Need help identifying an old Colnago with Campy 50th

[WickedWheels]

I just took this in as a "trade-in", but I can't seem to find any info on the exact model. I'm hoping someone here will know if it's a Mexico, a Super or...

I'm trying to decide whether I should restore it or clean it up and pass it on to someone that wants a nice restoration project. It's full 50th Anniversary, but needs polishing and possibly more elbow grease than I have time for.

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th019_zpsc312b807.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th019_zpsc312b807.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th002_zps5fbcb730.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th002_zps5fbcb730.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th003_zpsd272ffb7.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th003_zpsd272ffb7.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th020_zpsd07d9832.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th020_zpsd07d9832.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th004_zps4292d5b1.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th004_zps4292d5b1.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th012_zpsceea90a8.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th012_zpsceea90a8.jpg.html)

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th014_zps14f3db4c.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/Bicycle%20Playground/Colnago%2050th/Colnago50th014_zps14f3db4c.jpg.html)

[dd74]

I think it's worth restoring regardless of it being a Mexico or Super. The components are reason enough, IMO.

[pbarry]

Nice to see a real race bike that's been ridden hard and put up wet. :hello: Sell for a reasonable price: Probably what a vintage well-used SR equipped Colnago would go for, as the 50th premium is worn out. OTOH, if you made a good deal on this, it's definitely worth putting in the time and $ to make it a daily rider/part of your fleet.

[jtakeda]

Looks like a super to me.

[54ny77]

i had a couple of supers and the chainstay was stamped like that as well as the design of the seat stay tips.

never saw one with panels or chrom head lugs though. maybe it's a special euro model not imported to u.s.?

was a workaday race bike, nuttin' fancy. i appreciate what i had through today's nostalgia's lens far more than when i had it.

i no longer have the bikes. but i do, however, have a yellow wool del tongo team jersey from that era and it's one of my prized possessions. it was purchased by a family member in italy, and is a special gift with a lot of sentimental value.

[wasfast]

It's a Super, early to mid 80's. Not something extra special but a good bike nonetheless.

I restored a similar frame a few years ago:

http://i42.tinypic.com/i4lmvn.jpg

[54ny77]

wasfast that thing is awesome. "super" job!

[wasfast]

I polished the stem and bar collar and also fluted the stem. My favorite part of the build.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2ljgfig.jpg

The seatpost is pretty cool too.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2wqzdaa.jpg

Ok, I'm done now.

[christian]

Alex, if it fits, you should restore it. What a coffee shop bike! I'd want it just to ride Eroica with a 50th gruppo. BTW, JD Whisker is an English bike shop.

Wasfast, that's beautiful!

[sean]

The dreaded Colnago debate.

I would say check the RD for a date code, but the gruppo was most definitely put on later.

Early Supers and Mexicos are pretty much the same except for weight. Plus there are all kinds of non-catalog variations that debunk features found on the Mexico and not on the Super and vice versa.

The one thing that throws me off from it being a super is the DT decals that reads Record Ora 1972 in a black band on the side vs in the champion stripes on the front. I've only seen this decal scheme on mexicos.

Then again...

Also early Mexicos did have chrome head lugs, which, coincidentally were found on later supers.

ugh.

I think dating it (getting the year of manufacture, not taking it for drinks) is a good place to start. Def post '72 since the BB cable guides are underneath the BB shell.

This page is a good place to start:

http://home.earthlink.net/~mike.sherman/colnago_dating.html

Then you can narrow down by looking at features from the particular period or year

[dd74]

Wasfast - who did the respray on your Colnago?

[54ny77]

campy sr is finest looking seatpost, ever. :cool:

damn that's some polish work too. beautiful rig.

I polished the stem and bar collar and also fluted the stem. My favorite part of the build.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2ljgfig.jpg

The seatpost is pretty cool too.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2wqzdaa.jpg

Ok, I'm done now.

[WickedWheels]

Thanks for your help, guys. I'm still baffled, though.

