Classic & Vintage - colnago hybrid?!?

so i've got this 20 year old colnago racing frame, attached to it a bunch of dated, worn components. i now live in the city and don't find this bike to be exactly what i need/want. it's collecting dust and since i was thinking of buying a 700c hybrid now i'm thinking maybe i can make my colnago into a city savvy hybrid. am i smoking crack here? does this make any sense to anyone? i'm thinking i can put some straight bars and tougher wheels and tires (maybe cyclocross) and a lot fewer gears. maybe it can even put disk brakes on this thing. now i know this isn't exactly fixed gear talk but at least i'm going in the right direction. whadayathink?

don't..you..dare...

do it, except make it a fixed gear hybrid. it would be difficult and kludgy to do disk brakes, but otherwise i think it's a fantasically demented and sinful idea.

depending on the colnago - you'll very likely have a hard time putting cyclocross tires on the frame. While older frame did typically have more clearance than today's racing frames - 35mm+ would be one issue you'll likely run into.

geometry - a race bred frame can be tamed, but only so much.

risk of thieft - no matter what parts are hanging on it - the name is going to draw attention. For city use - hope you don't leave it anywhere you can't keep an eye on it for any extended length of time.

so i'm sure i'm going to make most of you cringe but i've got this 20 year old colnago racing frame, attached to it a bunch of dated, worn components. i now live in the city and don't find this bike to be exactly what i need/want. it's collecting dust and since i was thinking of buying a 700c hybrid now i'm thinking maybe i can make my colnago into a city savvy hybrid. am i crazy? does this make any sense to anyone? i'm thinking i can put some straight bars and tougher wheels and tires (maybe cyclocross) and a lot fewer gears. whadayathink?

It would not be completely blasphemous to make a flat bar colnago, they are presently manufactured... I saw photos of one displayed at Eurobike 2005.

http://www.cycle-yoshida.com/akibo/colnago/cross/5cambiago.jpg

don't do it

If you wanted disk brakes you'd probably have to weld some tabs onto the frame, in which case I'd have to hunt you down and slap you with a fish. repeatedly. Only real issue with the other stuff is clearance for tires. If it's 20 years old it's probably got more tire clearance than modern racing bikes, but tight clearance makes bike stiffer, which is good for racing, so you probably don't have lots of extra space in there for fenders or balloon tires. You're much better off selling it to someone who wants it as a Colnago and buying a small fleet of city/hybrid bikes.

Why not? Good hybrid frames arent sold in the us (or anywhere?), and hybrids make a lot of sense for some people/situation. Give it an internally geared hub, a rising stem and some riser or flat bars. It will be a lot lighter than the bianchi advantage that I never ride.

don't do it
+1
it's probably steel, it's probably comfortable, so rebuild it as a true roadbike.

swap the bars and tires out for something more beefy, and remove the front derailleur and replace the front ring with a 42 or 44. with a 7/8/9 rear casette, you'll have a decent selection of gears.

the only concern is the paint job. old italian paint flakes like fish food. every time you lock it up, you're going to get a new chip or 10. even if you don't care about killing the paint, it's going to rust prematurely.

The new Colnago hybrids are insanely priced. I imagine they don't sell many.

Why not just sell the frame to someone who'll use it like it deserves and use the money to buy a cheap frame that you don't have to worry about theft as much with?

I say so t for the sake of being different. It won't be the first one converted that I have seen. I think someone on the boards did one from like asia.

you guys are awesome! i love the comments both positive and negative. what can i say, i'm a freak. i don't use the poor thing which seems like a sin. i'm too emotionally attached to sell it and buy something else. yet i would use it every day if i turned it into the lightest, stiffest, fastest city ride around. i think it'll be cool. btw, i hadn't thought that i'd have to do up a set of new braze-ons in order to add disk breaks. that i won't do. i'm not THAT stupid. nor do i want r-dub tracking me down and slapping me with a fish. i like the idea of making it a fixed gear or just losing the front derailleur. the internally geared hub idea is interesting too. the new bike i was looking at is a trek soho. the thing is pretty damn nice.

