nomadmax 

I recently acquired an older Colnago Master to go along with my 2001 (or so,) Colnago Classic that is my every other day road bike. When I first saw this bike I was looking at private motorcycle collection that had some bikes scattered thru it. After a couple of visits I broached the subject of purchasing it and the owner agreed. It's my size (55 C to T seat tube, 54.5 C to C top tube) and hits all the right buttons as I raced Italian bikes with Italian components when a road bike had 5 cogs out back. When 6 speed freewheels came out, that was just "crazy". Anyway, I don't know a lot about Colnagos but I knew enough to buy this one. The components are Super Record, including the the hubs, rims are Mavic G40s, the brake calipers appear to be Cobalto. Bars are Cinelli 64s and the stem is an XA, which are both older as the bars are 26.4 as opposed to the repro 26.0 clamp size. Everything is original but the saddle, it's a modern reproduction. I pumped the tires and have ridden it about a 100 miles or so, I couldn't be more pleased.

I'm trying to put a date on it and I know that's tough to do with Colnagos. It has 130mm rear spacing but it also has a curved fork and according to what I've gleaned, the spacing would put it at later 80s but the fork would be prior to 86 or so? It did come with Super Record Pista pedals and clips and I put a set of Looks on it because I'm going to ride it. Now that I think about it, maybe a set of white Keo models might look a little more the part. I hate to say it, but if I start riding it a lot, I'll change the saddle to a Specialized Power Expert as it's probably the best saddle I've ridden in decades (for me). On a recent ride a younger fellow on a new road bike asked me what the "wires" were for coming out of the brake levers

Giacomo 1 

That's a real beautiful example of an early Master.

I am a bit befuddled by the non aero brakes and the handlbars though, both of which harken back to the 70's/early 80's, which is before the Master came out. I believe the earliest Masters came out in the late 80's. The earliest Masters did come with the curved fork however, so that is correct.

Then there is the rear spacing. Why would it be a 130 spread for what looks like a 6 speed cog?

I'm not picking on this bike at all, just wondering. The Master came out in so many different iterations its hard to nail down all the details. I don't think Colnago's used serial numbers so that is no help either.

I say ride the heck out of this beauty and enjoy the ride!

nomadmax 

Thank you for the reply. My guess is when the owner built the frame they were going for what they considered to be "retro". The freewheel is a 7 speed Regina. Without knowing when Colnago went from 126 to 130 I have considered that the frame may have been cold set to 130 by someone who knew what they were doing. It'll take my my Campagnolo Zonda C17 rear wheel with no spreading of the rear triangle.

Giacomo 1 

So what are your plans for her? Leave it as is or bring it up to its more modern spec?

Personally, I think its really perfect as is.

nomadmax 

I'm of the same mind on that. I do have an old Dura Ace 13-28 7 speed freewheel that I'll put on as it's a little hilly where I live and I'm just not the man I used to be. It's been a while since I've ridden a 42 x anything. I'll try and get used to the Turbo saddle again but the reality is I'll probably put a Power Pro on it. The pedals and saddle will definitely take away from the vintage look but I draw the line at my comfort. The bars and stem can stay because all I ever rode was Cinelli bars and stems. As soon as the weather gets foul I'll take everything off, clean the frame, apply frame saver and reassemble it.

IF, and that's a big "if", upgrade it, I'd probably source a chrome Colnago Precisa fork that's threadless; I have a NOS Record threadless headset hidden away. Then I'd put a complete modern Super Record 11 or 12 speed group on it and the appropriate bars and stem. The old Super Record seat post would have to stay as a tribute. But, when I look at and ride the bike I just can't see that happening.

nomadmax 

According to Laura @ Colnago, my Master is a mid 1980s model. She sent this catalog pic.

Giacomo 1 

How cool is it to be Laura! Having all that Colnago history at your fingertips. Nice! But truth be told, she probably doesn't care all that much! 😁

Spaghetti Legs 

I didn't know the Master was produced as early as that and would have said the SR components were incongruous with bike. That being said, Sper Record was still around in the mid-80's. BTW the brakes are Cobalto and have a lot of value. They were introduced about 1985-86 with the C-Record group. If you haven't ridden the Turbo saddle, give it a try, it's one of my favorites.


Nice bike!

Ride-Fly

nomadmax 

Update to my thread.

I rode this bike toward the end of the season and it became apparent that it needed some mechanical attention. I completely disassembled it, down the last nut, bolt and bearing, sprayed the frame with frame saver (on the inside) and gently took off what little surface rust that was starting in a few places and touched up/clear coated them. Late in my racing career I took a bad tumble in a race and damaged two of my lower vertebra; consequently, I can't tolerate much of a saddle/bar drop ratio. That means I had to make some changes to the bike if I wanted to do more than look at it. Combine that with the fact that I'm getting old, I needed to do something about the gearing as well.

Things I changed:

Shifters. I always used Simplex/Mavic retro-friction shifters in lieu of the stock SR units. I liked them better because they held while climbing and sprinting. I had these in the way-back box.

Quill adapter. Velo Orange that was machined down in length. I like the VO adapter best because of the "shelf" the stem sits on. It was too long ( wouldn't go down in the steerer tube any deeper) so I had a machinist friend take some length off but we re-marked the same length for minimum insertion. Currently it's at 25mm showing, I can go up to 35mm from there if need be.

Stem. Velo Orange 110mm =/- 6 degree 31.8 stem. The older you get, the more you realize you gotta do what you gotta do.

