Another 'help date my Colnago Super'

Hi, finally received my Colnago Super in the post this morning and was wondering if there are any experts on here that can help me date it. I think it is one of the earlier ones going by the simple clover on the fork crown, no recesses for brake bolts, and the lack of any lug cutouts.

Here are some pics:







Thanks in advance,

Joe

I would have to say this bike doesn't look like a Colnago to me. I think the forks probably are fairly early Colnago forks, but the frame has a whole lot of things wrong with it...

1) There should only be 2 cable guides on the top tube. I am yet to see a Colnago with 3 cable guides. Colnagos of the same age as your forks actually had no top tube cable guides.
2) No lug cutouts is a warning sign. Every Super I have ever seen has a trefoil cutout under the bottom bracket, and at least one other trefoil or "Colnago" stamped on it somewhere.
3) That "Colnago Super" decal on the top tube is in the wrong place. It should be on the chainstay. Early Supers didn't have this sticker. They had "COLNAGO" stamped into the chainstay. I'd say the bike has had a repaint to match the forks with the frame, and someone has bought a Colnago sticker set at some time, and slapped them on without regard to correct placing.
4) Those rounded lugs don't strike me as being Colnago-esque. A bit too pointy for Ernesto, in my opinion, and the headtube lugs also lack the "W" shaped curve typical of early 70s Colnago lugs. And it may be the picture, but I don't think Ernesto would have allowed a bike to leave the factory with such sloppy lug brazing on those headtube lugs.

I assume that the threading on both the bottom bracket and headset are actually Italian...

Sorry to tell you that. Hope you can get a refund, or else you didn't pay too much...

Hi thanks for the info, I also posted this on Classic Rendezvous and a few people on there were a little sceptical too! However the conclusion was reached that it definitely is a Colnago! A couple of members said they have the very same lugs on 1969 Colnago's. The members there also knew of a few early colnagos with no lug cutouts.

In terms of the cable guides, decals, head lug - your totally correct. It looks like the cable guides are a later addittion, the bottom headlug is a frame repair, and the paint a respray.

Thankf for taking the time to reply and hope you find what I have found out interesting.

Regards,

Joe

it looks around the same age as the colnago super on the other thread thats running. Compare yours with that one and try to draw some conclusions.

the braze ons are definite additions and the fade paint jobs is very 80'sish and not colnago style for a super, which were typically single colour met blue or red.

Perhaps, I think there are a few things that point to mine being earlier such as the lack of shifter braze ons, fork crown etc. From what I have gathered from CR I think mine dates from 1969, but possibly the early 70s.

Joe