I know this is not a classic or vintage frame but it's made of steel and lugged so I thought I would post it here. I bought this frame knowing it had a couple of dents but was/am hoping that it can be repaired and hopefully ridden safely. What do you guys think? It's too small for me, but for 21 Euros I thought it was worth a shot repairing it for the wife, but if there might be some safety issues I will either chuck it or just bondo it, repaint it and then put it up on the wall in our "bar" room. The original owner tried to repair it himself but pretty much gave up after his wife bought him a new frame. If it's salvageable I'll have a body shop do the repair work. So what's the verdict? I really don't want to have my wife ridding something that might cause her harm so you knowledgeable fellows please let me know what do do with this frame.

The second pic is of the filled in dents on the chainstay. The others are of the failed repair of the toptube.

Also, look at those pin holes on the second pics on the chain stay..........

dents on the top tube (if not huge) are probably not a big deal,
but what's with the holes in the chainstay ?
what caused them ?
is there an ongoing internal rust problem ?
are they from an accident ?
were other areas weakened ?

Ya, the pin holes look to have been caused by something pushing into the frame, rather then have been pushed out from the inside. Interesting indeed....Guess I would try to push a nail or something against the metal in this area and see how easy it gives,,,could be rusted out from the inside.

I concur with our fossilized fish friend (Coelcanth): the top tube dents are *usually* not going to compromise safety, they just shoot the cosmetics to hell. If the pinholes in the chainstay are due to rust (tho they don't look it), then that could kill the stay (and you should examine the rest of the frame for rust), but if they are on the drive side and caused by really aggressive chain-slap (or impact or something), then just fill them with brass or solder and paint away. I think your wife would be really happy with this if it turns out to be a sound frame. Get it checked for alignment at a competent shop, they may also notice things we can't see in these little pics.

Maybe the prevous owner tried to push out the dent in the chainstay -- or even mostly succeeded?

I looked at the whole frame and there is no rust anywhere, even on the areas with the pin holes. SInce I'm was curious to know what happened to the bike I called the guy I bought the frame from and he said that the dent on the top tube was caused by the handle bars being slammed into the frame with a door. The one on the chainstay was done at the same time but by a kids bike that was next to the bike. It seems that him and his wife were having an argument and at some point she kicked open the door to leave and the unlucky Colnago took a massive beating. Thus, his wife bought him a new bike after they worked things out and now I'm the lucky guy with this frame. Actually, he only got a new frame and just used the components and fork on his new ride. I believe the guy, so I guess it's going to be ok to have my wife ride this. She doesn't know I got it but I will build it up from her with a Veloce group form next summer. She's also getting one mystery bike no one seems to know what it is, but that is very light and is coming along great. Here are some pics of the whole frame. I wished the guy would of left it as it was. The paint job must of been bad a s s. He was going to completely strip all the paint and have it repainted a solid color, but after he botched the top tube, he stopped stripping it. So.......I guess the 21 euros I payed were well worth it. This is the lightest steel frame I've ever held, it's very noticeable even compared to my Mexico Oro frame. I wished I was shorter so it could be for me. Oh well, once it's finished it will serve as a BIG reminder to wife when she starts complaining about all the bikes I keep getting.

Wow, I was gonna say since it doesnt fit you I'd be glad to take it off you're hands.. I'd even fork over the 21euros you paid. Actually, may be a bit big for me anyway, maybe not, is it a 56? Gimme!

It's 57 from the center of the BB to the top of the seat tube. It's way too small for me but it will fit the wife.

it is a beautiful bike...too bad the paint had to be trashed. The finish on the Colnagos is one of the more interesting parts of the package. The guy may have overcooked the brazing on the chainstay and burnt through. It may also be rust from the inside out...I have seen what appeared to be a perfectly good frame ruined from the inside out. Listen for "sand" in the chainstays. Whatever the cause, the holes need repairing if the frame is to be useable.

Other than looking a little goofy, the repair on the top tube is sound, no?

I've found that "sand" won't be in the chainstays, or if it's there, it won't be for long, as it will just fall out of the chainstays at the bb shell. I have found sand in top tubes and in fork legs, from which grit or rust flakes have a hard time escaping.

There certainly are exceptions, but rust isn't usually localized. If a frame has taken too many soakings or has been stored in harsh environments, rust will be everywhere. Most people won't take the time to clean it up.

I guess that's a long-winded way of saying that the pinholes aren't likely to be rust eating its way out from the inside. More likely a burnt tube from the botched brazing "repair"

If it were me, I'd probably ride it. Builders do all sorts of nasty stuff to tubes - crimping, shaping, drilling, brazing the middles, and most frames hold up really well. If your wife rides really hard, or you live in a mountainous area, ignore all of what I've written.

It seems to be good but it just looks like crap. I'm taking to a friend of mine here who works on cars and hopefully he'll "fix" it.

My wife, like me, has just gotten into riding road bikes, so I guess I don't have to worry about her riding this bike too hard.