Bars. Specialized Hover bars, aluminum; Reach 75mm, Drop 125mm and 15mm rise. Not period correct but I can't even ride Cinelli 64-42s anymore.

Saddle. Specialized Power Expert saddle. When I tried one of these I immediately when out and bought two more. For me, they're that good.

Pedals. I haven't ridden with toe clips and straps since Look pedals came out; I never will again.

Freewheel. That 13-28 pie plate is what it takes for me to get up hills where I live. They aren't long, but they are steep.

Big chain ring. I had a 49T laying around, I'll probably eventually look for a 50T. This allows me to ride in the big ring longer as opposed to the 53 that came on it. I'm sure I've duplicated some gears and frankly I've never needed anything north of a 50x13.

Tires. The Conti 700x23s are what I had in stock. When they're gone I might get the retro gumwall ones.

I'll tell you now I'm the worst handlebar wrapper on the face of the earth. When spring comes, I'll have a friend wrap them with Cinelli cork. The pics aren't great but that's only because I'm a worse photographer than I am a bar wrapper. So there it is, my 2019 "new" bike that I intend to ride the dickens out of. Does it hurt that it doesn't look like my old race bikes? Yeah, but I won't see it when I'm going down the road slower than I once was but pretending I'm not

Spaghetti Legs 

That is a pretty bike. Well done!

Giacomo 1 

Still looks great and more importantly, its more rideable for you. I might very well make some of the same mods on my current build. Yeah, I'm getting older to! If the day comes you can't ride any longer, and I hope it never does, you can put it back together in the period correct look, hang it up and just admire its beauty.

And hey, its still got those weird wires coming out of the brake handles...

RobbieTunes

Very nice. Bring it to Coppi's 100th and I'll wrap the bars for you. One of the few things I do right.

Of course, it fits me, so you may want to keep it in sight during that operation. Just saying.

nomadmax 

Thanks guys Robbie this is my Coppi event bike for sure so I'll bring the cork tape! I can't wait to get it back out on the road but they already dumped salt here. I'm willing to ride my newer bike outside right now but not this one.

PilotFishBob 

Very nice indeed, your configuration turned out well. Wondering how you queried Colnago to get your identification information on your bike? I emailed them last year on mine but never heard back, it might have slipped through the cracks. If I do Coppi (still working on that but looking good) I'm thinking it's one I'd bring as well.

repechage

Nice to receive a reply from Colnago. They are not that accurate with bikes from the 70's but it seems they kept an archive from the mid 80's going forward.
I have a few- nothing this young. I like them, as I have written elsewhere I avoided the brand for decades. They are entertaining and rewarding to ride.
I would choose something else for an all day excursion, but do not have the time for that.

nomadmax 

I sent them an email from the site and got an answer with that catalog scan in like an hour. I'd try again, maybe it didn't go through. I'm looking forward to meeting the folks from here who are going to Coppi B-day.

nomadmax 

OK, I swear this bike is done.........maybe.

Every time I look at this bike/ride it (on the rollers for now) I'm reminded of two threads here. One is "What do you consider appropriate upgrades to a classic bike?" and the other is "When is a bike really done?". I guess my answers to those questions are "Whatever I have to do to be able to ride it" and "No, you're never done while in the company of other enthusiasts".

I swapped out the saddle for a white version because it went better with the pedals. That led to changing the bar and stem for a Cinelli Vai set up because it needed to match the saddle There was one unexpected surprise when I installed the Vai handlebars, they have a flair on the drops (not mentioned on the Cinelli site). They're 42cm C to C at the ends but 39cm C to C up at the hoods. The closest I ever came to riding flared bars are Cinelli Crit bars (65s maybe?) a long time ago. I've ridden it on the rollers and they aren't all bad, time will tell if I'll like them on the road once spring hits; maybe I'll be 4mph faster because of the narrow hoods If I like them I may buy another pair or two for future builds where I don't need the 15mm rise of the Specialized Hover bars. Both the stem and bars come in white or black.

styggno1

Did not see this thread until now when it was bumped.
Sometimes one can be lucky and find a VIN-number.
Have a look at this post:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...l#post19759295

I was a lucky one... As I bought the frame myself and have the reciept there was no doubt of that year. It could have been lingering in a warehouse and/but it was nice to find the VIN number confirming the year.

A note - what equipment a bike has is not a very secure way of dating a frame. Not at all actually. Frames on this level and here in Europe were sold as frames and then you got the store to equip it or you did it yourself. Both mixing and (mis)matching parts due to a lot of different reasons. Availability of a/ money and b/ parts, skill, mood and if it was raining that day - all contributed to the end result.

PS - You could get a curved fork from Colnago all the way thru the 90ies. It depended on market, customer and/or distributor wishes.

Giacomo 1 

Nope. Not yet. There is one more thing to do on this bike.

A set of tan wall Velo Flex Masters! Conti's are great rollers, and I can't blame you for riding them down to the rims, but this bike would look killer, and complete, with a set of tan walls. Of course that's just IMHO!

RobbieTunes

White bar tape plugs.


Just kidding. Fine looking machine.

Giacomo 1 

Actually... that would look pretty darn good!

nomadmax 

Good info, thank you. When I had the factory date the bike, I sent them photos of the only numbers on it; the right rear dropout. She got back to me the same day but I'm guessing the numbers on my frame aren't really a definitive "it was made on this day" kind of thing. That's Italian as they say

nomadmax 

I agree on both counts @Giacomo 1 and @RobbieTunes.

jjhabbs 

Very Pretty bike. No collection is complete without a nifty Colnago!

JJ