Brian and CR,
Thanks for the advice. Replacing those tubes will be a consideration. I'll have to think on it for a while. It will have to wait for the availability of those decals. I do have a couple more questions about the paint. My '71 Colnago seems to have a blue candy style of paint and the decals seem to be clear coated but the individual letters seem to stand up from the surface. I admire the way frames now seem to have the decals absolutely flush with the paint, but I really like the way these decals stand up. I once took this bike on a cross state ride in '89 and camped out, the surface would turn milky in the morning dew, then shine again once the sun came out and warmed things up. Is this some kind of lacquer clear coat? Do you try to match the type of paint on a restoration? And do you try to match the way the decals stick up above the paint's surface if asked to?
I really liked the photos last week of the classic ride by Sterling Peters. I appreciate the fact that none of the riders were buffed out racer types now. I resemble that group more myself. I just made it to the Retro Ride in Baltimore Saturday. Some really pretty road bikes, mostly Italian with a couple of interesting exceptions. Marty Walsh from the list had an all Record Campy, beautifully lugged 531 frame Trek that he'd gotten at a yard sale for $100, great shape too. Another rider had a Kabuki Diamond Road, sort of a classic, special to me because he'd bought from the bike shop I was working in at the time, back around 1973 or so. I believe they were built by Bridgestone . I had my Sachs tourer. The ride which was organized by the local race club, the Chesapeake Wheelman, was represented mostly by people who were almost all racers still or retired. They were kind enough to wait for me at the top of most of the bigger hills. The ride worked out to about 30 miles and 2200 feet of climb by my Avocet Altimeter.
Happy trails, Dan Artley
Parkton, Maryland
>>> Brian Baylis <rocklube@adnc.com> 11/01/01 04:29PM >>>
Daniel,
I can't be 100% positive about this, but I suspect your Colnago may
never feel the same again regardless of which head angle and rake you
come up with. I think once bent and then bent back, the critical areas
of important tubes have been compromised.
... much cool stuff about replacing tubes ...
I think the rake of a
Colnago of that period is between 3.8cm and 4.0cm. Good luck with that
project. A 1971 Colnago Super would be a bike I would buy if I could
find one my size.
BTW, the decals for that period of Colnago will be available quite soon.
I'm sure there are a few 'nagos that need that decal set out there.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
Crashed and bent my 1971 Colnago and it was never the same after that.
Repaired by Eisentraut, but never had decals for it.
> Dan Artley, Parkton, Maryland
> lots of steep hills around me with a rail trail next to the house.