[CR]Porta-catena dropouts Was: ID this Italian bike?

(Example: Production Builders:Tonard)

In-Reply-To: <9327C3B25BD3C34A8DBC26145D88A90706458B@hippy.home.here>
References: <4666A33A.5080705@burlingtontelecom.net>
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 13:40:04 -0700
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Porta-catena dropouts Was: ID this Italian bike?

On Jun 6, 2007, at 11:10 AM, Mark Bulgier wrote:
> Don't know the brand, sorry. Just wanted to mention the inner face of
> the right-rear dropout has the raised land for the porta-catena hole,
> but it is not drilled (3rd picture down). I think that makes it
> later,
> after the porta-catena fizzled and they were still using the same
> forgings but stopped drilling them. Porta-catena debuted in '77 I
> believe. Anyway this points to an '80s vintage, not the early-mid 70s
> the seller estimated.

This brings up something I've always wondered about: was there a possibility that when someone like an Ernesto Colnago placed a large order for Campagnolo dropouts that he asked for them not to be drilled and tapped for the Porta-catena to get a better quantity price even before the Porta-catena was deemed a dud?

The reason I say this is because my Colnago Super which I believe to be from 1977 or 1978 has the raised land for the holes but undrilled and untapped. And I agree, I also believe the Porta-catena was debuted at the '77 Milan trade show.

Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)