Tech News – August 29, 2003

Edited by Paul Mirtschin

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No puns about how many we see
Photo: © Cyclingnews

Colnago's new C-50

By Tim Maloney at Eurobike

Colnago's long awaited C-50 was officially unveiled at Eurobike and The Great Ernesto's latest is something special. Captured here in the grey and silver PR4 colour, The Wizard Of Cambiago has updated his top of the line carbon fibre model.

Created in a new, lighter high-modulus carbon fibre, the C-50 has an 1.125 inch headtube and headset, plus a revised, lighter Star fork; however the bike does not come with an integrated headset. Colnago's Isia Spinelli told Cyclingnews, "Ernesto wanted to update the C-40 and he started by revising the enlarging the tubes and took the original HP chain stays and by adopting the original shape of the Colnago Master, as well as making the High Power stays more rounded, with a softer shape."

Light and wow! Ask Trek how...

Superlight superbike
Photo: © Cyclingnews

The 2004 Trek 5900 Superlight was Lance's special mountain rig at the 2003 Tour and now the public can purchase this almost obscenely light bike.

According to Trek, in Lance's 58cm size, the '04 Trek 5900 Superlight frame weighs in at 1000 grams for the frame and 339g for Keith Bontrager's Race Triple X Light fork, for a total reported frame weight of 1339 grams! (2.95lbs)

The 151 gram savings over the '03 Trek 5900 Superlight was achieved by manipulating the carbon fibre OCLV lugs and tubes but not compromising the stiffness of the 5900 frame.

Climb every mountain
Photo: © Cyclingnews

Trek's street-legal version of the Madone 5.9, aka Lance Armstrong's Tour 2003 rig, is becoming known as Trek's " fastest, most streamlined frame ever", and the Wisconsin outfit has reason to brag about its newest wind-tunnel crafted OCLV creation.

Named for Lance Armstrong's training climb in France, the Col de la Madone, the bike has aerodynamic top and down tubes, a cool notched, contoured seat tube and new "A-Stay" fastback seat stays.

The Madone 5.9 represents Trek's greatest achievement to date in road bike design, and epitomizes the American firm's drive to create a bike that is perfectly matched to Armstrong's drive to win the Tour de France year after year. According to Trek, the weight of the new Madone frame (58 cm size with fork) is 1439 grams, 51 grams less than the 2003 5900 Superlight model.

Cyclingnews will be bringing you more from Eurobike over the next few days.

Photos

Images by Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews

• Colnago's long awaited C-50
• Looking down the barrel
• Trek's new Madone; named after a little hill
• So light it needs a cape and red underwear