Colnago Master Piu - NOS
11-26-25 | 11:26 AM
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,510
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From: San Jose (Willow Glen) Ca
Bikes: Kirk Custom JK Special, 86 De Rosa Pro, '84 Team Miyata,(dura ace old school) 80?? SR Semi-Pro 600 Arabesque
Happy ending coming soon for this old girl, too. I figure she has been waiting 35 years! I like my Sancineto Columbus MAX, built up recently with Chorus 12-speed, so much that I couldn’t stop myself from moving forward on building up this old Colnago Master Piu. I bought up a mostly Record 12-speed group this time because, after all, it is a Colnago. Actually, I don’t really feel that way, the Sancineto Columbus MAX has turned out to be a superb bike. Anyways, wanted to try Record this time, even though I prefer the Chorus skeleton caliper design. Notice that the calipers here and the chain are Super Record, and the cassette is Chorus, supposedly because my retailer can’t source Record calipers anymore. Not sure why I got a Chorus cassette. Also not sure what to do about cable colors, as I always thought this frame needed white cables, white bar tape and a white saddle. So, still some decisions to make. Moderators are welcome to move this thread as appropriate, because it doesn’t relate to valuation.
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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can.
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can.
Last edited by squirtdad; 11-26-25 at 11:30 AM.
11-26-25 | 12:27 PM
#28
Steel is real
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,572
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From: Not far from Paris
Bikes: 93GiantTourer,92MeridaAlbon,96Scapin,98KonaKilaueua,93Peugeot Prestige,05CasatiClipper,98Jamis Dragon,95Tange Prestige(to be built),98VettaTeam,95Coppi,93Grandis,Daccordi x3(in build),98Piton(in build),99Trek SLR2300
Very nice bike and great project 
11-27-25 | 09:06 AM
#29
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 180
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Surfaces faced, threads chased and fork cut
My mechanic worked for hours on this…I might even say he was more careful than I would have been. He obsessed over every cut of the frame and each thread he chased. Would do a few turns on a tool and then remove it to inspect the cut, mark up the surface with a Sharpie and then reinstall the cutting tool and take a few more turns. There were definitely some rough and stubborn areas on that old frame.
12-01-25 | 09:59 PM
#32
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,769
Likes: 3,945
From: Louisville, KY
Beauty.
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Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),1990 Concorde Aquila(hit by car while riding), others in build queue "when I get the time"
Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),
12-12-25 | 12:58 PM
#33
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 180
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Building it up…
Tires and tubes arrived, so I think I’ve got all I need to finish this build, but no rush because it snowed last night. On another note, I can say its nice to be confident that all the threading in the frame has been properly chased. With regard to caliper installation, I needed a spacer because the Colnago rear caliper mount hole is too short for the SuperRecord 12-speed caliper bolt and nut combo. Ordered both 3mm and 5mm spacers…3mm worked perfectly.
The 3mm spacer is clearly visible here…
The 3mm spacer is clearly visible here…
12-12-25 | 01:25 PM
#35
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Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
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It snowed yesterday, so there’s no rush to finish
The Colnago is slowly taking shape, but it snowed yesterday so I’m not in a hurry. Getting the tires mounted really helps it start looking more complete. Here is the Colnago in its current state, next to a Sancineto Columbus MAX I built up a few months ago with Chorus 12-speed. Years ago, I bought five Columbus tubed frames and built up two of them with period correct parts. The Colnago and Sancineto frames (and also a Masi not pictured…it might just become wall art) never got built but I held onto them with the thought of building them up when I retired. I retired in May 2025…I’m not really a bucket list guy, but I guess this project really fits that theme. All those years I always thought I’d build them up with period correct components, but as you can see, my view on that changed. I got enough very nice period correct vintage bikes and I really wanted to finally enjoy shift levers on the handlebars.
02-07-26 | 09:40 AM
#36
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 180
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Finito…
Finished, except for installation of the bottom bracket cup retaining clip and a chainstay protector…just haven’t gotten around to those. I tried using white non-Campy cables and they just didn’t work smoothly. Then reinstalled using the factory supplied black cables and brake lever action improved significantly. I had heard I might get mushy feeling brake levers if I used something other than the Campagnolo cables. As a result, had to abandon plans for white bar tape and white saddle…went to black on everything. Will be interesting to see which bike I ride more this summer, this Colnago Master Piu with 12-speed Super Record / Record or the Sancineto Columbus MAX with 12-speed Chorus. Anyways, here’s another old frame built up nicely and ready to ride.
02-07-26 | 11:51 AM
#37
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 13,769
Likes: 3,945
From: Louisville, KY
Beautiful
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Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),1990 Concorde Aquila(hit by car while riding), others in build queue "when I get the time"
Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),
