Re: [CR]Colnago SHOW bike

(Example: Framebuilders:Brian Baylis)

Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 06:06:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Tom Dalton" <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Colnago SHOW bike
To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net
In-Reply-To: <4303BD46.F4FBA420@earthlink.net>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Well, ya got me... as in, I have no idea. Looking at that bike, I assumed that it was a show special. A SHOW bike, as you said, rather than a show bike. Was the "stock" pantographica just like this bike? This thing is really over the top. Look at the cranks and rings, with all that anodizing polished off. The stem is also polished. Not really what I think of when I think of functional race equipment. If this is the same as the factory Pantographica then it's not as special as I had thought. Still, it doesn't say race bike to me. I can see an early 70's weekend warrior buying such a bike, but I have trouble imagining as serious racer on one. Were there any Colnago-equipped pro teams that used these?

You are certainly right that chromed lugs, drilling and pantographing are not unheard of on pro team bikes, but 1) I question how many were tarted up to this level 2) I pointing out that Colnago put form before function, specifically corrosion resistance, when the lugs were chromed, and the anodizing removed. This form over function approach doesn't scream "made to be ridden" to me.

BTW, if I wasn't clear, when I say "racing bike" I mean a bike with racing geometry, racing components, etc. When I say "race bike" I mean a bike that would actually get raced. A custom 7 with a giant gel seat, super-wide range DuraAce triple, 25 mm tires and 10cm of aheadset spacers may be a racing bike, but it is not a race bike.

Tom Dalton Bethlehem

Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> wrote: Tom Dalton wrote:
> (snip)
> If this was a basic racing bike, with normal NR parts, I'd say that Ernesto certainly expected it to be riden. And, in some way, that might support an argument that it should be ridden today. But this bike is not a race bike, it is a show bike. In some ways that makes it really special, and it certainly makes it rare, and in some ways that sissifies it, makes it the analog of a "pimped ride" not a racecar. Removal of the anodizing on some alloy parts, addition of rust-prone chromed lugs, all the little cutouts and drillings for dirt to build up... this bike is very form over function. For good or for bad, looking cool, not going fast, is it's raison d'etre.

Not a race bike? Many pro racing bikes over the past decades had chrome head lugs, drilled parts, pantographed parts.

This bike was a model that Colnago sold. Is it a SHOW bike or a show bike, meaning was it a one off made for displaying at trade shows or was it a Mod. Colnago Super Pantografata picked at random (or hand picked?) and shown at the trade show?

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