership grew - Eddy could tell Ernesto exactly what he needed from a frame in order to be the most successful cyclist that ever raced meaning Ernesto could build it exactly to his specifications and would in turn go on to develop one of the most prestiguous bike brands.
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 rare COLNAGO America velvet style shirt jersey Limited US $500.00 |
 COLNAGO T SHIRT cycling wear bike clothing XXL US $15.00 |
 COLNAGO T SHIRT cycling wear bike clothing LRG US $15.00 |
 RABOBANK AGU BIKE GEAR COLNAGO CYCLING SHIRT JERSEY TOP 44 INCH SIZE 5 US $15.80 |
 COLNAGO T SHIRT cycling wear bike clothing XL US $15.00 |
 COLNAGO T SHIRT cycling wear bike clothing SM US $15.00 |
 COLNAGO T SHIRT cycling wear bike clothing MED US $15.00 |
 Vintage Classic Colnago Logo Decal T Shirt Italian Cycling US $17.99 |
 Vintage Classic Colnago Logo Decal T Shirt US $15.99 |
 COLNAGO KIMI RED HORSE CYCLING JERSEY RACING BIKE SHIRT US $32.95 |
 NWT COLNAGO SACLA RED TEAM CYCLING JERSEY BICYCLE BIKE SHIRT RACING size S 3XL US $32.95 |
Look out for a future article on the Colnago frames that have been ridden at the very highest levels of the sport
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