Yes. I visited Velo Sport bike store in Berkeley, CA in summer 1971 when they had just received their first batch of Colnagos. I remember at least clubs, spades, and diamonds in lugs and fork crowns, not just the suits stamped into fork blade reinforcements. I have seen a diamond-cutout Colnago since then, about five years ago. The Velo Sport bikes had long Campy dropouts with all edges filed square, had 120mm rear axle spacing and needed long brake calipers with standard nuts--except for the filed, eyeletless dropouts they had none of what are now considered the "standard" brazed on fittings for steel frames. Can any East Bay residents on the list confirm this; are there any of these bikes still running around with original finish? Oh, yeah, the decals had a ring around a white field with the clover a small feature on the field; the clover hadn't become the dominant symbol of the brand yet.
David Feldman
David Feldman
> Scott Smith wrote:
>
> >Phil,
> Should be, I agree. But this is clearly a spade and
> not a clover.
> Let's call a spade a spade.
>
> Any other Italian use the spade. Paletti?
>
> Scott Smith
> LA<
>
>
>
>
> I vote for a Colnago. In the very early days, Colnago used
> other card suit symbols besides the club. I've been told
> (but I've not seen one yet), that early Colnagos had clubs
> *and* spades pantographed and stamped into parts and frame.
> But that must have ended by 1972 or so? Surely someone
> here's seen one...
>
> Charles