Hey all,

I was lucky enough to come across this Colnago while looking for a old bike to use in town. I am having issues identifying it as it looks like it has been re-painted at some point as there is no Columbus sticker.

- Only the one bottle cage holder
- Campagnolo Record Neuvo patent 74 rear derailleur
- Serial number on drive side dropout
- Mavic hubs and MA40 rims
- Campy headset and seat post

Photos here - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cp578qm20f...4MyDRtoXa?dl=0


Any help is much appreciated!

Olie

pic assist

My guess is a Super from '81 or 82. Interesting in that the cables are supposed to be routed under the bottom bracket, but someone decided to route over the BB. Are there crimps or indentations on the inside of the chain stays?

Yes, the run most of the way down.

I'm guessing at '84 '85 just looking at the seat stay caps.

There's a lot of nice stuff on the bike but not of the same era or gruppo. It is a very nice find.

Yeah, I'm super happy with it since it was only $50 Canadian!
I just really want to get my head around what I should invest into the bike. Is it worh re-painting etc.
Although the paint work is in really bad shape, there doesn't seem to be any issues with the frame itself.

$50 Canadian sounds like a real bargain especially when some of the components could sell for that.

I love the Mavic hubed wheels and would keep them along with the Simplex gear shifters (even on an otherwise full Campagnolo bike) as well as the front derailleur. I'd try to upgrade the other components, perhaps one at a time, to kit the bike out with a Super Record Gruppo from around the 1983 - onwards era. It looks like the headset and probably the bottom bracket are Super Record and could be original and is my reason for basing a re-build on the Campy SR Gruppo. All the components are, however, really good stuff and would clean-up to be quite serviceable as they are. There's nothing wrong with a mixed component bike - it's just that I'm a little 'strange' when it comes to setting up a bike.

I'd re-paint it if it was mine - but I can do it myself.

What model Colnago??? I'd be going with 'Super' just to be safe.

There could be chrome underneath that bad paint, so in addition to being a Super (I'm thinking '82 - '84), it may also be a Nuovo Mexico from the same time frame. Certainly a bargain at the price you paid, and surely worth getting a repaint. The money saved at the outset would defray a lot of the paint cost.

I believe the PO bypassed the under-BB cable tunnels because the corresponding braze-on cable stop at the rear of the stay appears to be missing. Of course, he could've run them underneath and inverted the clamped-on cable stop. The mysteries of what POs were thinking before we got our grubby little hands on their old bikes...

Very nice score

DD

This look like a disguised version of my ~'83. I think the bottom cable stop on the chain stay is there just in front of the clamp. It is odd that the cable was routed on the top side.
I agree for once that this is worth a repaint. Given the rust on the right side of the fork crown, I doubt there is much chrome under the paint but you really won't know until you strip it.

As much work as it will be, great price! Congrats. [MENTION=168558]Drillium Dude[/MENTION] has a couple of excellent examples of that era you can aspire to!

Wowwsers, you got one super find there [MENTION=457887]olie_s[/MENTION], welcome to the forum. This is one heck of a great first post, a Colnago score at an unheard of low price. I'll let the more knowledgeable folks here make recommendations for how to proceed, I just wanted to congratulate you on your good fortune in finding the 'Nago.

Bill

That is a great wheelset.

Very nice, and, as Bill says, great way to burst into our vintage cycles club!

Yeah, great find! I think this may be the first time I'm suggesting a repaint, but I'd go for one on that. It's certainly been repainted at least once and will help rid the rust. Good point above from DD about the costs saved upfront helping to offset the cost of a good paint job. All of the details on yours agree with those on my ~83 of a different model where they overlap, so looks like there's general consensus on the ~rough age range, too. One exception: I don't see holes on the drive side dropout for a portacatena. That, I think, could push it toward 84/85ish like Gary suggested above.

...and I think I do spy the diver's helmet cable stop under the chainstay just forward of the clamp-on stop, like SJX426 says. Hopefully the original stop is in good shape and the PO used the clamp-on for reasons unknown. Maybe to look a bit older along with the over-BB cable routing and '74 RD? If it were me I'd slowly replace parts with super record for the correct time period as good deals are found. I'd probably keep at least the retrofriction shift levers installed. Maybe the stem depending. Of course, all of that is assuming the bike fits and you like the ride. So really, I'd go through it first, correct the cable routing, ride, and go from there. Fresh tires could help the ride during decision time.

I'm not seeing any chainstay crimps, so it may well be a Mexico.

A repaint +decals isn't a bad thing. However, one could also just ride and enjoy the bike as-is... a little stealthy. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to match decals or stencils to the "patina" on the bike.

Retro or not, I do like the compact bars and aero brakes. The simplex retrofriction shifters are supposed to be very good.

I agree it looks like the under chainstay braze on is still there. My guess is a previous owner transferred parts from an older bike and was too cheap to get longer cables or the cables are stuck in the shifters.

Here is a nice source for helping to identify a Super.

Velo-Retro: Colnago Super Timeline


I am a recent convert to the Simplex shifter. Once dialed in, they're very nice. Here is my '82 Super, repainted. I felt like I got a great deal on mine, but it was a lot more than $50!

Enlighten me. Are you referring to the crimps inside the stays as seen here near the rim?

[IMG]P7070951, on Flickr[/IMG]
There is an embossing of "Colnago" on the outside of the stay behind the chain ring as well as "ovalization" of the stay. I believe the embossing and the crimp, if that is what you are referring to, are done at the same time.

I defer if to those on real computers regarding the RD cable stop. I'm trying to see details w/ my phone's crap res, so...

I think we're pegged as to the year: 82 - 84. I also see there is no FD tab.

OP: are there triangular tabs on the inside of the fork legs at the crown? If so, can you describe the (cutouts, length)?

DD

Thanks for all the responses guys!

Yeah the fork crown has about a 2 inch triangle on the inside with kind of a rectangle hole in it, and below that a small circle hole.

The same as the inside of the fork on this image - saarf00.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/001.jpg

No protacatena dropout so I'm guessing mid 80's-ish. I think they were still using them in '82/83 but not sure if on all models.

As others have said....value will only go up with a strip n respray even if its an economy respray.

Terrific find and fun project. Suggest to look over Ray Dobbin's site w/catalog scans.

Give it a 'gucci' paint, swap the cockpit and saddle and its a winner.

Thanks for all the interest in my bike!!

Yeah the cockpit is going to change, the bar and stem were just old parts I had laying around. When I found the bike it had a "Zoom" raised stem and flat bars on it. My contacts suggest that there was only 1 PO, clearly someone who didn't know/care what they were sitting on. My heart sinks every time I see that shimano cassette.

Moving forward, I have a Brooks C15 with her name on it. New paint is going to happen sooner rather then later, I just need to decide on 'classic' or some cool custom job.

The rear wheel needs some attention, ill get a pro to true it, and lucky for me I work in a bike shop.

Im really impressed but the bikes ride and weight given its age!!

I think I'd soil myself if I ran into one like yours for anything close that kind of money. Very cool!