Help identifying a "Colnago"
 

Hi, I've bought this bike few weeks ago for 70 €. It seemed quite sure it's not a Colnago, I just wanted some oldstyle road bike to ride in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where I study for a while. Most of components have been probably changed, so there is Huret front derailleur, Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur, 3ttt handlebars, ITM stem, Campy headset pantographed Falco-Italy, Japanese bottom bracket, SR crankset, Weinmann brakes (type 730) and some Belgian rims on Shimano cogs. On chainring and brakes, there is some amateur drilling.

I expect the wheels, stem, bottom bracket and front derailleur with levers are not original, other parts might be authentic. All the components are in rather poor condition, frame and fork actually as well. I want to build a fixie out of that, though I'm quite sure you guys don't like hearing about that :-) So the frame is most important for me, but I have no clue what it is.

I suppose it is not a Colnago, the decals are obviously made additionally and I guess many people just use some prestigious decals to increase value of the bike. I've tried searching at Classic Rendezvous, but haven't found any frame with exactly the same lugs, which in my opinion correspond with 60s or 70s vintage. On rear dropouts, there is 68560 embossed on the left side (brev. Campagnolo on the right). I guess the first two figures might express the year. There is no pantographing or typical sign in lugs or at the bottom of the bracket shell so I suppose it is not an Italian bike even though many presumably authentic components are Italian. I haven't found any evidence of chroming neither on frame nor on fork.

Thanks for any information, I would be really glad for any hints

http://dasti.net/priv/col1.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col5.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col6.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col8.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col14.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col15.jpg

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the fork isn't original. And bent.

The lugs look Nervex-ish but aren't the more common Nervex Pro's. Shots of the BB and dropouts would be helpful in IDing this bike but with no club cut-out in the BB it's definitely not a Colnago.

British, Italian or French threaded?

+1 on both points with the fork.

You can absolutely rule out it being a Colnago.

It may be Italian though. What is the bottom bracket threading and seat-post size?

I've seen similar lugs on lower-end Italian bikes like Garlatti's.

I do not think the fork goes with the frame as well.

you may want to change out that seat binder bolt

Cleaned up that Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur will almost pay for 1/2 the bike I see them selling
for about $50 on ebay regularly.
Personally I like Dutch bikes, and think you could have done better with a RIH, Batavus, or Gazelle on
Marktplaats or Kapazza.be

Marty

I woudn't be too quick to say the fork isn't original to the frame - both the crown and the seatlug are Nervex Pro. What gets me is that the headlugs don't match the seat lug, which makes me suspect that the front end was wrecked and rebuilt at one time.

Fork doesn't appear bent.

-Kurt

thank you guys! here are some additional photos. I can try measuring the seat post but have no proper tools unfortunately... in the morning I will try to read the bottom bracket labeling. The lugs are exactly as you said - Nervex Pro, except for the head ones, they seem to be Nervex Legere design 45 according to http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...ere_series.htm I've never heard of Nervex before to be honest.

http://dasti.net/priv/col2.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col4.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col9.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col10.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col11.jpghttp://dasti.net/priv/col17.jpg

well this is an odd duck: you have Campy DOs, Nervex pro seatlug abd BB shell, but what are those headlugs? A Nervex variant? And the BB threading: a JP unit, but is it ISO or FR? I'd say, give us the seat post diameter, name any markings on the bottom of that BB cup, and measure the OD of the 3 main tubes with a good caliper...otherwise, all I can say for now is that the forkcrown is one that Gitane and Peugeot both used...I don't think this frame is either.

It's more confusing then that. Look at the drive side; looks like a sealed cartridge. Could it be that someone jammed a cup in place of the cartridge's threaded retainer ring?

-Kurt

Hi guys, so I've tried measuring the tubes. Can't be sure with the figures but I hope it might be quite accurate.

seatpost: 26,2 mm, but it seems there is wrong size mounted, it does not fit well, the bolt must be pretty tightened to hold, I suppose the right diameter must be at least 0,2 - 0,4 mm bigger, I'm sorry about that, can't measure it any more accurate

top tube: 25,4 mm
seat tube same size as down tube: 28,6 mm

The BB is labeled SUGINO 35XP1 MADE IN JAPAN, so it is the French size, but it fits weirdly as well...there might have been different one before. There is nothing embossed on the bottom of the BB shell, there is not even a hole. I see I could have really bought a better bike, looks like some crazy many times changed compound

Somehow, 26.4/1" doesn't jive with Nervex Pro or the entire build of this bike - a 1" post usually equals gaspipe. 26.6, however, would make more sense - it would be metric 531 Professional, popular with the French builders.

I'm still not convinced it's French, or if it is, that it hasn't been damaged. Have a shop pull the crankset and BB out. I'm still worried that someone might have shoved and cross-threaded an English cartridge BB into the right side. Mind you, Velo Orange was the first of anyone to produce an exclusively French-threaded, cartridge BB earlier last year, with exception to Phil Wood and his ring-adjustable BB's. I doubt the latter, but if it is so, you'd be best off getting the proper left cup:

http://dasti.net/priv/col4.jpg

-Kurt

-Kurt