Colnago launched a brand new track bike called the T1Rs today, which it claims is the fastest in its range. Based on that statement, this is, in theory, the fastest bike Colnago has ever made.
It represents Colnago's re-entry to the world of track racing, and I headed to the London Olympic Velodrome for a look at the bike ahead of the London Three Day track event, where it will see action for the first time.
The velodrome lay silent, though it was clear the venue was gearing up for a big weekend, and I was able to take some shots of the bike on the home straight in front of the empty main stand.
Read our new Colnago track bike news story for all of the details on the new bike, but here we're going to take a simpler, more visual approach. There are some interesting details, such as a new custom Campagnolo front hub to accommodate the narrow fork legs, a chainstay 'bulge' to help internal frame airflow, and custom Colnago badged cranks.
Colnago has a rich history in the world of track racing, albeit one that has waned in recent years, but it looks like a new chapter is about to be written.
The Colnago stem fits round 31.8mm bars, opening up a range of options, these are Vision Metron track bars
The dual fork crown layout from the Y1Rs is present, but internally, the bolts are all steel, and they aren't light; weight doesn't matter here, strength and stiffness do.
Colnago is back on the track, these are the latest carbon version of the legendary Campagnolo Pista wheels
The forks have a 65mm front width, the wheel is installed with two hex bolts, and then the front hub bearing preload is set
I'm willing to bet the Campagnolo Cult ceramic bearings with custom set minimal preload are going to spin for an eternity
Aero fork blades, and the dropout hardware is steel. No 15mm track nuts here
That front end is narrow, and that is one of the themes of the bike
There's an asymmetrical T47 bottom bracket; those aren't actually Colnago cranks, but branded Raketa track cranks from the Czech Republic
UCI approved! And the bottom bracket area is huge
There's clearance for 28mm tyres, these are very expensive Vittoria Pista Oro track tyres
The chainstays are really wide, as stiffness has been a huge factor here. But they're not to the level of the Hope HB.T, which will be deemed illegal from 2027
Track nuts at the rear on the 100mm rear end, and it's steel hardware again. At the moment, it's Campagnolo only when it comes to wheels, but Miche is also producing compatible wheels
This 'bulge' is said to aid airflow passing over the inside of the chainstays
The seatpost area isn't as divisive as the Y1Rs model; the Colnago mechanic stopped me to raise the seatpost height so it would look better, which I can only respect
