Angus mcCoatup

I've been offered a Colnago from an occasional contact who is clearing out a deceased relatives big, big shed. This guy knows little about road bikes.
There is a Colnago in there that I have first refusal on.
Trouble is I don't know what it is.
Stated as being 1991.
Comes with chromed lugs, forks and d/s chainstay.
Gilco tubing but only on the down tube, other tubes are normal round.
Assorted Campag running gear but that is relatively unimportant.
I can't work out what the frame is. initial thought was a Conic but they come with straight forks.
Does anyone have an idea what this might be?
Not allowed to post a photo, sorry.

Robvolz 

email me your pics at robertvolz@comcast.net

I'll help you out.
Robert

Angus mcCoatup

That's a very kind offer.
I've sent you 5 photos for you to consider.

daverup 

Here is a link to your Album,
https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/542376

You uploaded one pic before discovering they wouldn't post. You can put more in there the same way.

Angus mcCoatup

Thanks. Didn't know I could create an album.
think I've done that.
But now I can't post a link???

Angus mcCoatup

Not doing very well at this. My album seems to vary between one photo and 10 photos.
Can't quite get my head round how the system works.
Sorry.

Wildwood 

Campa on a Colnago is anything but unimportant.

Angus mcCoatup

Deffo agree on that. Cant have Shimano - ever. But the important thing at the moment is trying to identify the frame.

merziac

No worries for now, they will get moved here in due time, relax and standby.

daverup 

It is a bit confusing, but you did put more pics in there where Colnago people can see them. They would probably like more pics with better lighting, so they can tell more about your bike.

Eric F 

It's nothing. Probably not even a real Colnago. You definitely don't want it.

Also...please PM me the owner's contact information.

SurferRosa

.

jdawginsc 

Seems late 80s to me though I know very little admittedly about Colnagos. Prior to straight forks, but uses Gilco.

Looks like original paint. Wonder what the OLD in the back is.

SurferRosa

Record rd is from '90 or '91.

Mackers

You were correct all along, Spiral Conic.

Gary Fountain

I Agree, it's a Conic Total Spiral SLX frame - very nice frame.
They could have been bought with straight or curved front forks. I bought one new in 1991 and was offered my choice of front fork.

A very nice bike.

verktyg 

Angus, first question, does the bike fit you? If you intend to keep and ride a bike, a frame that's too small or too big is no bargain no matter how much it costs.

Good source for Colnago info: https://cycling-obsession.com/how-to...-vintage-bike/

This frame looks to be a late 1988 early 1989 Conic SLX Total Spiral. Colnago introduced their Pricisa straight forks about that time. From the website below: "Whilst the early model of the Colnago Conic SLX Total Spiral was shown in the catalogue with traditional curved forks, later models were shown with the new Colnago Precisa straight leg steel fork."

https://cycling-obsession.com/how-to...-total-spiral/

Also, Colnago started using this style of seat stay tops about that time. Later they switched to a cast seat lug with sockets for the seat stays.



The tubing on this frame is Columbus SLX with a special down tube made for Colnago that's larger diameter at the BB than at the head tube, thus "conical" in shape. While only the down tube on this frame is ribbed a la GILCO, crimped or ribbed top and down tubes became known as GILCO tubing with lots of variations and different tubing stickers. A quick Google search on Columbus Gilco will give the history but it started with Columbus tubing for Italian race cars.

Example of a Columbus GILCO tubing sticker.



Columbus SLX has helical reinforcements inside the end of the down tubes, at the bottom of the seat tubes and the ends on the chain stays.This combined with the conicaly ribbed down is going to have high lateral stiffness across the bottom bracket. On a smaller size frame it could have an uncomfortable ride.

I suspect that "SPIRAL" in the model name refers to the helical or spiral reinforcements in in the seat and down tubes plus the chain stays.



jdawginsc, see my response above...

Intended to offend the sensibilities of Campianistas!!!

Using a mishmash of stuff I had on hand I built my 1983 Colnago Super more or less as a Campy Free Zone when I put it together in 2006. Campy hubs and FD. The 1974 Shimano Crane RD outshifted any thing Campy made until the late 80's. The bike served me well until I sold last year.



Now, get the barf bag!

Another Colnago frame I picked up in 2006, a first generation Tecnos. It was so over the top I decided to build up as an über frankenbike. I had an NOS 1987 Shimano Deore XT MTB gruppo so I used the triple cranks, derailleurs and hubs. It has a Campy seatpost and headset.



The tubing is Columbus oversized EL-OS Nivacrom that's bi-conically bulged in the center sections of the top and down tubes plus they have the GILCO ribs. Shortly afterwards Colnago/Columbus renamed the shaped tubing GILCO.



But wait, there's more....

I found this 1987 Colnago Master Ibex MTB on eBay also back in 2006. It was all Shimano Deore XT. This was Colnago's first attempt to break into the MTB market. This was the worst handling bike I've ever owned. It was so twitchy that it rode like a TT bike.

The seat is up high because I used it as a loaner.



BTW. I've owned lots of all Campy bikes and I still have about a dozen of them.

verktyg

jdawginsc 

This thing is cool no matter how large the failure. Just the "Nago" on the fork crown makes it amazing. I'd probably be suckered in if it was cheap...which it certainly would not be! Haha

Angus mcCoatup

Thanks guys. Lots of good advice there.
sorry I've not been on earlier but I didn't know we were restricted to 5 posts evey 24 hours. I'll get everything said now!!

Angus mcCoatup

SurferRosa thanks for putting those photos up for me. I know they are not the best light, but I didn't take them.
I'm promised some more tomorrow.

Angus mcCoatup

Mackers thank you for confirming my initial thoughts. I wasn't aware that the forks option changed. Must have been just about the time of many new ideas taking over from age old 3 steel triangle bikes.

Angus mcCoatup

verktyg
wow. What a reply. Many many thanks.
I've not sat on the bike yet but the dimensions given are spot on for me.
My aim is to use this as a summer bike. I have carbon jobs and a basic 531 that gets used mainly on the turbo, but I'm old enough to enjoy a nice steel bike. SWMBO has stamped my pass so this is high on the agenda.

Angus mcCoatup

Well that's my allocation used up today and given the late hour I'm unlikely to be able to respond again until Sunday morning, but please keep your comments coming. They have all been useful.

verktyg 

WARNING! HIJACKED THREAD!

"NAGO": Thick paint over a poorly prepped rusty unicrown... I photoshopped the photo. I didn't pay too much for it but something I couldn't pass up. Sold it a few years back to a NAG collector for $600.

Original pic.



The NDS side showing how it "should have looked.



Interesting seat tube clamp.



1987 Colnago MTB catalog page. The Master Ibex was offered in 2 color combos and Shimano Deore XT or Campagnolo Euclid Synchro gruppos. Too little, too late just like Campy's misadventure into MTB components.



They came with an interesting Colnago bar and stem, almost slammed! Too low for off road riding.



eBay photo...



verktyg

smd4

You can post as much as you want from here on out.