TDU 2017 Tech: Diego Ulissi’s UAE Abu Dhabi Colnago C60

The UAE (United Arab Emirates) Abu Dhabi team was the 18th and last squad to secure a UCI WorldTour licence on December 20, 2016. The fact the team has lined up at the Tour Down Under less than a month later is a miracle in itself, but also a testament to the confidence and resourcefulness of the team. General manager Giuseppe Saronni with the help of Mauro Gianetti secured UAE backing in just 10 days after original Chinese funding failed to materialize, with principal funder Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri now President of the new team. He hopes their presence will boost the profile of cycling and healthy lifestyles in the UAE and help inspire a new generation of Emirates riders.

The team’s Colnago C60 carbon bikes are proudly handmade in Italy and feature Colnago’s distinctive star-shaped tubes & lugs, a design began with the brand’s steel Master steel frames. This C60 is assigned to Diego Ulissi, a professional who had his start at Lampre-Farnese Vini in 2010. Diego is an all-rounder, but also one of only two riders to ever win the Junior World Championships in consecutive years – 2006 & 2007. Click through to get up close with Diego Ulissi’s UAE Abu Dhabi Colnago C60…

An Italian Rider aboard a predominantly all-Italian bike.

All of UAE’s team bikes are equipped with Campagnolo’s flagship electronic groupset – Campagnolo Super Record EPS.

Italian flare continues with the Deda cockpit parts. However, the high-mounted Garmin computer mount seems a little out of place on this machine.

There is little room for height adjustment with Diego being a member of the #slamthatstem movement. Just a single headset spacer above the Deda Zero 100 stem gives a secure grip on the carbon steerer.

Campagnolo’s DTI v3 unit is the communication center behind the Campagnolo EPS system, letting mechanics (& riders) manage settings, track usage & update firmware wirelessly, while also allowing riders to see EPS gearing and usage data on their paired cycling computers. The C60 also features Colnago’s patented, semi-integrated headset.

No more straight steerer tubes – a tapered 1 1/8″ to 1 1/4″ carbon steerer for the C60 fork.

The C60 frame supports mechanical and electronic wired drivetrains, as evidenced by the empty port on the driveside of the headtube lug.

The Colnago C60 resembles the look of older Colnago C50 and C40 frames, but frame tubing diameter is much larger, along with thinner tubing walls. The top, seat, and down tubes are all square star-shaped tubes that are each wider than they are tall. They also change in size over the course of their lengths, getting bigger towards the bottom bracket as the top tube gets smaller toward the seat tube. Inside, the tubes get structural ribs, which Colnago says boosts overall frame stiffness.

The lugs themselves are also larger, stiffer, and shaped to match the new tube shapes.

The lugged construction technique used for the C60 offers an unprecedented range of sizes, with custom sizing also an option.

The German-made Power2Max Type S  spider with Campy carbon arms and standard 4-bolt rings is the power metering equipment of choice for the team. Campagnolo’s 145/112mm bolt pattern enables one crankset / power meter for compact (50-34), mid-compact (52/36) and standard chainrings (53/39), with Diego Ulissi going with the road standard 53/39 here.

170mm cranks for Diego, and CULT bearings.

French-made Look Keo Blade Carbon pedals put the power down.

Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS front derailleur handles the duties of shifting the front chainrings.

A Campagnolo-branded chain catcher prevents the chain from dropping off the small chainring.

Colnago created Threadfit82.5 for the C60. In a nutshell, these are threaded, replaceable sleeves that fit a BB86 bottom bracket into the Colnago bottom bracket shell. The bottom bracket rolls on Campagnolo’s smooth CULT (Ceramic Ultimate Level Technology) bearings.

Colnago took the liberty of redesigning the rear dropouts on the C60 to reduce weight and achieve greater lateral stiffness. They are still constructed from aluminum for durability, but this time around they are CNC-machined. They also stick with a replaceable derailleur hanger to guard against frame damage in the event of a nasty crash.

Campagnolo’s groupsets, mechanical or electronic are gorgeous – only the best for UAE Abu Dhabi.

Campagnolo’s Bora Ultra 35 tubular wheelset provide a fast rolling, all-around wheel platform, but are a relatively low profile from the deeper wheels that dominate the pro peloton.

CULT ceramic bearings at the center of those Bora wheels.

Vittoria’s Graphene-infused Corsa 700c x 25mm tubular tire has made inroads to the professional peloton for the 2017 season.

No aero brakes for the C60, just standard Campagnolo Super Record skeleton brakes. This view also shows off the distinctive siped tread pattern of the Vittoria Corsa tires.

Colnago eschew unique seatpost sizes such as 28.0 and choose the recognized 31.6mm standard.

Diego sits upon a Selle Italia SLR Team Edition saddle.

Elite Custom RacePlus bottle cages.

Colnago Bikes

Article and photos by Gravel Cyclist. Jayson O’Mahoney is the Gravel Cyclist: A website about the Gravel Cycling Experience.