Re: [CR]Help with a Colnago ID: still 1981?

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 20:33:24 -0700
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR]Help with a Colnago ID: still 1981?
References: <F218gD2yAJrXKPyQlVm00003fc8@hotmail.com>


Brad Stockwell wrote:
>
> >I don't believe '80/1 had longpoint lugs like David's has. Longpoints are
> >a '70's indicator.
>
> SEATSTAY CAPS GO FROM FLUTED TO LABELED IN 1981?
>
> On page 99 of the August 1980 issue of BICYCLING!, there was a roadtest of
> the Colnago Super written by Michael Kolin (famed co-author of the 'Custom
> Bike Book').
>
> This roadtest shows a picture of a Colnago Super with fluted seat-stay caps
> and just to put a point on it the caption below the picture states: "Colnago
> uses fluted seatstay caps, an allen key seatpost binder bolt and brazed on
> cable guides."
>
> So I'm figuring that Colnago changed from fluted-seatstay-caps to
> flat-caps-with-"Colnago"-molded-into-them (like on David's bike!)sometime
> between mid 1980 and the print date of the Summer '81 Bikecology catalog.

I have what I think is a 1981 Colnago Super. It has straight seat stays (no taper and not biconical) with _flutted_ caps with "COLNAGO" panto'd in them.

It also has the semi-sloping fork crown with flower and Colnago panto'd/cast in the top. Full chrome fork and no chrome on the frame. One clover panto'd in the lower head lug point.

My understanding is that 1981 was the first year of pantographed seat stay cap (concave) and the last year of the semi-sloping fork crown.

Chuck Schmidt
SoPas, SoCal