Capt. Nemo

Hello everybody. I aquired this bike today and thought I'd share some pics. It's a little rough but being as i got it for about 20 mins. worth of work I can't complain. Except for some cracking the paint is in pretty good shape. I think it spent some time outside as all the chrome is pretty well pitted and rusted. The brooks saddle is completely split down the middle. Judging by the club cut outs on all 3 lugs and date on the rear derailer I'm pretty sure it's a 72. Also got a pretty cool picture in the deal. Any thoughts on a proper restoration? Is it worth anything as the components are so rough?

repechage

Actually, I think it is a '71. The three lug cutouts, with the clover cutout BB shell point that way to me. It also appear repainted. The seat post is 1971-72 too. The chainring is later. If it looked more like original paint and graphics I would think the name stamped in the BB shell would indicate that it was for a particular rider. While I have not seen Colnagos this way, I have seen a Masi and Pogliaghis with the client's name stamped in.

I would send some images to Greg Softley for his opinion, while not the last word he is keen on the brand.

This bike to me is early for all the braze ons it wears.

repechage

Actually, I think it is a '71. The three lug cutouts, with the clover cutout BB shell point that way to me. It also appear repainted. The seat post is 1971-72 too. The chainring is later. If it looked more like original paint and graphics I would think the name stamped in the BB shell would indicate that it was for a particular rider. While I have not seen Colnagos this way, I have seen a Masi and Pogliaghis with the client's name stamped in.

I would send some images to Greg Softley for his opinion, while not the last word he is keen on the brand.

This bike to me is early for all the braze ons it wears.

Yes, it still has value. If the corrosion on the seat post does not extend far down, that seat post is still worth some coin alone.

spacemanz

And that Colnago pantographed chainring. I'd say you did VERY well, for 20 minutes worth of work. Congrats, & go slow on restoring it, there's no race to finish early, only to do it well.

Capt. Nemo

I wondered about the paint myself, some portions look great and others have typical cracking that comes with age. Is it the lack of decals that make it seem repainted? The name on the bb shell is LAGATA, i thought it was a s/n at first and didn't give it a second look. The only corrosion that doesn't look like it's going to clean up is on the fork crown which is a shame. If it's not original paint it's going to be stripped down, repainted, and rechromed to my liking. How does one get in touch with Greg Softley?

Capt. Nemo

Thanks. That chain ring is what i picked out under a bunch of junk when i first saw the bike.

delicious

It's story time...

Kactus

Greg has a business in Australia making reproduction bike decals... just Google Cyclomondo.

Gary Fountain

No that's one of my dreams - to find such an original Colnago. Well done.

I'm in the 'just clean it up and don't change a thing' camp. Not even the decals.

I would ask Greg Softley too.

I'm really looking forward to further updates in the future.

Vonruden

Holy smoke!!! That is awesome, enjoy that beautiful find.

rootboy 

Fantastic. Even though it is rough. Yes..please tell us the story of finding it. Seeing the chainring under all the junk is a wonderful teaser!

John E

Very nice! Reminds me of my early grad school days, when I worked part time at a bike shop (1972-1974). The shop manager bought a new Colango and asked me to take him along on a Sunday morning ride. I chose my favorite climb, Tuna Canyon in the Malibu hills of the west Los Angeles area. For those unfamiliar with it, this is a 3-mile / 5km climb with an average grade of about 12 percent.

We got past the first switchback when he said, "This is BS," turned around, and went home. I completed the climb on my humble Nishiki. ...

Drillium Dude 

Nice find for 20 minutes worth of work; we should all be as fortunate

Agreed that the post is worth a lot if cleaned up, the chainring is late 70s/early 80s panto and at least part of the frame has been repainted. Top tube cable guides and gear lever braze-ons may also have been added later.

For '71/'72, shouldn't there be two holes drilled in the outside shoulders of the fork crown? Or was that feature even earlier? And I wonder if there are two holes drilled in the fork tangs (or none at all). As far as the cloverleaf cutout in the BB shell, the pointed-base version seems to have lasted all the way up to around '79, however, later shells had windows in them at the front and rear. This has none.

Yet another example of how difficult it is to date a Colnago with any modicum of accuracy, but that's the fun of it. I wonder what the OP has in mind for this rode hard/put away wet classic? Tell us more, please

DD

gomango

Yes, please do tell us more!

What a wonderful Colnago. They seem to make such a great project, at least from my perpective.

vjp

I would think that it has been re-finished and had some braze-ons added, a Colnago this early didn't have top tube cable guides originally.

Capt. Nemo

And the story goes...
I'm an aircraft mechanic/inspector at a small airport. Driving around on the field i noticed a new guy in a hangar working on an old V tail bonanza. He also had some vintage motorcycles. My co-worker is big into old motorcycles so we went to check them out. The guy, Ed, turns out to be really cool. He's maybe 70 and has a million stories to tell. He collects Ariel square four motorycles and had 3 or four of them in the hangar. So in the back of his hangar behind some motorcyces there is a an old sheet covering a motorcycle frame and a bike. All I could see of the bike was the crank and i recognised it was campy. He saw me looking and pulled it out.

