Dale wrote:
Message: 18
sold already, but something's not setting right with me ...the downtube graphic, cutouts in the fork tangs, brazeons? Could it be a later, re-sprayed frame? Good money on it for the seller (who incidentally sent me a pretty nasty reply to a question I asked about dating a bike like this.)
Colnago experts, you all rode today, whaddya think?
Dale Phelps Longmont CO
+++++++++
I had a snipe bid in on this on the off-chance it went for less than it ultimately did, but no luck for me. I liked the color. The easiest way to date that frame is the fork-crown, the cutout in the head-lug and the seat-stay cap. The nature of those alone suggest mid-1970s manufacture. This was *not* made in 1972. The flower cutout in the head-lug is smaller and less "fluffy" than the one in the crown, or the one seen on the head-lug of earlier Supers. This frame is in the style of the first Mexico..and if the graphics are original to the frame it's almost certainly 1975 or 1976. By 1977 the graphics and finish details had changed again.
I too wondered if it was a high-quality repaint. The pictures were really terrible, and did not show a few things well that would have been nice to see in detail. I've never seen a Super in that pearlescent orange, but colnagos in that era came in every color you can imagine, so it's probably original paint as stated...but who knows for sure? If the seller got it from someone else, he wouldn't know for sure himself. But it certainly looks plausibly original to me.
As is the case with the 1973-1974 Supers, these 1975-1976 Supers are increasingly hard to find in good, original condition. I imagine many were made, but they were often ridden hard, and are often pretty beat. This one looked near-mint. And the size was right. So I was mildly intrigued that it went so high, but not much surprised...they're getting harder to find every day in that condition....
Charles "colnago cultist" Andrews
SoCal