I've seen a few old Colnago flat bar bikes on the road here in Milan/Monza....they sound a lot like what you are trying to build. Most seem to be older steel frames turned into city bikes (maybe even built that way originally by Colnago??). Pretty cool actually - but then again Colnagos are not exactally exotic around here. I've even seem a Colnago with a *gasp* chainguard!

Standard open pro type wheels and 27mm tires should be robust enough? What about some insane build with 650b wheels and long reach brakes??? Of course using vintage campy parts. Fenders too - could be crazy. Don't sell the bike if you are attached to it. If making it into a city bike will make you use it then go for it.

It is quite usual over in the UK to use a fine old road frame as an everyday , high performance city bike. As long as you have adaquate tyre clearance you will be OK. Some fender eyelets dont hurt.
CX tyres are for CX. Fast city riders need something will less knobbles and harder-wearing rubber. An Armadillo or Schwalbe Marathon is the usual tyre of choice in 28-32mm width.
Its your bike so you can use any components and configuration that suits your needs. Whether you want flat bars and 1x8 transmission or drop bar fixie its your bike to ride.

disk brakes will require a new fork. You need the mounts for the caliper.
If you are lucky, there is a local bike wreaker who can supply you with all the new/old parts you need at a price that justifies rebuilding.

Sell it and get a Trek Soho. *****'s intense...

http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/large/soho_ti.jpg

Edit: The Soho has an eccentric bottom bracket, so it's possible it will allow you to go fixed.

I'm never buying a Colnago again.

you could keep all the old components, then get an old 1"mtb stem and a riser bar to raise you up in the front. if you can find old canti brake levers wthey should work pretty well with your brakes.

if you got smei-horizontal drpouts just get your self a shimano dx cog and some cassette spacers, shorten the chain to fit, and you got yourself a singlespeed. 42x17 would be a good beginner city cruisin gear i think but everyone likes different gearing.

lots of people will look at you in horror if its a really nice frame and advise you against it, but hey if you ain't gonna sell it at least it is being used.

Disc brakes would require a new fork and to have a caliper mount brazed to the rear stays/dropouts. Also, your dropout spacing is probably 126 mm and all the disc hubs I know about are 130 mm (few) or 135mm (most). It's possible but not practical.

See if your fork and rear triangle/seat tube have clearance for larger tires. Racing frames, even 20 years ago, had pretty close clearances and may not accept tires larger than 25 or 28.

As to straight bars, a new stem, thumb shifters, and whatever else you want, they are all possible and maybe quite cheap if your parts boxes or the LBS's bottom drawers are suitably equipped.

I'm never buying a Colnago again.

Relax dude....he can make a city bike that's still OCP worthy ;) (I hate the "hybrid" - it makes me think of low-end treks - ugh).

Check this out:

http://www.ciclistica.it/images/carbitubo-s005.jpg

To the OP, what frame is it? Any pix? If it truly is a "classic" keep it with the road group, but put city worthy rims and tires on it. I don't ever understand the desire for straight bars - a higher stem and drop bars can give you a more upright position and more hand positions.

Naw, you don't want to convert that old nag, if it's a 55 or 56 box it up and send it to me. I might even pay you to take it off your hands.

Al

Blasphemy! The bike gods are not pleased with you.

I'm crying at the thought!

...but if you do it.. good luck and have fun.

BobL bought the same bike I have and converted it to drop bars. I see no problem going the reverse way. Shimano should have some ****fers you can use unless you have downtube ones already. then its just brakes bars and maybe a stem.

Heres an adaptor here to convert to threadless. Then get the stem, you can click my sig link and get a 5 buck set of handlebars on clearance at Flyte.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=119&subcategory=1186&brand=&sku=9755&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Heres what bobl and I have, unfortunately bob doesn't have the conversion pics online still:

http://home.pacbell.net/pneil/ti.airborne.jpg

Theres new MTB's and even a womens hybrid. Guess a few people should sell their Colnagos now that they've commited such horrible acts.

http://home.pacbell.net/pneil/haters.jpg

See the MTB's here

http://www.colnagonews.com/download/CatalogueMTB.pdf

Check to see how wide a tire you can stuff on as it is now.I have been able to fit a 38mm slightly knobby tire on an old Mercian,and an even bigger tire on a Sekai-both late 70's vintage.The wide tire is what makes a city bike.If it was really "racing oriented" you might be stuck with nothing bigger than a 28mm tire.Luck,Charlie
PS A planB might be to put on 26" wheels with long reach BMX brakes(the braking will be roughly 80's vintage-crummy).PlanB1 might be to change out the fork to a fork that will take cantilever or V-brakes.This will give you big tires and good braking with your nice riding steel frame-not a dead,hard riding aluminum frame.It will be lighter than the usual hybrid bike.
Oh,the 26" MTB type wheels will be to allow a wider tire-you should be able to put tires at least 1.75" wide with the increased clearance of the shorter rims.

hybrids make a lot of sense for some people/situation.

