Uhg, I'm so jealous. It's interesting to note that the blue model pictured has clamp on shifter cable guides. While your orange model has top brazed guides. I wonder why/what the difference would be??? Different builder's or someone asking for one or the other or just a transition?
I've got a 3 arm Campagnolo Gran Sport group that I've been trying to find a early 70's-late 60's frame set for. Obviously it would be a down grade for a frame like this but a middling Bianchi or Raleigh would be perfect for it.
Uhg, I'm so jealous. It's interesting to note that the blue model pictured has clamp on shifter cable guides. While your orange model has top brazed guides. I wonder why/what the difference would be??? Different builder's or someone asking for one or the other or just a transition?
I've got a 3 arm Campagnolo Gran Sport group that I've been trying to find a early 70's-late 60's frame set for. Obviously it would be a down grade for a frame like this but a middling Bianchi or Raleigh would be perfect for it.
The braze-ons were always an option from what I can tell. It is a bit of an odd build having some braze-on and some clamp-on bits. I researched other frames of the same era and found a few similar anomalies regarding those details that I could pretty much verify visually as having original paint (definitely examples of custom work done on repainted frames. My biggest concern were the bottle cage mounts; but again I found an example that existed on a frame with original livery. Earliest frame I have with cage mounts is a lower end '66 French Cazenave that has the threaded studs for cage mounts.
I like the GS 3 arm crankset. I have the Sport chromed steel version (tapered not cottered) which actually looks quite nice albeit a bit heavy in comparison
Having made the decision to go with the ITM cockpit, now comes the job of making it look like it belongs on that frame. I will do some hand filing to smooth things out and polish it to an acceptable finish. This should take me longer to do than anything else except if building wheels which at this point I am not doing having found that I habeca couple sets idle at this time with both having Camp. "Record" hubs.
It is interesting how most Italian builders seemed to just grab whatever was within reach when building frames to make production quota's. I've seen some interesting head scratcher's before. About the only builder's that were consistent were the bigger contract builder's like Billato. And it's surprising how many marquee's were built by contract shop's. Even Mondonico was made by a contract builder after Mauro retired in 2005.
That ITM stem is pretty cool looking. You would think they would have spent a little more time with a better casting job than that. I get they can't spend time filing every stem, but dang that's some fat flashing.
@Nothin-fancy Look familiar? This is an ITM pin from about 20 yrs later and the flashing is still quite prominent and also sharp to the degree of being able to injure yourself with a laceration. The rest of the workmanship is quite good and would compliment most any bike other than lack of finishing in that aforementioned area. It would look good on this current project with the black accents but far too new.
I should take a look at my Milremo stems, as I have one that is very similar (did Milremo did make anything?) and both might originate from the same factory. Note: I have newer ITM "Eclypse" steel stems and seat pins that are of decent quality, but I cannot seem to find much early history of the company though I know the original company closed in '00s, and name (ITM, not Italmanubri) is owned by some Asian based company.
While gathering parts for the '70 Super I thought it prudent to do the same for this '78 since most items are located together, and I need to service a few wheelsets and prefer to do all at once. Thankfully, a little easier to piece together another fairly period correct build given a much newer (8 yrs) model aside from a couple items (saddle, rims).
I'll take photos noting specific details regarding frame and parts once I get starting on it.
There prime factors regarding this frame that actually make it fairly easy to date compared to many other model years. As always, due to materials availability, product, mid-model year changes, errors, Colnago having frames made by various contract builders, etc. it is not uncommon to have differences (seems to be more in the early-mid '80s) between frames purchased or made in the same year.
This frame incorporates the Campagnolo Nuovo Record drop-out with portacatena mounting holes that was first introduced in catalog images in late 1978 (#17a Supp.). That part may have been available to builders in sometime in '77; certainly by '78. They certainly appeared regularly on frames (by Colnago and others) made in '78 through c. '82.
Another feature is the lack of embellished stay caps. "COLNAGO" was on the stays at least by 1980, but has been regularly seen on frames stated as being '79 models (possibly frames made in late '78 for '79 model year). My c. '79/'80 Super has the embellished stay caps.
Lastly, circa '78-'79 the brake bridge changed from a flanged external nut brake mount design to the Gipiemme cube type knuckle with recessed nut brake mount design. My '79/'80 has the "GPM" knuckle.
I have seen the the different brake bridge designs occurring on frames having both the plain stay caps and NR drop-out's, but I've not seen the flange style bridge on frames with embellished caps.
So given those 3 rather distinctive features and their overlapping timelines it pretty much puts this frame being produced very late '77 to early '78. I pretty much immediately defer to a 1978 model year for frames with those 3 features (plain fluted caps, flanged brake bridge, & NR d-o's) regardless of anything else (paint, decals, braze-ons) since they only coincide for about 1 year.
A bit large so hopefully someone will find it desirable, as this is one being culled from the herd. Color looks much better in sunlight!
Not much to add as I am slowly getting the ITM stem and bar polished; servicing of 4 sets of wheels for projects present and future (need a 12.5mm cone wrench for one. Screwed), overhaul maintenance on 3 riders, finishing up a concurrent project, and starting Colnago '78 Super project so slow and steady; but I want to ride the '70 on my birthday this month (and enter it in RBOTM) so time is running out!
