Retro Bicycle Thread

[quintonb]

New addition to my family. 1983/4 Colnago Mexico, in original condition and it's immaculate. 2 or 3 small chips but in prestine condition for its age.

[Eppie]

New addition to my family. 1983/4 Colnago Mexico, in original condition and it's immaculate. 2 or 3 small chips but in prestine condition for its age.

Man that is beautiful, I am envious.

[Loose cog]

New addition to my family. 1983/4 Colnago Mexico, in original condition and it's immaculate. 2 or 3 small chips but in prestine condition for its age.

Lekker, thumbs up!

[HeyYou]

New addition to my family. 1983/4 Colnago Mexico, in original condition and it's immaculate. 2 or 3 small chips but in prestine condition for its age.

 

Man, that is lovely.

 

BUT  .... taken from CLASSIC VINTAGE WEBSITE

 

This is about a piece of cycling history - a Colnago Nuovo Mexico from 1983.

The Colnago Nuovo Mexico model was produced just in 1982 and 1983 before the Colnago Master was released.

As the previous Colnago Mexico, the frame and fork are made of very light Columbus SL steel tubes. The top and the down tubes are crimped: the Nuovo Mexico particularity. The paint of this bicycle is a very typical one, the so called Saronni Red - a deep red color with metallic effect.

This Colnago Nuovo Mexico is built with an original Campagnolo Super Record groupset with many pathographed parts: shifters, crank arms, chain ring and stem.

If you are looking for an authentic hand-made vintage bicycle, do not search further! Love at first sight!

 

http://www.steel-vintage.com/colnago-nuovo-mexico-classic-bicycle-1983-detail

[quintonb]

Man, that is lovely. BUT  .... taken from CLASSIC VINTAGE WEBSITE This is about a piece of cycling history - a Colnago Nuovo Mexico from 1983.The Colnago Nuovo Mexico model was produced just in 1982 and 1983 before the Colnago Master was released.As the previous Colnago Mexico, the frame and fork are made of very light Columbus SL steel tubes. The top and the down tubes are crimped: the Nuovo Mexico particularity. The paint of this bicycle is a very typical one, the so called Saronni Red - a deep red color with metallic effect.This Colnago Nuovo Mexico is built with an original Campagnolo Super Record groupset with many pathographed parts: shifters, crank arms, chain ring and stem.If you are looking for an authentic hand-made vintage bicycle, do not search further! Love at first sight! http://www.steel-vintage.com/colnago-nuovo-mexico-classic-bicycle-1983-detail

Correct, the nuovo Mexico had the crimped tubes, the Mexico was pretty much a super. The only difference is the the Mexico had "colnago" stamped in the chain stays. The components that came off the bike were Pat. 84.

[HeyYou]

Now you have me confused!

 

Steel Vintage shows almost the exact same as yours, stamped chain stays alles, which they describe as a Nouvo Mexico!!!!!!

 

That suggests, assuming they know what they are talking about, that yours is 82/83 and quite rare   .... same as mine!

Edited May 9, 2015 by HeyYou

[Loose cog]

There is a lot of confusion about the Gilco crimping and even some Super's were crimped. Lovely bike and now begins the hunt for some Nouvo Record parts. I think I saw a pan to crank being advertised at big bucks!

[Loose cog]

This morning a parcel arrived at the door!

The restoration has begun. About to get these Record hubs laced to some NOS Nisi Toro's

[javadude]

Cool video. 1987 Was an awesome year for Stephen Roche. 

 

[HeyYou]

Cool video. 1987 Was an awesome year for Stephen Roche. 

 

 

Five weeks to EROICA BRITANNIA!!!!!

 

I'm riding a Willie Marx made Columbus slx, Shim 600 Tricolour equipped beauty.

 

My son is riding my Guerciotti Record, 105 equipped.

 

100 to 1 on my son's waiting for me on every hill!!!!

 

YoooHoooooo

[Ryanpmb]

Five weeks to EROICA BRITANNIA!!!!!

 

I'm riding a Willie Marx made Columbus slx, Shim 600 Tricolour equipped beauty.

 

My son is riding my Guerciotti Record, 105 equipped.

 

100 to 1 on my son's waiting for me on every hill!!!!

 

YoooHoooooo

 

What an experience to share with your son. Enjoy.

[Cippo]

From what I have researched on Mexico's they all had a crimped top tube and the downtube was in the shape of a four leaf clover if you can call it that shape. The Super only had crimped top tube. I may be wrong. This is my Mexico which I found in a general bike shop. It is very scratched but the frame is straight.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Cippo

[Loose cog]

From what I have researched on Mexico's they all had a crimped top tube and the downtube was in the shape of a four leaf clover if you can call it that shape. The Super only had crimped top tube. I may be wrong. This is my Mexico which I found in a general bike shop. It is very scratched but the frame is straight.

Earlier models of both the Mexico and Super were not crimped (Gilco) and only a few Super models came out with crimped tubes. Looking at the colour scheme of your frame I would estimate the age at early 90's. I am no expert though so don't rely upon my information.

[Cippo]

Earlier models of both the Mexico and Super were not crimped (Gilco) and only a few Super models came out with crimped tubes. Looking at the colour scheme of your frame I would estimate the age at early 90's. I am no expert though so don't rely upon my information.

Thanks LG. I think the Mexico's ended in 80's. I could be wrong.

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colnago

 

Mexico (1970s and 1980s) Columbus steel tubing. Identical to Super but with lighter gauge KL (Record) tubing in place of SL/SP and chain stays are not crimped. Named in honor of Merckx's hour record ride in Mexico City.

