Colnago might have utterly dominated the WorldTour during the 2020s with Tadej Pogačar and the UAE teams, but the Italian brand has been uncharacteristically quiet in the velodrome of late. The new Colnago T1Rs aims to change all that. Borrowing tube shapes, engineering and design language from both the Y1Rs aero road bike and the TT1 time trial bike, it is claimed to be the “most aerodynamic bike ever created by Colnago”.
Colnago does of course have plenty of pedigree on the track: Eddy Merckx’s legendary 1972 Hour record was achieved on a custom sub-6kg bike masterminded by Ernesto Colnago; the super-strong USSR team used the curvy Colnago Master Pursuit Pistas during the 1980s and then in 1994 Tony Rominger brought the Hour record back to Cambiago on a specially designed Colnago Oval CX, which from the side was deceptively traditional with its straight steel tubes – at least compared to the Pinarello Espada monocoque of Miguel Indurain, whose record he broke – but it had a frontal area so narrow that it almost disappeared.
After a world individual pursuit title won by a young Filippo Ganna on a Colnago K.One in 2018, you might think Colnago itself has also almost disappeared from elite track competition – and in the meantime we’ve seen the rise of radical track bikes such as Team GB’s Hope-Lotus, with its wide fork and seatstays, and Japan’s Toray Carbon Magic bike with its left-hand drivetrain. Germany’s latest FES bike also uses a wide-stance fork and the Canyon Speedmax CFR Track, ridden by Denmark and USA, has a bridge-like seatstay design that cleans the airflow over the top of the rear wheel. So can the T1Rs catapult Colnago back to the sharp end? Can its blueprint for road success do the trick on the track?
Colnago calls the T1Rs “the perfect fusion of aerodynamic refinement and mechanical precision” and explains how the headset and fork construction mirror that of the TT1 road time trial bike, while the rear triangle inherits the stiffness and efficiency of the Y1Rs. The four fundamental areas that the R&D team focused on were aerodynamics, stiffness, versatility (across the different track disciplines) and geometry. At face value, although clearly meticulous and data led, Colnago’s solution is arguably not as radical as those above.
Aerodynamics first. Colnago says the T1Rs frame was optimised to perform best at speeds over 60kph at the very low yaw angles of the velodrome. The tubes are visibly much deeper than those of the Y1Rs, almost filling in the impression of a split seat tube. There are ultra-aero dropouts for narrow hubs – 65mm in the front and 100mm at the rear. The dual-crown fork and integrated stem are designed to smooth airflow at the leading edge, as well as enhancing front-end torsional stiffness. Colnago says the narrower rear hub – the standard track spacing is 120mm at the rear – contributes to lateral stiffness and allows a reduced Q-factor measurement. This, it claims, enables optimised pedalling as well as aerodynamic efficiency.
The frame deploys a track-specific carbon layup, which Colnago says utilises high-strength, high-modulus fibres. Internal rib structures are strategically integrated to ensure optimal stiffness in the narrow aerodynamic tube profiles. The reinforcement structures are worked into the seatpost, bottom bracket and fork crown areas, and are accomplished via PP (polypropylene) mandrels during the carbon layup process, according to Colnago. This method improves carbon fibre manufacturing precision and allows greater stiffness to be built in without adding excess weight.
In terms of versatility, the T1Rs can be configured with a sprint/endurance or pursuit setup using Colnago’s specifically developed stem for the former – compatible with standard 31.8mm drop bars – and integrated TT/pursuit cockpit for the latter. The stem comes in 125mm, 150mm, and 175mm lengths all with a 6.5° angle, and can be fine-tuned with up to four 5mm stackable spacers. The stem measurement is of course taken from further behind the standard steerer tube centre. The TT/pursuit setup features a monocoque carbon stem and base bar unit which is 380mm wide. The aero extensions come with spacers to optimise forearm height.
The T1Rs comes in three sizes, with steep geometry and low stack as you’d expect of a bike designed to be used for the pursuit as well as the scratch race. It will be available as a framekit in the TL1X livery in these photos at an SRP of 6,500€. The framekit includes frame, fork, seatpost, saddleclamp, small parts. The bar kits are sold separately and specific Colnago wheels are not required. Those hub dimensions are available from Campagnolo and Miche.
So will the T1Rs be competitive against the more extreme track bike we’ve seen developed for national federations to use at the Olympic games? Colnago didn’t publish the results of competitor testing in its white paper, but we asked if Colnago had tested a wide-stance fork/stay design. Head of R&D Davide Fumagalli told Rouleur: "Yes, we did. We couldn’t see a solution that was clearly better than the other in terms of pure aerodynamic performance, either with or without the rider – they’re simply two different approaches to the same problem. So we analysed the pros and cons of each solution and, aside from the new UCI regulations that will also have an impact, we found the narrow one to be structurally slightly better. As a result, the bike’s dynamic response leaned towards the narrow option."
We also asked whether there were plans for Colnago to supply a national federation again, and Colnago's Gabriele Sartori said: "Some federations approached us and we received a lot of curiosity around this bike. We are very open to start conversations and provide materials for testing. We are confident that T1Rs has all it needs to become the fastest bike at Los Angeles 2028 Games." Pinarello is the partner of the Italian team but, as we’ve seen with Canyon and Team USA, the nationalities of team and bike brand don’t necessarily have to align.
The bike will make its debut at the UCI London 3 Day on Friday October 31 and will be ridden by Ben Wiggins, Roger Kluge, Romy Kasper, Franziska Brausse and Josh Charlton.
For all the details visit Colnago’s website.
