can someone help me figure out what model this colnago is?

Sorry I don't know the model. I believe it is an 80s model at the earliest. And a repaint according to the tubing sticker (Riverniciato means repainted).

Nice looking frame, don't see many yellow Colnagos.

My guess would be a Super model from the very late 80's or early 90's.

I believe it is pre-´80s Super due to the brazed on cable guide below the bottom bracket and the lack of fluted seat-stay caps which were standard in 1980. Post '72 since it has water bottle braze-on on downtube. Since it has braze on cable guides on top tube I am going to guess 1979. Pictures of the bottom of the BB would be help

Maybe but the braze on FD mount would be pretty rare (if seen at all) until the 80s. The COLNAGO panto on top of the BB shell didn't start happening until the 80s I thought. Plus double bottle braze ons and that fork crown all say 80s to me. But I am not a real expert so I won't make any definitive claim.

I'm not all that familiar with vintage Colnagos, but the "bridgeless" design with beefed up bb shell seems late '80's to me.

Here's the bb

Good pick-up on the Columbus sticker.

But who put's that sticker on the bike? The painter? Colnago?

The underside cable guides start in 1982 and the sloping fork crown in 1983. The pump peg on the head tube is interesting.

Colnago Super went to a straight fork in the late '80s. What throws me is the clover symbol on the seat stays. Those were around in the '90s, but definitely not the braze on cable guides... In the '80s the seat stays were fluted at the top with the text "Colnago"

Off topic but, just checked out your web site Kingfishr, attracted by your avatar. Splendid photos indeed, especially your Kingfishers, my totem bird. Fantastic, beautiful work.

Many thanks Rootboy! They're incredible birds aren't they?

Very incredible. Now that I live near saltwater I don't get to see them as often as I used to, but love the little fisher birds.
I'm a fisher too.

Sorry OP. back to your nice Colnago.

Many interesting things going on with that frame....I wonder if it was in some way damaged, and then repaired and repainted by Colnago ? It could explain the mix of elements and the sticker.

Joe

That would be my guess. A paint shop likely wouldn't put that Columbus sticker on it, but rather their own shop sticker to advertise instead.

Maybe BlueDevil63 will comeback with some insight...

Sure a paint shop would.

I've had two repaints with that particular decal.

One was from a local painter/builder by the name of Chris Kvale.

A Colnago Master.

Another was an older Casati Gold Line that was repainted many years ago by Spectrum.

Bicycles hardly need to go back to the original builder for alterations.

I'm having a nice Croll frameset updated with Paul specific canti studs, eyelets for fenders and various other tidbits by a local builder.

Walter Croll is unavailable so Alex at A Train is more than capable of taking care of these alterations.

Thanks gomango, I stand corrected.

I would have thought that a paint shop would have put their own shop sticker on the bike to advertise rather than a Columbus sticker like that. Live and learn!

No, you're not wrong at all.

I see bicycles quite often with the refinisher's logo/id.

A friend just bought a very nice refinished early De Rosa with a Joe Bell logo for example.

All this info is great. Thanks people!

I'm no expert but very interested in odd Colnagos. It looks very like the C 90 series with earlier details. My guess would be a European model not sold in the US. There are an endless verity of European models especially in Germany. Flickr pictures 9EhGiOeS' photostream. Ed

The repaint sticker is what a painter should put on after a repaint. I have seen a number of these or similar on repainted frames. That said many painters don't put these on but rather put on the original stickers or their own logo/id. A factory repaint will often have the repaint tubing sticker but again not always. I would still say this is a mid to late 80s frame. I see nothing that really indicates that it is earlier other than the seat stay treatment and the pump peg and I can't see the seat stay treatment well enough to make a real call on that.

You're right about the straight bladed fork being introduced in the late 80's but I bought a new Colnago Conic SLX frame in the early 90's and was offered either a straight bladed fork or a curved bladed fork. Both forks were brand new.

Two things interest me about this frame though are:

The pump peg. I have brazed on pump pegs to a couple of frames I have re-painted as it's an easy thing to do.

The bottom bracket shell with 'COLNAGO' cast into the shell on both sides. The 2 Colnago frames I have from the late 80's to early 90's with the 'Colnago Ace of Flowers' cast into the seat stay plugs have a Colnago flower cast into the BB shell on both sides. This is leading me to think that this frame may be an early to mid 90's frame.

When did Colnago start to use that BB shell? I too think it could be one of the 'Super' derivatives for the European market.

From my 93/94 Elegant.

Don't know if they help at all.

Sorry for the grime!

A long weekend on the bicycle.

Thanks Gomango - Yes, that's the BB I have on 2 frames - one a Conic SLX the other a Super and both from around the start of the 90's. Love the bike by the way - lovely colour. I have seen the Colnago BB in question before but my memory is 'on the way out'. I can't remember the circumstances now.

I also like the Yellow frame of this thread as it's a bright and clean yellow and as Bianchigirll suggests it's unusual to see a solid yellow Colnago frame.