Why does my Colnago exist?
 

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Wrong. The fork is bent. The blades aren't in line with the headtube. Someone's run it into something.

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Hilarious. Its CRASHED. My guess is that isn't the only crash.

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If I were you, I'd remove the fork from the frame and put a straightedge on the front and back of the steerer and compare the distance from it to the fork blade at a point before the bend begins. Should be equal.
The back edge of the fork appears to be in line with the headtube, but the front isn't at all. That's not right. The front wheel also looks too close to the downtube - I bet you've got serious toe clip overlap issues. I've seen fork damage where the blades appear straight because all the damage was at the crown race/steerer. This one looks like that.

as far as that picture goes, in addition to the bent back fork, it looks like the top and down tubes are bumped slightly north behind the head lugs--that'd get your super steep head tube angle!

from the evidence you've given, it looks pretty well crashed. but by all means post up some other pics if you can

....maybe someone rode it down (or into) a flight of stairs? ;)

You are welcome to believe what you want but I can see the top tube is kinked and that fork is bent.

Your "eyeball" sez "dead on straight", but that's an issue for your optomitrist.

If you really want to know what this bike is, it's a standard road frame that's been in a head-on collision.

Track geometry by crunch, embrace the reality.

Either five of us are wrong, or you need glasses. That fork is bent. Bent subtly, but bent nevertheless.

Can't seem to tell from the photo, but it looks as if the top tube/headlug joint has a bit of a warp in it too. Care to provide closeups?

-Kurt

i agree with the bent idea and looking at the top tube right near the steerer it also looks a bit bent.
Sorry!

Very cool...but yeah, that fork is bent.

I think you guys scared off the OP. Came for a name, leaves with a death sentence. But look at the grips!

I checked some old catalogs in my cupboards and I think it's an '86 Colnago Ramrod. Man, that sucks.

A slightly larger photo

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/...2cf98511_b.jpg

Don't believe us. Take the bike to a framebuilder and ask them to check it out. Don't even point out the headtube or the fork. Just say, hey, I found this old bike and wonder if you'd give it a look-over before I build it out. Then believe what they tell you.

I concur. They might even be able to take care of it too.

I'm no expert, but where the top tube joins the head tube there seems to be a wrinkle there.

I have seen some extremely tight criterium frames. Measure and report the head tube angle (74 or 75 degrees???) and, as others have suggested, sight down the steerer tube to see whether the fork has been bent back.

Toe-to-tire overlap was common on track bikes and many road bikes -- even my UO-8 has it, because of the shorter-rake after-market fork.

It's bent. Totally bent.



BUT



If it's just going to be a brakeless hipster FG bike it will probably be fine. I wouldn't want to try using a front brake with a front center that short, and I'm a guy who has toe clip overlap on ALL my skinny tire bikes.

Good on you for finding a use for it.

Maybe I'm too old (at 30) but I don't really understand the craze with one gear, and chopped handlebars...if your a messenger in NYC, perhaps I can understand the handlebars, but otherwise I'm just mystified.

Cool bike though, would be nice set up as a geared bike if it wasn't torqued.

yeah...in addition to the fork, the top and down tube definitely look impacted. total head-on collision, man.

Hey youngin'.... I don't get it either! Most of all, why fixed and not a coaster hub (SS)? The thrill of cranking a pedal on a curb must be addictive...

That fork is bent, but I think the TT and DT look kinked in the photo because shadows near the lugs - they could be straight. A frame builder with a good alignment table would know for sure.

According to the precision straight-edge post it note I stuck on the screen, the fork and the
steering tube do not form a straight line.

How does it ride "no-handedly?" I would bet that an uncrashed "Nago" would track a straight line?

A sign of past-trouble would be indicated if she pulls to one direction.

Put the edge of a piece of paper alongside the front edge of the head tube on your computer screen and you can clearly see the steerer tube is bent above the fork crown. And it does look like your tt an dt are tweaked as well.

That is why your bike exists, it is a casualty.