Team bikes coming out of the woodwork today..
When Ernesto released the Colnago C40 he started a revolution.
Before, carbon fibre has been seen as the future of cycling and there have been loads of experiments going on since the 1970s. But to that point no carbon fibre bike proved so safe and light at the same time, that it was suitable as a professional team bike. Well constructed enough to equally compete in the mountains and the classics of Flanders.
1994, to celebrate the company’s 40th birthday, the C40 was first presented to the public. A construction of profiled carbon fibre tubes, fitted together by well proportioned carbon fibre lugs and steered with a high tech steel fork.
And it became available in an unbelievable amount of paint schemes. All paintjobs were carried out by hand and found the company some extra fame.
However, the frame had yet to prove that it was capable of being a threat to the aluminium and steel bikes in the hard races pro teams have to attend.
Ernesto outfitted the Team Mapei as the first squad to race his prestigieous machine. They proved that the bike was capable of coping with the roughest conditions. And how they did!
Mapei’s Franco Ballerini won the 1995 Paris-Roubaix and suddenly everybody was aware of the fact that the demise of Aluminium frames might have begun. The next year ultimately made the frame a legend, when Johan Museeuw, Andrea Tafi and Gianluca Bortolami crossed the line at the Roubaix velodrome as first second and third of the race.
And as if this would not be phenomenal enough, the team Mapei repeated the triple in 1998 and 1999. In that last year the winner was Andrea Tafi, an extremely strong rider and specialist for one day races.
By the end of his career, Tafi had been the Italian champion and won Paris Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour of Lombardy.
Here we are proud to present to you a bike of this champion. One of his original Team Mapei Colnago C40. And the best: It has his 1999 paint scheme. We kept the bike as originally as possible and basically just cleaned it. Some minor changes seem to have happened to the bike since 1999 like a swap of the saddle and stem. But in general the bike and the way it is built up seem very sound.
This is a paticularly rare opportunity to get hold of one of those mapei team bikes. If you are a collector, an admirer of the Mapei team or if you just want to try if you can push that 53-11 transition as hard as Tafi – here is your unique chance.
Size
62
Seat Tube
62
Top Tube
57
Head Tube
16
Standover
82
Configuration
Frame & Fork
Colnago C40, Carbon fibre, Columbus fork.
Front Derailleur
Shimano Dura Ace
Rear Derailleur
Shimano Dura Ace
Headset
Shimano Dura Ace
Crankset
Shimano Dura Ace
Bottom Bracket
Shimano
Stem
Ritchey; 130mm
Stem Bar
Ritchey; 42cm
Shifters
Shimano Dura Ace
Brakes
Shimano Dura Ace
Brake Levers
Shimano Dura Ace
Hubs
Shimano Dura Ace; 11-21
Rims
FiR Isidis; 700c tubular
Tires
Veloflex Criterium tubulars
Seat Post
Selcof
Seat
Colnago carbon fibre (Selle Bassano Italy)
Chain
NOS chain
Handlebar Tape
Deda
Pedals
Shimano PD 6600
