I lso don't recall the term "Mexico" applied to these cranksets back in the day.
Regarding literature from the period, my OLMO catalog, which has the OLMO Competition "C" Titanio (referring to Campagnolo's SR grouppo with Ti components) calls the Mexico'd crankset it came supplied with as "Campagnolo Super Record elaborated and relieved."
Eric Elman
Somers, CT
> << I'm curious as to whether Mexico cranks were an officicial Campy
> modification or a mod.
> which could be and has been undertaken by any skilled metal worker?
> Does anyone know the whole story? >>
>
> Don't know the whole story, but "Mexico" cranks were for sure an invention
> of words of Ernesto Colnago, this to celebrate his somewhat unsung victory
> with Eddy Merckx's hour bike (See references in the archives to Colnago
> being robbed of the glory with Windsor decals being appliede to Ernesto's
> special bikes.)
>
> Mexico cranks etc were definitely not an official Campagnolo deal...
> Campagnolo officially frowned on these customized parts as the carving
> away of components reduced the reliability of these items...
>
> Who exactly performed the after market operations on the brakes & cranks?
> (I think those are the only items treated in the Mexico fashion?) I guess
> there was a number of after market specialists that the makers could send
> parts to. I am sure it must have been with some chargrin when Colnago saw
> other Italian companies use the "Mexico" designation for their similarly
> machined & polished items..
>
> Or did they? It may be just us using that wording. Did other makers avoid
> that term "Mexico"? Now that I think back to literature and brochures of
> that era, I think most other builders did not use that wording. The only
> exception that comes to mind is Ten Speed Drive describing components that
> could be bought as part of a Guerciotti bikes they imported...
>
> Dale Brown
> cycles de ORO, Inc.
> 1410 Mill Street
> Greensboro, NC 27408 USA
> 336-274-5959
> http://www.cyclesdeoro.com
> http://www.classicrendezvous.com
> Giant, Specialized, Orbea, Bianchi, Felt, Litespeed, Landshark, Colnago,
> Townie and other exotica.
> National Bicycle Dealers Association Board member
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rodney Handsfield <rhandsfield@cox.net>
> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 00:08:59 -0600
> Subject: [CR]Campy Mexico Cranksets
>
> I was looking at the Campagnolo Crankset with "Mexico" treatment at John
> Barron's excellent gallery
> site[http://www.velostuf.com/gallery.htm#CRANKSETS]
> tonight and noticed that the webs in the crank spider were not milled
> out as I have seen with other Mexico cranksets. I'm curious as to
> whether Mexico cranks were an officicial Campy modification or a mod.
> which could be and has been undertaken by any skilled metal worker?
> Does anyone know the whole story? Has anyone tried making Mexico
> cranks? Rodney Handsfield, Wichita, KS. - rode my Falcon fixie today