satbuilder 

Hey all,

I'm a new guy here. Nice forum you have.

There's a question I have about an older Colnago Mexico I picked up 5 or so years ago and was wondering if there is a way of dating the bicycle. There don't appear to be any serial numbers at all, anywhere on the frame. The bicycle has older style deals on it, peeling somewhat with the club (or clover) inside the letter C. It has a mix of NR and SR comopnents, but I'm not sure they're all stock. It does have a Colnago headset on it.

Anyway, if anybody out there knows of how to date one of these, could you let me know?

Thanks,

Kurt

el twe

Pics!

TheOtherGuy

Colnago headset says late '70s- early '80s... Need good pictures, as there were many variations...

satbuilder 

Okay. Shots of what I bought 5 or so years ago are on the classic rendezvous site. I can get more pics if necessary. It is a NR/SR mix, nice lugwork, in need of new decals and maybe a new paint job.


kurt

KirkeIsWaiting

Well, pics would help to start.
I've never been much for blind dates.
Other than that...coffee, cocktails, maybe dinner?

TheOtherGuy

Wonderful... and the CR site won't even load for me now...

TheOtherGuy

Hey Kirke; nice feet!

KirkeIsWaiting

thanks dude.
they came with the outfit.

1 Lugnut

While we're on the subject of Colnagos & not to take away from original post but..... can anyone put a date on this Colnago? I got it as a frameset, & I have no idea what year it was made, or how long it was in the shop for sale. I have had for quite awhile. It had some decals (stickers) on it that said "Superissimo". Tubing is Columbus SL, and they're all round.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...goheadtube.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ofrontfull.jpg

Thanks..........

TheOtherGuy

Sure; I'd guess '86-'87... It wants to look something like an earlier Super. Here's one from '88 with the funky retinato paint:
https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalog...8/colnago7.jpg
Nice Cobaltos, BTW. Is that a Croce crank?

TheOtherGuy

Almost makes me want to see the outfit..

1 Lugnut

No, it's a Record. At least, I thought it was. It is an older one. I got 3 of them back then. I was never wild about the Croce Group, especially the bulky looks of the rear derailleur.

Thanks for the reply.....

TheOtherGuy

Nope; not Record... If from the '80s, then Croce or Chorus. Record had the "hidden" 5th bolt. The Croce rear derailleur is easy to spot; it has the external actuating rod. The C-Record rear (early one) is pretty bulky lookin, but I like it.

luker

I have an older Colnago frame that I have puzzled over for months (not enough money to send it to the painter, too many other projects...) The super and the mexico have head lugs with a little point on the side. Older colners also have that same point. The older, 70's vintage, forks have both the clover and the word Colnago on the flats. The clover cutout on the bottom bracket had a slightly pointed base on the older bikes, around 1980 this changed to a flat base on the clover. All of these things would seem to indicate that the one I have is from the '70s. Apparently Colnago messed with shaped tubing for a long time, because this bike has fairly radically shaped chainstays...later ones had simpler profiles, and then they got complicated again in the late '80s. Supers, Mexicos, and Superissimos all had chromed head lugs at various times, with no apparent marketing strategies implied by that. Matter of fact; I have not figured out what the difference is between Supers and Mexicos at all. Some years in the catalogs they look exactly the same, to my untrained eye. I'd like to put this one together to see if I can detect the legendary Colnago ride...maybe later this year.

1 Lugnut

Other Guy...your are correct! I just went and looked. Now that I think back, It is a Chorus. When I first got this frameset, I had built it up w/ Super Record. As a few years went by, the C-Record components came out (I believe), w/ the indexed downtube shifters (7-sp). I was having problems shifting, so, I brought to a mechanic, and he recommended changing the rear derailleur. We put in a Titanium BB, a newer Record derailleur & chain, and I guess the Crankset, and he had it shifting great. Later still, the Ergopower shifters came out and I went w/ those and got some new 8-sp wheels. That's how it appears now.
So as to where the crankset came from...my best guess is that the mechanic had it laying around and I got it from him, or maybe a mail-order co.

satbuilder 

I'll take a look this evening, and try to get some pics up, but that sounds about what is on my Mexico.

Thanks.

Kurt

satbuilder 

Last night I took the wheels off for a good cleaning and found the number 77 stamped on the outboard rr derailleur side dropout, so I guess that answers my question.

Tried posting pics last night but wasn't successful, so I'll try again:

look171

The superissimo is more then likely after 84. To answer you Satbuilder, Is the sticker or deacl a rap-around type with white backround? The earlier ones sometime before 1980 have just the water decals and no white backround and clear coat over them. The Clover on the crown. You (forget who) said that your Mexico has a flat fork crown with the clover stamp. Colnago made that bike after the 1968 olympic in mexico. Then it must be in the mid 70's to late. Colnago and many Italian builders started to change the crown to semi-sloping crown forks in the late 70's.

I am new to this forum. Just started rinding again. Didn't know there's an interest in these old irons. I startred racing in 1983 as a jounior. W/o $$$, all I can do is look at those work of arts in detail at all the local pro shops. than god for summer jubs, I finaly got one. Just reading these post is really bringing back some good old memories. logging off now, I am d0riving to my parents's house to dig out my old Casati from under the basement.

satbuilder 

Back up to show pics..

Picchio Special

This info is not accurate. The important feature in this case is not the clover, but the fact that the clover in the crown is accompanied by "Colnago." This makes the bike post-1975 or so. The "Mexico" has nothing to do with the Olympics, but is a tribute to Merckx's World Hour Record, set in Mexico City on a Colnago in 1972. Colnago used the flat crown into the 1980's, switching to the semi-sloping crown in about 1983. BTW, Colnago didn't even use the clover logo until after Dancelli won Milan San Remo on a Colnago in 1970. Prior to that, it had been many years since an Italian rider had won "La Primavera."

Picchio Special

That "77" doesn't date the bike - those Colnago dropout stamped number are notoriously indecipherable. I do think it's late 70's, based on the graphics and frame details. So it could plausibly be '77, but that would be coincidental vis a vias the dropout stamp. If the scalloped seatstay caps do not say Colnago in them, that would be another clue that the bike is mid-to-late 70's.
BTW, that's a very nice Colnago - those pre-1980 Colnagos are beginning to creap up in value as the earlier ones become more rare, despite the fact that that is a period when Colnago was notoriously experiencing quality control issues as they subed more frames to meet increasing demand.

john bono

Well usually, you start off with flowers.....

satbuilder 

How do you think it got here in the first place?