Hot, Pricey Italian Wheels: The Colnago C68 Gravel

Jason Mitchell

February 1

Colnago's panache speaks for itself. With a list of palmares a mile deep and a brand steeped in Italian racing heritage, the C68 lineup is complete with the all-new C68 Gravel. Their G3-X has been piloted by many gravel racers now for several years -- including Nathan Haas -- but the new C68 Gravel takes that to an entirely different (Italian-made) level. All carbon frames are handmade from a layup schedule, but Colnago's engineering and assembly team are renowned at delivering their trademark look, style and ride character.

Rounding out the new C68 lineup, the C68 Gravel is made using Colnago's classic lugged look, but in a monocoque design. Each tube shape and design is optimized for gravel performance and offers a higher stack/reach than the C68 Road while still maintaining an aggressive riding position. Gravel bikes can take a beating, but it's hard to swallow taking a Colnago into rough-and-tumble gravel roads. Still, it's built to take that kind of abuse, so bring it on.

Cable routing is entirely internal, so electronic drivetrains are preferred, but it does accept mechanical kits. Tire clearance is 42mm, which is inline with comparable gravel bikes. Pricing is as you would expect, with framesets starting at $7,100 USD and complete builds ranging from $7,999 to $13,199.