New bar, a threaded bottom bracket, and cyclocross heritage create a bike opposed to the heritage-focussed C68 Gravel
(Image credit: Colnago)
Colnago, as storied a bike brand as it gets, has been on a new model spree of late. We’ve been treated to a new all-road version of the C68, and then recently a gravel version, the C68 Gravel, to add off-road capability to the brand’s lugged, made-in-Italy line. Hot on its heels we are now being offered a new model in the brand’s race-oriented line, the G4-X.
This new gravel bike is to replace the existing G3-X, and serve as an off-road counterpart to the Colnago V4Rs road bike, raced by Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates teammates.
The new model aims to suit the needs of the modern gravel racer, offering a balance of performance characteristics, while also drawing from a history of success in cyclocross.
The G4-X is aimed squarely at gravel racing, and cyclocross, too. No mounts on the fork legs to disrupt the airflow. (Image credit: Colnago)
New bar, wider tyres, and a threaded bottom bracket
As is the case with the ongoing evolution of gravel bikes, the headline specs will likely not be a shock. The G4-X embraces the trend towards wider tyres, offering clearance for 45mm tyres, an improvement of 5mm over the outgoing G3-X, and 3mm wider than the C68 Gravel. This figure allows for 6mm of clearance around the tyre radius, so there is scope to go larger, but it is not within manufacturer recommendations.
In another well-established move, the G4-X also features full internal cable routing and ships with a gravelly iteration of Colnago’s cockpit, the CC.01 Wide. This has more flare than the standard CC.01, at 3cm rather than 1cm per side. Customers though are able to spec the new bike with either the Wide or Regular cockpit, and as it has a standard 1 ⅛” steerer it is compatible with aftermarket options.
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The front end has been cleaned up thanks to a new integrated cockpit that's more flared than the road model(Image credit: Colnago)
The top tube mounts are covered with a flush rubber cover. (Image credit: Colnago)
The G3-X featured the usual additional pair of mounts on the top tube for a ‘bento box’ arrangement, and this has been kept for the G4-X, likely in a move designed to satisfy riders at longer races like Unbound. While the G3-X had a pair of mounts under the downtube, these were technically there to hold a small rubber mudguard on to protect the bottom bracket area. This bumper has been ditched, but the pair of mounts remain for reuters wanting to carry an extra bottle, or a tool caddy.
Speaking of the bottom bracket area, the Italian brand has also moved with the industry trend, particularly in the gravel sector, back towards threaded bottom brackets due to their widely-accepted reliability improvements and lower susceptibility to creaking. In this case, it’s the larger T47 standard, rather than the smaller BSA option.
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Finally, the seatpost clamp area has been bolstered, allowing riders to tighten the post with greater torque in an effort to combat any slippage over rough ground.
The seat clamp area has been reinforced to allow tighter clamping to stave off any seatpost slippage (Image credit: Colnago)
Geometry, specs, and pricing
The G4-X is available in five sizes, from 45 up to 57. In comparison to the C68 Gravel, the G4X is shorter, both in the chainstay length and in the front, resulting in a shorter wheelbase. This is combined with a steeper headtube angle to create what Colnago says is a bike that is “suitable for an aggressive riding style”. It is also slightly shorter in the wheelbase than the G3-X, but with a marginally steeper head angle and longer reach.
While the model will be seen under Colnago-sponsored athletes from today, it won’t be available to the public until June 20th, in five configurations; three featuring SRAM groupsets, and two featuring Shimano.
From the range topping-ist to the more entry-level (if such a thing can ever be said of a Colnago), the pricing is as follows.
Sram Red XPLR w/ Zipp 303S $9,750 / €8,870 / £N/A
Sram Force XPLR w/ Fulcrum Rapid Red 500 DB $6,250 / €5,710 / £N/A
Sram Rival w/ Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 DB $5,250 / €4,830 / £N/A
Shimano GRX 2x w/ Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 DB $4,750 / €4,330 / £4,500
Shimano GRX 1x w/ Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 DB $4,750 / €4,330 / £4,500
Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
