Colnago G4-X gravel bike blurs boundaries with road bike aero tech

Colnago has bolstered its gravel bike lineup with a specific gravel race bike, the G4-X, following the release of the C68 Gravel earlier this year.

The new G4-X is said to build on the G3-X, which came out way back in 2019, and brings learnings from the Italian brand's race machine, the V4Rs.

The design features seat tube and head tube junctions similar to those on the race bike of Tadej Pogačar, but has also adopted the CC.01 integrated cockpit as seen on the C68 road bike in a bid to incorporate aero gains on rough terrain.

So how has Colnago made it's new gravel race bike 'more aero'? 

Well the first and most obvious point is the adoption of the CC.01 integrated cockpit, which has been redesigned specifically for gravel riding. Sharing the same shape profile as the road going bar, Colnago has updated the geometry to feature a flared shape for increased control in the drops.

Colnago offers bikes built with either the original road handlebar, or a gravel option.

The seat tube junction may look familiar to you too, and that's because similar tube profiling has been brought across from the brand's V4Rs race bike. 

It's a similar story up at the front of the bike too, with Colnago bringing across a similar looking head tube to the V4Rs.

So what sort of saving do these aerodynamically optimised design choices amount to? Well, we actually have no idea. Colnago hasn't released any data or claims on how much faster the new bike is than the outgoing G3-X in the wind tunnel. But we can assume, thanks to a far more tidy front end, that it should be faster.

The G4-X's geometry remains largely faithful to its predecessor, with subtle tweaks to the front end and chainstays redesigned to accommodate larger tyres. This blend of tradition and innovation, Colnago hopes, will deliver a balanced and responsive ride.

The aforementioned tyre clearance is up 5mm from 40mm to 45mm, which puts it in line with many gravel race bikes on the market, and interestingly, is 3mm more than the C68 gravel's 42mm.

As far as the nerdy details go, mechanics will be happy to note that the G4-X has adopted a T47 threaded bottom bracket, and is compatible with SRAM's universal derailleur hangar. The bike is also designed to support both 1x and 2x drivetrains. On top of that, Colnago says that the frame has clearance for chainrings up to 54t in size, which should surely be enough gear for gravel racers to push.

In terms of pricing, the G4-X offers a range of options to suit various budgets and preferences. Prices start at £4,500 / $4,750 / €4,330 for Shimano GRX builds and extend up to $9,750 / €8,870 for the top-tier SRAM Red eTap AXS XPLR build. However, notably absent from the lineup is a Campagnolo groupset option, a deviation from Colnago's tradition.

Colnago says bikes will be available from the 20th of June this year.