1972 Colnago Super on eBay

[fiamme red]

Amazing photos by the seller (Ray Dobbins):

ebay #300315220624 (http://cgi.ebay.com/72-COLNAGO-SUPER-58cm-Campagnolo-Cinelli-Regina-Martano_W0QQitemZ300315220624QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item45ec2e9a90&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)

Italian race bikes never got any better than this.

http://www.raydobbins.com/pantografata/finished/photo1.jpg

[csm]

looks very nice. I wonder if it'll get what he's asking tho.

[kgreene10]

Those pictures are amazing -- instantly enhance the value of any bike. But what's the big woop about this one? Was the Super of the early 1970s a fundamentally different beast than the Super of the 1980s that was lower in the line? I had a mid-1980s one not long ago and it was a fine riding vintage steel machine, but not mind-blowing. I bought the frameset for $225.

[dd74]

Wow, I have an 85 Super - it's not nearly as nice as the one pictured - but I can't see it fetching close to $3,500. That must be a "super-duper" Super. :D

[Pete Serotta]

wonderful pictures and a piece of history but that is some serious $$s. I would not be shocked is someone from the far east bought it though. (Dollar cheap and many love European bikes

[alancw3]

[QUOTE=fiamme red]Amazing photos by the seller (Ray Dobbins):

Italian race bikes never got any better than this.


hmmm a couple come to mind. have you ever seen a colnago "arabesque" or an original cinelli "super corsa".

[Keith A]

Interesting, even at this price, the seller notes "Regina Oro freewheel and chain - NOT INCLUDED, but easy to find on eBay." :confused:

[Lionel]

Jeez, I have a Colango Super that I use as a fixed gear. if I thought I could sell it for this price I would!

[fiamme red]

wonderful pictures and a piece of history but that is some serious $$s.It's a matter of perspective.

A 2009 Colnago Extreme Power or C-50, with Campagnolo Record and expensive wheels, can easily cost $10,000-$12,000. Try selling it a year after purchase, and you'll find that it has depreciated at least $3,500, even if it hasn't been ridden; probably a lot more ($5,000-$7,000), if the economy is bad. Look at this thread (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=58851) for an example of what I'm talking about.

The 1972 Colnago Super, provided that it's ridden lightly or not at all, is going to be worth about the same amount in a year or two (depending on the economy, of course). There's no automatic depreciation as with the new bike.

[fiamme red]

Those pictures are amazing -- instantly enhance the value of any bike. But what's the big woop about this one? Was the Super of the early 1970s a fundamentally different beast than the Super of the 1980s that was lower in the line? I had a mid-1980s one not long ago and it was a fine riding vintage steel machine, but not mind-blowing. I bought the frameset for $225.Colnagos from before the bike boom of the mid-'70's are much more valuable than the later ones, because of their relative rarity.

Besides, some of the components (e.g., the Pirelli tires) on this bike are extremely hard-to-find in show condition.

This is what the seller wrote (http://velosniper.blogspot.com/2008/11/1972-colnago-super-58-c-c-w-campagnolo.html) about it when it failed to meet the BIN price last year:

"Sign of the times me thinks. I think I got it below market due to lousy photos by the seller, and plain good luck. I was offered substantially more than what I paid immediately after the auction. I think this bike, in its present improved condition, is worth at least $4.5K, but obviously the market disagrees, so I'm very happy to hang on to it until the market rebounds (i.e., indefinitely)."

[torquer]

Interesting, even at this price, the seller notes "Regina Oro freewheel and chain - NOT INCLUDED, but easy to find on eBay." :confused:
That bike is flat-out gorgeous, and if I had the bucks I would spend 'em. (Hey, the kid's going to a state college in September, and retirement's still a couple years off! Just a matter of explaining it to the wife. :no: )

I might be able to find a FW in the parts bin, so that only leaves a chain and 35 benjamins to go...

Anyway, speaking of missing components, why leave off the pedals? I know bikes these days are sold sans pedals because of the proliferation of clipless systems, but wouldn't a period-correct '70s restoration need a set of contemporary pedals, which were pretty much one-size-fits all. I guess the toe clips came in S-M-L, so I could see leaving them off, but this bike looks naked without a nice pair of quills.

[bronk]

I thought bikes were built to be ridden. That prissy boy looks like it was born with a silver spoon in its mouth, grew up in a prep school, inherited his dad's business and never had to work a day for a living.

We wouldn't have anything in common to talk about.

I prefer a bike that has a few battle scars and has hugged the toilet bowl in his younger days after a late night of drinking.

[texbike]

I prefer a bike that has a few battle scars and has hugged the toilet bowl in his younger days after a late night of drinking.

That is why this bike is worth so much. Most Colnagos of this era have been flogged and beaten to death. They were a rare item to begin with, but are even tougher to find in this kind of original condition (this bike has its original paint and chrome). The demand for mint, original examples far exceeds the supply available. Now it is just a matter of finding the price equilibrium point on the supply/demand curve. :)

Nice bike, btw!

Texbike

[11.4]

I had a '73 Super, identical except in white and with better millwork on the components. I rode it for several years, sold it during a period of extended injuries, and have always been looking for another (this one is not my size). I have to say that it was the best riding frame I've ever owned and I've had Masis, Confentes, later Colnagos, Sachs, Spectrums, Pogs, Rickerts, Cinellis, a Crumpton, Meltons, Eisentrauts, you name it. Hands down. I don't know what he did, but Ernesto was building some wonderful frames back then. I asked a couple of the finest builders to reproduce the frame, down to the double-tapered seat stays, exact geometry, matching tubing, etc., but never quite got it back again. People like to talk about the great days of Masi or Pogliaghi, but I'll take my Colnago again. The closest I came to it was a Confente track frame, which is hard to compare. I couldn't say that the fit and finish were overall as good as a top framebuilder today, but the detailing was still superb in the style of the day -- extensive lug feathering, very fine cutouts, etc. And it rode marvelously.

The same bike will ride differently for different riders -- some will love and others hate the same frame. But if you are willing to pay $5000 or $9000 for a frame to get a good ride, there is some justification for this. After all, you could pay $16,000 to get Confente decals on a comparable frame, and having owned both I can tell you they were comparable in build quality and ride.

[goonster]

it was the best riding frame I've ever owned
That's a heck of an endorsement. :cool:

Goes to show that the really special ride can't be determined "on paper", and sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone.

[max_powers]

the bike is a 58cm c-c. Handlebars are 38cm c-c.
And he slides in that the Regina fw and chain are not included

But best photo shoot for Bike I have seen.

Something is wrong here, yes the price

[goonster]

the bike is a 58cm c-c. Handlebars are 38cm c-c.

Weren't narrow bars fairly standard for that era?

BQ tested a largish '57 Cinelli that also had very narrow bars, IIRC.

[Steelhead]

Beautiful bicycle. I grabbed one of the photos and it is now my desktop background. :)

[Rueda Tropical]

Lot's more bike porn at the sellers web site:

http://www.raydobbins.com/