3 Cool Bits of Italian Hardware

Colnago C64

Carbon? Steel? Titanium? It can be hard to choose what kind of frame to get. But truth be told, material choice is only half the equation when it comes to creating a bike frame. How those tubes, regardless of material, come together is everything. More than anything, the Italian frame-building legends like Ernesto Colnago built their legacies on figuring out the perfect geometries for racing bikes. And today that heritage lives on through bikes like the Colnago C64. Made of carbon fiber, a nod to the present, the bike’s profile is thoroughly classic, oozing the influence of Ernesto himself while also incorporating modern innovations. And like those bikes from the early days of Colnago, the C64 is made entirely by hand in Italy, something that’s increasingly rare for carbon fiber in today’s world. Like any Italian brand worth its mettle, Colnago has beautiful standard paint options. But if you want to take things to the next level, the My Sixty4 program lets you pick different colors across different tubes, logos, and more. You’ll have to inquire with Colnago for the exact pricing of your choices, but if you have meticulous taste, this program can satiate your desire for perfection. colnago.com

Pinarello Dogma MyWay

It’s hard, nay impossible, to declare a winner for the best bike in the world. But at the same time, it’s no secret that Pinarello’s Dogma series is a perennial entry on the shortlist. The Dogma has always had great color choices to back up that performance, creating a well-rounded, head-turning package. Now there are more options than ever to find exactly what you want thanks to the Pinarello MyWay program, which allows you to design the exact Dogma F or Dogma F12 frame of your dreams. Thanks to a whopping 27 available colors, three different graphic layouts, three decal types, and two finishes available, you won’t be running into another person with the same Dogma anytime soon. The process of creating the MyWay frames is so involved that Pinarello reserves its most experienced painters for the task, most having over 30 years of experience. Even the decal application process is unique for the MyWay framesets. Premium paint, as you might expect, comes with premium pricing. For the top-end Dogma F, a MyWay frameset with basic options starts at $8,450 and goes up from there. pinarello.com

Cinelli Nemo Tig Disc

Cinelli frames and Columbus steel tubing make a classic pairing, approaching peanut-butter-and-jelly levels of the “it’s just right” factor. But in a modern world dominated by carbon fiber, this pairing is more than a novelty. Cinelli continues to innovate frame designs that take full advantage of the benefits of Columbus’ latest steel tubing, making today’s steel frames better than ever. The Nemo Tig Disc is Cinelli’s latest high-performance road frame. Inspired by the demands of a retired professional cyclist who started working at Cinelli, the Nemo is the steel bike for riders who have only ever known carbon racing frames. Melding the race feel of carbon fiber with the comfortable ride quality that steel is famous for, the Nemo has the best of both worlds. Features like an oversized 44mm downtube, conical CNC’d headtube and a Columbus Futura straight-blade carbon fork leave no doubt that this isn’t your dad’s steel frame. Cinelli makes the Nemo Tig Disc available in a wide variety of colors, allowing you to get exactly what you want. $3,164; cinelli-usa.com