Not sure I'd class this sort of thing as idle conjecture. A lot of very legitimate questions can be raised about the authenticity or originality of classic bikes, even though the authenticity may later be confirmed. For example some questioned the originality of the Cinelli style fully sloping fork crown on my 1972 Falcon San Remo and the Sun Tour FD on my 1972 Follis 172. Both turned out to be original, but they did seem odd features for the bike in questions so doubts were legitimate, if ultimately unfounded.
Colnagos are perhaps more subject to such doubts than most marques because one sees a lot variation in the style and even the quality of Colnago frames, reputedly because of Colnago's heavy use of subcontractors during some periods. I think that is why I've never been a Colnago fan. My impression of Colnago was formed, for some reason, by the frames an LBS (City Cycles in Little Rock, AR) had in the 1979 to 1981 period. Those frame were, in my view, less than inspiring. I bought an ALAN Super Record instead. Probably those Colnagos were subcontractor production, and I'm sure they are lots of in-house Colnagos that are very much better, but the impression stuck with me.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> wrote:
I see nothing wrong with the Colnago currently on eBay (Item #7214102400). The auction photo of the BB shell with club/flower cutout looks like the same one on the three Colnagos I own:
The upper circle of the club/flower looks a little pinched in the photo but when I look at the cutout in my bottom bracket shells they look pinched also from the same slightly sideways (off vertical) viewpoint of the photo.
The seller also mentions it might be a repaint but that the decals are all original and no guess on the year of manufacture.
I'm kind of concerned about this kind of idle conjecture on the CR list about bikes on eBay with nothing noted other than "isn't there something wrong with this bike" and nothing factual to back it up. I'd be pretty mad if it were my bike for auction being discussed in such a cavalier fashion as to its authenticity.
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
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