mabs

Hi, I'm new in this forum. Currently I'm preparing a vintage colnago(?) bike. While searching for some part's I've found a lot of hint's that there are fake COLNAGO's on the market. So I'm not sure if my bike is a COLNAGO or not. The model is a COLNAGO SPECIAL COURSE. The decals on the frame looks original. The Bike is equiped with Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport front and rear derailleurs, a OFMEGA crankset, Weinmann 500 brakes , Weinmann brake leavers, NISI rims with Campagnolo hubs, Gipiemme dual sprint pedals and a 3TTT handle bar. There are no clubs on the frame, an the bb there is only the number 6 stamped, there is no cutoff. There are only on the toe clips COLNAGO clubs visible. See the attached pictures.
Could someone help me to identify this bike, could it be a COLNAGO? I think the bike is build end of the 70s, could the decals match this time line? Thank's for your help.

love2pedal.com

A non-experts opinion.....I thought a Colnagos lug cutouts were cloverleafs.

Whats with the lighter blue band above the shifters? Is it concealing some type of repair?

mabs

The lighter blue band above the shifter is is the result of a tape which was mounted there. There is no repair.
That's with the non coverleaf lug cutouts is why I'm not sure about that the bike is original.

mkeller234

I cannot help about the frame. The shift levers look like Nuovo Record to me since they have the D ring on the screws.

gridplan

It doesn't look like a Colnago to me. But you might want to take a look at the Colnago timeline:

https://www.43bikes.com/colnago-70s-details.html

thirst

Not.

thirst

satbuilder 

Agreed. Stays at the seat look wrong.

unworthy1

it could be one of the cheaper frames built for the EU market and branded as Colnago (with Ernesto's blessing, and for his profit) but not built by the same hands that built his 'real" frames. At least it has Campy ends (and the rear DOs have the portacatena holes which indicate a post-'78 date, maybe as late as early '80s), but no rifling in the steerer so it's not a Columbus SL tubeset. Might have 3-main-tubes SL, and the remainder plain steel or Falck, but could be Aelle.
What size seatpost?
Probably a decent ride, given the level of components (and some of them are probably OEM) it's a budget model Colnago, not a "fake", at least not technically.

thirst

The fork tips look like they are plated but they are painted over which is a pretty strong indicator that it is a repaint. All the "export" models I have seen that are for regional markets still look like a Colnago. They all have had the club cutout in the BB, club on the fork crown and either the scalloped seatstay caps or flat.

thirst

mabs

The diameter of the seatpost is 26.2 mm

SJX426 

"The fork tips look like they are plated but they are painted over which is a pretty strong indicator that it is a repaint." Not a strong indicator. My 83 is without question a Colnago and has a fully chromed fork with paint on the legs. Some models have fully exposed chrome and others are painted. The forks are the same part. This also is true for the frame. Often rear triangle is chrome but painted on some models and not on others.

gridplan: Thanks for that link!

thirst

Which could indicate a metric 531 tube set, so maybe french?

thirst

noglider 

Those top tube decals look cheesy.

Those components are not high end.

I wish there were a way to measure tube wall thickness, ya know?

Maddox

I know this is kind of random, but the book "Blink" (Malcolm Gladwell) talks about the value of what he calls "thinking without thinking" -- unpacked, it means that if a Pro or collector looks at something and immediately gets a bad gut feeling about at it, there's usually a very good reason. And even if you can't necessarily put your finger on it, that doesn't mean there isn't something there.

Looking at that bike, it doesn't *feel* like a Colnago. I'm not saying that it couldn't be, but if it doesn't have the clovers, and is equipped with Weimann brakes, there's reason to be suspicious.

I say either rebranded fake or what Unworthy1 said - rebranded low-end euro snuff.

noglider 

That's a great book, and this is a good time for us to use that intuitive judgment this way.

Don't buy this bike.

unworthy1

26.2: that's really weird: it's a bit small even for a metric tubeset, most of those would take 26.4 or 26.6. You can confirm if it's metric or just a really thick seat tube by measuring the outer diameters of the 3 main tubes, and report back. Or, if the ears are pinched at all, it could be a too-small seat post.
I have see pics of a few of these low-end "Colnagos", almost all sold in Belgium or Germany, that had the same lug cut-outs, but it's still no guarantee of what you have being one.

SJX426 

Quote from EC about 1970: "That Milano-San Remo win inspired me to change the logos on my bikes. It was like I had an ace up my sleeve that day, with Dancelli winning the race on my bike. So to commemorate this great win, I changed the logo from the eagle to the 'Asso di Fiori' (Ace of Clubs) later that year."

mabs

Hi, the diameter of the top tupe is 26,7 mm, the diameter of the seat tube is 28,8mm, the down tube has also 28,8mm. The head tube has a diameter of 31,9mm. I think the ears are ok. So the diameter of the seat post is real. I hope I can add a picture.
Do you have a link to pictures of low-end "Colnagos"? My bike is from Italy.
Thanks to all for the support until now.

unworthy1

those ODs say it's not metric tubing, but if you have a legit 26.2 post then it's a very thick-walled seat tube, or the builder put the seat tube in upside-down.
Here's a link to pics of a similar so-called "Colnago Sport" that's got some details like yours:
https://photo.xuite.net/nldw0912/3442191

EjustE

sure there is... take away the stem and headset and the seat post and both the seat tube and head tube are accessible. You need calipers/vernier and a good reference table. That's one way I used to figure out that one of my bikes with no tubing stickers, but knowing that the source of tubing was Japanese, has Ishiwata 019 tubes.

mabs

Additional note: The bottom bracket is a OFMEGA 36x24 which means this is Italian.