Just returned from France after nearly eight weeks away...a much-needed break... but I never did get to spend the week or so that I had planned on spending in Lyon looking for a few Reyhands, Charrels, Sablieres and Longonis . However if all goes to plan I shall be back there in early July.
Nevertheless I did not come back entirely empty handed and amongst a car full of stuff such as a couple of constructeur randonneurs from around Nice, one of Lucien Aimar's personal Bernard Carre-built frames, I brought back an early Colnago Super and a Helyett that is claimed to have belonged to Anquetil from the 59 - 60 period when he rode for the Helyett-Leroux-Finsec-ACBB team. It has very good provenance. However for the time-being I am looking for info on the Colnago - a marque about which I read much but know very little although I sem to be amassing quite a collection.
I have read in the CR emails about the lack of a coherent frame-numbering system for this brand..and know of its poor quality enamels, chrome-plating and transfers. Well... my frame suffers from all these problems..although it did not have much chrome at the outset. when new.
The frame is devoid of decals but does have the trefoil in the fork crown, along with COLNAGO, as well as in the lower head lug and under the bottom bracket. The original paint finish is a light metallic green much like the one used by Falcon Cycles in the Uk in the late 70s and early 80s.
However the frame does benefit from the number 15 stamped clearly in the leading edge of the lower jaw of the gear-side rear drop-out. The same number is also stamped on the fork column.
I doubt whether this number 15 will mean that the frame is the fifteenth produced by Colnago, but I would be grateful if any of you Italian cognoscenti on the List could cast a little light on the significance of the number.
Oh..another Italian gem that I brought back..most unusual of me to spend my hard-earned Euros on Italian machines..is a an early 80s OLYMPIA...a brand that I gather from the List..is Italy's second-oldest brand. It really is a gem with internal cable routing for the rear brake and both the front and rear mechs.
Any help, information or advice would be very welcome...particulary as I have another early Colnago Super, numbered 43.
Norris Lockley
Settle UK