In 2021, Harrison Ford cycled 1,600 km across the Mexican desert on a Colnago. An Indiana Jones-style feat that speaks volumes about this Made in Italy road bike brand, which has revolutionised cycling worldwide.
Starting out as a small artisan workshop in Brianza, the Cambiago-based company has, over the years, become one of the world’s most prestigious racing bicycle brands, having helped write pages of sporting history alongside the greatest champions in international cycling.
Ernesto Colnago and the birth of a dream
At the age of thirteen, Ernesto Colnago, born in 1932, falsified his personal data so that he could work as a welder at the Gloria bicycle factory in Milan. He also began racing on a bicycle, but a fall forced him to give up competitive cycling. In 1954, Ernesto opened a small workshop in Combiago, in the province of Milan, but the turning point came in 1955, when he solved a technical problem with Fiorenzo Magni’s bicycle. Magni, impressed by the young mechanic’s expertise, wanted him to accompany him on the Giro d’Italia: this marked the beginning of Colnago’s association with the world of professional cycling.
Two years later, in 1957, the bicycle built by Colnago took Gastone Nencini to victory in the Giro d’Italia — that same year, Ernesto introduced cold-forming of fork legs, one of the brand’s first technical innovations.
In 1969, another major technical breakthrough took place with the introduction of precision casting joints, which were far more durable than those used up to that point.
Colnago and the champions: from Merckx to Saronni
The company’s reputation grew rapidly thanks to its collaboration with leading professional cyclists, starting with Eddy Merckx, who helped make Colnago famous worldwide. The Belgian champion, nicknamed ‘the Cannibal’, won some of the most important races of his era, partly thanks to bicycles prepared with the meticulous care typical of the Cambiago workshop. One of the most significant moments came in 1972, when Eddy Merckx set the hour record on a special Colnago bicycle, designed to maximise lightness and aerodynamic efficiency.
In the years that followed, the brand sponsored other champions, such as Gianni Motta and Giuseppe Saronni, as well as several professional teams.
The logo that made history: the ace of clubs
The Colnago logo hasn’t always looked like it does today. Initially, the logo was a shield featuring an eagle, an arrow and the colours of the rainbow. It was not until 1970, following Michele Dancelli’s victory in the Milan–Sanremo, that – on the advice of his friend, the journalist Bruno Raschi – the famous club ace first appeared on the frames built in Cambiago, and from that moment on it became Colnago’s distinctive trademark throughout the world.
Carbon fibre and the partnership with Ferrari
Among the most significant innovations introduced by Ernesto Colnago, the use of carbon fibre in the world of competitive cycling undoubtedly stands out – an insight that revolutionised the construction of racing frames and led the company to forge prestigious partnerships, foremost among them its thirty-year collaboration with Ferrari. In 1989, this partnership produced the C35, a frame created to mark the company’s 35th anniversary, available in both road and mountain bike versions.
In 1995, the first bicycle made entirely of carbon fibre rolled off the production line at the Cambiago factory – a technological milestone that further cemented Colnago’s reputation as a centre of innovation for Made in Italy in the world of sport.
2020: new ownership and the Pogačar era
In 2020, Ernesto Colnago sold a majority stake in the company to Chimera Investments LLC. That very same year, the young Slovenian champion Tadej Pogačar won the Tour de France riding a Colnago bicycle, heralding a new chapter of sporting success for the Cambiago-based brand.
Today, Colnago – with a turnover of 28 million and hundreds of employees – is part of the Chimera Investments Group. The company exports its products to over forty countries worldwide, serving as a true ambassador for Made in Italy.
Well done to those who bring Italy’s genius to the world!
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