Classic & Vintage - Help me with my Colnago Competition

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/burgerburger/colnago_1.jpg

First of all roughly what is the vintage of this frame? I was told early 70s. The paint is rough, but like my Olmo, I don't think I can commit to paint this thing. It has nice lugs with the chromed fork lugs being the standout. Well, it is a Colnago...
How should I build this frameset? I only have a Cinelli stem on it right now. I can't exactly afford to do a Campy equipped road bike at this time. Would it be terrible to build this as a fixed gear /single speed while I obtain parts? Did Ofmega make full road bike gruppos?
Thanks!

That paint scheme suggests 80's to me. I'm certainly not a Colnago expert though, so I could be wrong.

I haven't been able to find any info on the Colnago Competition model. so it could well be 1980s. I just wish it weren't quite so beat up. The dropouts are stamped "COLNAGO" btw. Some information is better than no information I guess.

paint job looks a lot like a low end colnago from the mid 1980s, but then so did others at the time... no clear coat over the decals. at that time, colnago were using the world champion rainbow badge headset decals.

any colnago "club" emblems in the lugs, for example the lug from head tube to down tube? the colnago would also have had cable guides passing UNDER the BB, not guided around, AFAIK.
colnago stampedd into the fork corwn as well.

the dropouts with colnago on them probably ended up on a fewe differnt Italian manufacturers at the time. Congao also was making some cheaper versions of bikes then, and Saronni was making bikes with his name from Colnago lugs and in Columbus Aelle tubing. (I have an early one from Saronni that still has the Colnago logos and frame decals though not Ernesto's signature, and has Saronni inlaid in the seat stays and the fork crown... ) i think a fairly definitive sign that it was from the Colnago stable in that period was the presence of two brazed brake cable guides on top of the top tube.

What exactly made you think it's a Colnago (apart from the dropouts)? Hard to tell from the pic, but those lugs don't really look the part and the colourscheme and lettering are unlike any Colnago I've ever seen. One thing's for sure though, whatever it is, it certainly ain't a fake 'nago, because those tend to have too many typical decals and stuff all over the place! Some detail-pics would certainly be helpful (there, beat you to it for once, East Hill!)

Colnago did make a "Competition" but I am not sure if it was a model or a different line altogether. As far as the Saronni badged bikes they weren't built by Saronni they were a Saronni model built by Colnago, they also had a Roger de Vlaeminck model.

Colnago did make a "Competition" but I am not sure if it was a model or a different line altogether. As far as the Saronni badged bikes they weren't built by Saronni they were a Saronni model built by Colnago, they also had a Roger de Vlaeminck model.

These were the ones with eh RdV scroll in the fork crown and on the drop outs? You may know a fellow in North Van who has one... I meet him once, and the story was that the bike was made for Roger but colnago was short on an order and so put that in it... He also had a De rosa or some other brand (i forget) with the RdV in the fork grown...

I've got a 90's 'Competition' (Master with Gilco-tubing) myself. Not sure if they made 'Competition'-models before that?

Here are some links to the Saronni, http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/colnago/03.jpg

And the Roger de V. http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/colnago/08.jpg

Cyclotoine, are you talking about Fritz?

Here's a link to a thread about my Colnago Competition. There's not much info on these frames. All I know about mine is what is in the thread and that it's a cast off from a pro team.

FWIW it's a great ride.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=221687

Here are some links to the Saronni, http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/colnago/03.jpg

And the Roger de V. http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/colnago/08.jpg

Cyclotoine, are you talking about Fritz?

Yeah I didn't know if I should give his name out since I don't know him very well.

I just looked at the link, Thank-you. I only recall Fritz's bike having RdV on the fork crown and drop-outs (and I could be wrong about the drop outs) and it had colnago decals on it rather than the RdV ones in the link. But I am guessing you have seen the bike. It was awesome. I love the way firtz polishes and smooths out everything. I plan on highlighting corky with paint in the same way in the hub flange cutouts, on the chainrings and cranks etc, but I'll be doing it in white so it will be very subtle...

I was wrong about the cable guide: looking over some earlier colnagos from the 70s they also had the cable guide routing the front DR cable to the left and above the BB. and at that time, they also had cable clips to hold the brake cable to the top tube, not braze-ons.

That BB is not equipped with the classic colnago club cut-out that the 70s colnagos had, though, but two slots like my Saronni.

VJP: thanks for the links to the bulgier catalogs, i have seen those before. the Saronni i have has full colnago decals, and a fully chrome fork, and colnago cutouts in the lugs apart from the BB shell. I think mine is 1985. Is that before or after that catalog?

Currently rebuilding the wheels (first set of Ambrosio rims lasted about 200,000 km), so it's in bits at the moment (love winter riding here...NOT) but I'll grab some photos later. or you can see velospace 2743. the original fork is a bit pitted and is waiting for a good time to rechrome it, hence the cheap alternative set up. originally came with Cinelli stem and bars and DiaCompe Aero brakes and levers.