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)