Colnago?
 

Hello again people!

I found a possible Colnago vintage bike over the web. The seller sent me some bad photos but you can still observe some details. The shifters and pedals have been changed and the tires too. The rest seems intact.
He asks around 100 euros for it.
Should I risk it and have him send it to me? Is it a bargain?

Thank you in advance,

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e38f6958f.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d8875188f.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...709ea5b66.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...01c12f783.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee9d94f44.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...70fb028eb.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a3ef2a108.jpeg

Clover cutouts on down-tube lug and fork crown look legit as do rear dropouts. Any way to see underside of bottom bracket?

I agree, the bike looks like it is probably "legit".

Early 70's Colnago Super.

A straight side-shot photo would be nice.

The Rear Derailleur, Front Derailleur, cranks, and hubs, and headset all look like they may be originals.

The shifters, handlebars, and brake levers are all probably not original.

That era of bike may or may not have had shifter braze-ons or top tube cable guide braze-ons.

Lots of paint chips, but I can't tell if it has any dents from the photos, or what it would take to work them out.

$300 to $400 might be a good price for all involved. Higher is more in the seller's market. Lower is more in the buyer's market.

100 Euros? That's around $112?

Buy it. There are more than a $100 worth of parts on that bike. The bike and parts are filthy but they will clean up.

Oh, I missed the 100 Euros. I was concentrating on the photos.

The frame will sell on E-Bay for around $300 - $400 + shipping, even in fairly rough shape. Especially for the early 70's models.

Crankset, derailleurs, bottom bracket, headset, brakes, and hubs, and you have another $300 or so.

You don't have it in your garage or basement already?

Hmmm...
Packing Tape is a nice touch... :thumb:

I am curious if THAT bike has Downtube water bottle boss braze-ons. :foo: That could be a mess to deal with, but if you are planning to repaint, you can deal with the bottle bosses at the same time.

BTW:

If you do pass on it, and the seller is willing to ship... PayPal?

Then let me know and I may well put an offer on it, although it does appear to be a bit small for my needs. :)

Brazed on bosses no surprise with the transfer set.
The only curious item is the lower seat tube band applied too low, covered up by the front mechanism with a "normal" sized chainring 52-53t.
Led a hard knock life.
My favorite color. Best guess, 1973.
Took me a long time to find one. In the que to get full Super Record, save for the bottom bracket.

Limits...
 

There are limits to what any bike should have to put up with. Someone crossed that line a long time ago. For mercy's sake, buy the bike.It's a Colnago. Is it rideable? From the pictures, who knows. Buy the bike anyway. You won't lose. You may have a very special score. I would buy it with no more information than those pictures, and hope for the best. Worst case, sell the parts, you won't be a loser. Good case, you have a pre-74 f"$&ing Colnago to restore. Make a few bucks- I'll buy it for $250 including shipping to NY right now. (I would not sell it to me if I were you.) There's only upside here. Cheers, Eric

I would guess this to be a 1972-74 Colnago Super. IF the front derailleurs is original, it dates from 1972-77 as it has the circlip but no CPSC lip. The wreath decal on the downtube was used from 1971-74. Of those years. only the 74 had brazed on shifter bosses, so this "may" narrow it down to 72-73. Check the dates on the top of the rear derailleur and the inside of the crankarms, as these may give more clues to the year.

The drillium chainring is original to the bike. The Clover-like design at each chainring bolt is typical of early Colnagos before pantographing.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d38f446639.jpg

Fer cryin' out loud, call the seller, offer €80, accept €90 and go get it.

Why lowball the seller?

If we all agree the asking price is generally low, even with shipping (not quite sure from where, to where), then just accept the asking price of 100 Euros. Toss in a tip?

Not meant as a lowball offer, just standard operating procedure, and what the seller would expect from a serious buyer. And FWIW, €100 is what I'd pay for that without more information.

What CK said. :thumb:

Hi,

Also guess that for that price you can't be fooled, except if the frame would be torn / twisted (fall) or the group is totally messed up.
As from the pics it looks just very dirty but still ok.
Some parts -as mentioned before- are not original anymore, but still enough real vintage left.

Is that a Shimano Positron shifter?
 

What in the name of all that is sacred has someone done to that poor bike? Rescue it. Then contact the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to report bike trafficking of the cruelest kind...

Some small dents are possible.

Major damage would be a pain. It may be repairable, but wold be a significant hassle.

It might depend a bit on the shipping cost, added to the purchase price. However, even a badly damaged frame may have some residual resale value.

I wouldn't count on the handlebars, brake levers, and shift levers being worth much, but the rest of the groupset should have some value, depending on the actual wear.

It does look well used, but not necessarily used up. But, all that MUD? The question is how abused stuff is. Scratches? Lack of maintenance?

What I replied to CK. ;)

I hope it is mud that it was ridden through rather than concrete...

Sorry for the late response guys!

Unfortunately I did not get it. The seller was dubious at least! I think he was going for a scam.

Thank you all for the information and advices!! You're great!


Live long and prosper,

Hmmm... That is the kind of bike one might expect a good deal on. Battered, abused, and dirty, with quite a few mismatched parts. Although much of the dirt on that bike looks fresh (with old grime around the rear dropouts and rims).

It can be tough to judge people by e-mail alone.

You're right and for that price, I would have risked it.
The thing that smelled scam was that he wanted the money first and only then he'll send the bike. When I tried reasoning with him about the trading rules and methods, his voice became snappy and so on.

E-Bay is almost always pay before shipment.

Craigslist is usually pay at pickup, and many sellers simply ignore out of town buyers. Those that do ship usually expect payment in advance.

Even on BikeForums, I usually pay in advance.

PayPal has two payment methods.
Business, and Friends & Family.

Friends & Family is free for direct bank withdrawals and no exchanges. But, they provide no purchaser protection.

Commercial costs a minimum of about 3%, but you get some amount of purchaser protection (you have to decide who pays the fees).

There are, of course, Craigslist scams. In part because a person can be flagged 1000 times, and never actually blocked from reposting.

The biggest issue with Craigslist are sellers that intentionally obscure their location. Not those that post in a neighboring city's Craigslist, but rather post the wrong city name and do a bait and switch to someplace 1000+ miles away.