This bike has "Colnago" stamped on both sides of the chain stays, which apparently means that if it's a Super it's post '82.

It has a flat-ish fork crown, also indicative of a Super, but 1/2 of the '83's and later had a sloping crown.

However, most Supers had painted lugs, not chrome and I haven't seen any others with the same graphics.

Some ofnthe Mexico's had a crimped top tube, some did not.

The only thingI can figure is that Colnago didn't adhere to any "model year" standards. If they had a particular fork in stock when it was time to ship the bike then they would use it. If not, they would use a differen one. Same for the decals and the paint.

I give up. I'm going to call it a 1983 Colnago Super. Seems easier.

Now I just have to decide what to do with it. I have a 3 year old, a new baby (2 weeks old), a bike shop that I just opened up last year... there's no time to ride my current bikes, never mind taking on a restoration project and riding it. Still, the bike dork in me wants to see it done up right...

[oldpotatoe]

The dreaded Colnago debate.

I would say check the RD for a date code, but the gruppo was most definitely put on later.

Early Supers and Mexicos are pretty much the same except for weight. Plus there are all kinds of non-catalog variations that debunk features found on the Mexico and not on the Super and vice versa.

The one thing that throws me off from it being a super is the DT decals that reads Record Ora 1972 in a black band on the side vs in the champion stripes on the front. I've only seen this decal scheme on mexicos.

Then again...

Also early Mexicos did have chrome head lugs, which, coincidentally were found on later supers.

ugh.

I think dating it (getting the year of manufacture, not taking it for drinks) is a good place to start. Def post '72 since the BB cable guides are underneath the BB shell.

This page is a good place to start:

http://home.earthlink.net/~mike.sherman/colnago_dating.html

Then you can narrow down by looking at features from the particular period or year

1983 is the only year of the 50th anniversary group-I think it's a 'Super' as well. Same year Tullio died.

Condition is tragic.

[texbike]

It has a flat-ish fork crown, also indicative of a Super, but 1/2 of the '83's and later had a sloping crown.

I give up. I'm going to call it a 1983 Colnago Super. Seems easier.

Now I just have to decide what to do with it. I have a 3 year old, a new baby (2 weeks old), a bike shop that I just opened up last year... there's no time to ride my current bikes, never mind taking on a restoration project and riding it. Still, the bike dork in me wants to see it done up right...

I think the bike falls into the 82/82 category which would fall inline with the year of the groupset (1983, right?). As you point out, it has the flat fork crown. It also has the non-fluted (is this the right term?) seat stay caps. Earlier Colnagos up until about 80/81 have the fluted caps. The caps on this bike have the stamped Colnago logo on them instead which came into use in the early 80s. Combine that with the flat(ish) crown fork and I would assume that it would put it into the 82/83 time frame before the sloping crown fork became dominant.

As for Mexico vs Super, I couldn't tell you. The decals are definitely different than those delivered on U.S. models. As Christian pointed out, there's a sticker on the bike from a U.K. shop. That leads me to believe that it was a European-delivered bike that found its way to the U.S.

If it were mine and I had a shop, it would be kept as "shop art". It would go up onto a wall or display in its current state. I wouldn't clean it up or anything. It looks cool as is.

Texbike

[texbike]

I polished the stem and bar collar and also fluted the stem. My favorite part of the build.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2ljgfig.jpg

The seatpost is pretty cool too.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2wqzdaa.jpg

Ok, I'm done now.

Wow! That looks incredible!

Texbike

[WickedWheels]

If it were mine and I had a shop, it would be kept as "shop art". It would go up onto a wall or display in its current state. I wouldn't clean it up or anything. It looks cool as is.

Texbike

The shop doesn't have much room for "display" bikes. It has to be REALLY special for that. I already have Greg LeMond's Merlin hanging up. It set the bar pretty high for display bikes.

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/ae342/wickedwheels1/LeMonds/LeMondMerlin1.jpg (http://s986.photobucket.com/user/wickedwheels1/media/LeMonds/LeMondMerlin1.jpg.html)