[quintonb]

From what I have researched on Mexico's they all had a crimped top tube and the downtube was in the shape of a four leaf clover if you can call it that shape. The Super only had crimped top tube. I may be wrong. This is my Mexico which I found in a general bike shop. It is very scratched but the frame is straight.

I would put this frame somewhere near the mid to late '80's.

I think it was '87/88 that Colnago replaced the word "Colnago" stamped in the seat stay and replaced it with the "Clubs" logo.

Some info on the Supers http://www.velo-retro.com/colnagotline.html

Edited May 14, 2015 by quintonb

[HeyYou]

From Ray Dobbins

 

Seems like no one really knows!!!

 

ca. 1978 - 1980 ?

Colnago Catalog

 

These scans are from Mark Bulgier's site.  I ran them through Photoshop to lighten them a little, and I resized them to fit the page.  I also reorganized the order of the pages - I grouped the Mexicos and Supers and I put them before all the other pages.

I think the catalog is from no earlier than 1977 because:

1.  All of the frames use the newer style of head tube decal, which combined the "Asso di Fiori" (Ace of Clubs) with World Championship stripes.  It is my understanding that this style of decal came out around 1977 or 78; and

2.  All but one of the frames have the more modern recessed-nut brake mounting (I don't think Colnago used recess-mounting before 1977).

I also think this catalog is from no later than 1981 because:

1.  All of the frames except one use clamp-on front derailleurs (braze-on front derailleurs were introduced in 1982 according to Chuck's Campy Timeline); and

2.  Six of the nine frames still use over-the-bb cable routing (this catalog seems to be from a period of transition as to gear cable routing).

If anybody has a fix on the date of this catalog, or can narrow it down some more, please let me know, because this is very important stuff

UPDATE:  I've been told that the Colnago stamping on the chainstays, seen on two of the frames here, dates to circa 1981.  If correct, that would make this catalog no earlier than 1981.

The Mexicos

 

 

Note the "through the chainstay" gear cable routing above.

I'm not sure if this helps in dating the catalog, but this is the same kind of bike that was presented to the Pope in 1979.  Also, this bike, like several of the others in this catalog, has a 4-hole front derailleur, which was introduced in 1978 (according to the Campy Timeline).

 

 

Neither of the two Mexicos above have crimped tubes.

This black and gold Super has a front derailleur with a straight band clamp, dating it, and probably the catalog, to no earlier than 1978 (again, according to the Campy Timeline - thanks Chuck).

 

 

This Nuovo Mexico Profil may be the "missing link."  It's hard to tell because of the white pinstriping, but I enlarged the image to inspect it, and I'm pretty sure the top and down tubes are crimped.

The decals on the chainstays only identify this frame as a Mexico (not a Nuovo Mexico Profil), which may be the reason why some of us noticed that the "early" Mexicos (like the first two above), did not have crimped tubing, while the "later" Mexicos (like this one), did have crimped tubing.

Notice that the fork crown on this frameset is fully sloping; the gear cable routing is under-the-bb; and there is a braze-on tab for the front derailleur.  I believe that the Mexico bike on which Giuseppe Saronni won the 1982 World Championship Road Race was in fact a Nuovo Mexico Profil - check it out below.

 

 

My Mexico - not a part of the catalog

I've always called it a Mexico Oro, but judging from this catalog, I guess I should just call it a Mexico, as the Oro name is used only for the fully gold plated frames like the one given to the Pope.

 

I thought my frame was a 1978 (don't go by the components as they are not original to the frame), but now I'm thinking it is a later original Mexico.  Like the two gold-plated Mexicos in the catalog, my frame does not have any crimped tubes and takes a clamp-on front derailleur.  But unlike them, it has under-the-bb cable routing (like the Nuovo Mexico Profil).  Assuming that the catalog is from 1978, I would say my frame is probably a 1979 or 1980.

UPDATE:  The chainstays on my frame are not stamped Colnago, so going by the comment I received that the stampings date to circa 1981, my guesstimate as to 1979 or 1980 seems correct (so far).

Anyway, back to the catalog...

The Supers

 

 

Well, there it is, a Super with crimped tubing!  (That is crimping along the top and down tubes, isn't it?)  I always thought that only later Mexicos had it, but I was wrong.

This Super has the same paint/decal scheme as Saronni's WC Mexico.  Take the "Super" chainstay decals away, and good luck trying to figure out if you have a Super or a Mexico!

This Super has the traditional Colnago flat fork crown and uses a clamp-on front derailleur, while the Nuovo Mexico Profil has a sloping fork crown and takes a braze-on front derailleur.  The fork tangs are also different.  I guess these are things to look at when trying to distinguish between a Super and a Mexico of this vintage.  (It used to be so much easier when I thought that only Mexicos had crimped) tubing!

UPDATE:  Not surprisingly, a couple of people wrote to say that to their eyes, this Super does not have crimped tubing, that it is simply the a dark reflection.  I admit that I considered this, and went back and forth many times on my conclusion.  In the end I decided it was not just a dark reflection.  There is a dark reflection, but there is also a lighter stripe below which seems to be the result of the crimping.  But it's a tough call and I can see how someone can come to the conclusion that none of the tubes are crimped.

 

 

This is a more traditional Super, without crimped tubing, with over-the-bb cable routing, and with no chrome other than the fork crown - the chrome-like decal on the chainstay doesn't count.  It also has the paint/decal scheme which I generally associate with Supers (although it was clearly also used on Mexicos).