:)

Can you repost that in the DC Pirates' thread? :D



Give it an internally geared hub, a rising stem and some riser or flat bars. It will be a lot lighter than the bianchi advantage that I never ride.

+1. I put a Nexus 7 on my Surly 1x1 and it rocks.

Naw, you don't want to convert that old nag, if it's a 55 or 56 box it up and send it to me. I might even pay you to take it off your hands.

Al

D'OH! You beat me to it.

i kind of like that soho.

Colnago sells hybrids

so i've got this 20 year old colnago racing frame, attached to it a bunch of dated, worn components. i now live in the city and don't find this bike to be exactly what i need/want. it's collecting dust and since i was thinking of buying a 700c hybrid now i'm thinking maybe i can make my colnago into a city savvy hybrid. am i smoking crack here? does this make any sense to anyone? i'm thinking i can put some straight bars and tougher wheels and tires (maybe cyclocross) and a lot fewer gears. maybe it can even put disk brakes on this thing. now i know this isn't exactly fixed gear talk but at least i'm going in the right direction. whadayathink?

That would be like burning the Stars and Stripes! :eek:

You're not smoking crack. You're smoking something much better than crack and I wish you'd share because I think this is an awesome idea. Don't listen to the nay-sayers. Build the bike you want, ride it, have a great time, and post a pic of it when it's built. Just don't hack off any braze-ons, that's no good. If it were me, I'd go with a 1x4 deraileur drivetrain with a downtube shifter and an English racer type bar. Something a little upright, but not too wide. You could have a 20-23# hybrid that's tough as nails and fast as hell. It'll be the raddest hybrid in town. Enjoy!

maybe your local ferrari dealer will give you some trade in $$$ toward the purchase of a cf5. Talk about a bike for goofballs. OTOH I see no shame in converting old bike, as long as there isn't any drilling involved, and what everyone else said about rusting, etc.

http://www.brittonbikes.com/colnago-2006/ferrari/06-cf5-main.htm.

Colnago Hybrid= Porshe Cayenne

I even have a one time build Airborne Ti Upright that wasn't a normal model. Only a few around. High end is out there for hybrids.

http://home.pacbell.net/pneil/ti.airborne.jpg

The Soho mentioned is a cool bike. But i'm not keen on the price. I also cannot justify the price when I could do a nice fixed for less. The bars impress me how they hold a u'lock.

You guys act like colnago building/selling a bike other than a road bike is one of the seven signs of the apocolypse. Colnago had been building (or at least putting their name on) flat bar city bikes for years, they have just never been sold in the the USA. At the end of the day Colnago is just a bike company (sorry for the heresey - I can say that I have a Colnago)...if throwing thier name on something other than their "core" product will make them a buck - they'll do it. Think Porche Cayenne or Saab 9-7x.

so i've got this 20 year old colnago racing frame, attached to it a bunch of dated, worn components. i now live in the city and don't find this bike to be exactly what i need/want. it's collecting dust and since i was thinking of buying a 700c hybrid now i'm thinking maybe i can make my colnago into a city savvy hybrid. am i crazy? does this make any sense to anyone? i'm thinking i can put some straight bars and tougher wheels and tires (maybe cyclocross) and a lot fewer gears. maybe it can even put disk brakes on this thing. whadayathink?

Go for it!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/giantcfr1/Various%20Bikes%20Around%20Kyoto/zzkyoto168008.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/giantcfr1/Various%20Bikes%20Around%20Kyoto/zzkyoto168002.jpg

Here are some ideas:
http://www.colnago.co.jp/products/hybrid/index.html

OUCH! ok, that just may have sent me over the edge.

well this has turned into a confusing thread.