He inherited the bike from his friend named Wayne Johanssen. This guy was an avid cyclist I don't know if he race or not. He purchased the bike sometime in the mid 70's which made Ed believe it was a 75 or 76. The bike was definitely rode hard and put up wet. So from the story Ed told, this guy Wayne was cycling on a bike path on a beach here in CA at 20+ mph on a different bike. A lady was walking a dog on a leash, the dog lunged at Wayne, he swerved and went over the bars. He took a header with no helmet and passed away. Ed inherited the bike and had the one involved in the accident destroyed.

Ed wanted a new stye yoke to replace the old one in his airplane. I sourced him a very nice one and installed it. Ed knew the bike had some value and i think an LBS told him $400 without seeing it. I think he didn't want it to go to waste in the hangar so he agreed to let it go for the yoke replacement after I assured him i wasn't going to sell it.

repechage

I consider all the braze ons save the chain stay cable stop as being potentially suspect.

Now, what to do about them... I would strip the frame as Capt. Nemo has mentioned. I would remove the top tube cable guides for sure. I would leave the downtube waterbottle braze ons and think about the shift bosses and bottom bracket cable guides.
The chrome on the fork is ripe for a replate, but I would spend some effort prior to deciding where to have it plated. Chrome fork dropout faces were standard too at the time.
The transfer set I would think is correct would be the "playing card" graphic set. This is due to all three primary lugs having the cutouts and the design of the head lugs. I would also expect to see a simple round window on the front lower tang of the seat lug.
The fork crown without "drill holes" at the outside points is atypical but not without precedent.

I am assuming the bike fits you, or is close, near 6' or slightly beyond?

As to color, "Eddy" Orange or "electric blue" would get my vote.

Capt. Nemo

No drill holes on the crown that i can see. The fork tang has 2 holes with the top being larger than the bottom. No hole under the seat lug. Bottom head tube cut out is def. bigger than the other 2. I measure 22.5 inches C-C maybe slightly less which would make it a 57cm? I typically ride a 54 but the the standover on this is fine and it definitely didn't feel large on my short rides around the block, would've gone farther but the tires are very sketchy. The lack of clamp ons definitely threw me when trying to date the bike. Are the clamps for the cable guides and shifters easy to source?

Drillium Dude 

Two holes in the fork tangs is consistent with an earlier frame, and of course the lower head lug cutout is "fluffier" than the later 70s versions. As far as clamp-on shifters, they're easily sourced from Ebay, as are the cable clips. Keep an eye out for the earlier stainless steel vice chromed clips, though - better quality and you don't have to worry about the chrome chipping/cracking when you stretch them over the top tube.

I'm sure there are also people here that would be glad to assist - too bad my major stash is back in the States or I'd be offering up some assistance myself!

DD

vjp

I have a '73 Super that doesn't have the holes in the side of the fork crown, has the holes in the fork tangs, has bottle bosses and BB shell cable guides. Is it possible that this (the OP's bike) is a late '72 early '73 transition frame/fork?

Mine does have the chrome fork tips and also chromed rear dropout faces.

Capt. Nemo

That was my initial assumption as well. Now I'm not so sure.

cyclotoine

Personally, if I was going to the trouble of a full restoration on this machine and going to the trouble to remove the cable guides, I would settle for nothing less than period correct chromed clips.

Capt. Nemo

I've sent Greg Softely an email and hopefully I'll get some info. As for the restoration i was originally planning on cleaning it up and riding it. Being as it's probobaly been repainted already Im definitely leaning towards completely redoing the bike. I'm not overly concerned with being spot on period correct as it's already got a different chain ring, front skewer, and the saddle is done. I don't understand why somebody would go to the trouble of adding the braze ons when the clamps look so great.

cyclotoine

they were the new thing. and they saved the frame from corrosion. It made a lot of sense, especially if you were repainting due to corrosion. Clamp on stuff loves damage paint and promote rust. it would have made a lot of sense at the time.

repechage

You bet. In the later 80's when I repainted a bike I had from 1973, I picked up a torch and water bottle braze ons, shift bosses and moved the chain stay cable stop to under the chain stay which allowed adding a plastic BB cable guide under the shell. The removal of 4 tube clamps made cleaning up the bike that much easier. Lots of miles and lots of crud gets kicked up into the tight internals of clamps. Now, 30 years farther on, I only regret moving the cables under the BB shell. There was a small benefit of having a cable above the chain stay helping to catch chain slap. It's due for another respray, so I will leave the shift boxes and water bottle fittings for sure, the rest I have not yet decided. Bike had under the top tube cable stops so those will stay. I always liked the look of the Campagnolo top tube cable clips, they just said "race bike" back in the early 70's. A little bit of chrome jewelry maybe.

I am vexed about the three lugs having clover cut outs with all the other braze ons and in conjunction with the often observed later fork crown. There is a small chance that the name of the original client is stamped into the BB shell, if so, it would help explain many but not all of the braze ons. For me the top tube add ons are just that for sure.

I have a '73 (might be a late '72... these bikes are hard to nail down) that has water bottle bosses and BB shell cable guides, but clamp on shifters. Original paint. It has been my "go to" bike lately. Somewhat grudgingly I admit, I have lots to choose from.