Fake colnago?

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torjus

New Member
A guy sold this as a colnago for 60 euros, i assumed it was a fake because of the price, but bought it for fun. He bought it secondhand about 30 years ago in Germany. I would love some help with identifying what kind of frame this is. Appreciate all help, and just ask if you need any other pictures:smile: Torjus

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Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
Definitely a genuine Colnago, clover leaf cutouts in the bottom bracket shell, stamped frame parts and a good spec with some shimano 600, Campagnolo wheels etc. A bit crusty and needs some work but a great buy.
 
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torjus

New Member
Definitely a genuine Colnago, clover leaf cutouts in the bottom bracket shell, stamped frame parts and a good spec with some shimano 600, Campagnolo wheels etc. A bit crusty and needs some work but a great buy.

That’s great news! How do you recommend restoring it? Do you have any tips for removing the rust on the fork? And how do I know what are the original parts and can you say anything about the model or production year?
 
Never knew there was such a thing as fake bikes. Presumably a few stickers with a prestigious name would not fool anyone, so would not call that a fake bike. This one has a lot of what look like genuine markings, but are there others out there that have similar, but are in fact fake?

Over this way you can easily get a tri-fold bike that looks very similar to a certain well known UK folding bike, but it certainly doesn't try too deceive the buyer in any way. Just thinking aloud really.
 
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torjus

New Member
Definitely a genuine Colnago, clover leaf cutouts in the bottom bracket shell, stamped frame parts and a good spec with some shimano 600, Campagnolo wheels etc. A bit crusty and needs some work but a great buy.

That’s great news! How do you recommend restoring it? Do you have any tips for removing the rust on the fork?
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
The trade in counterfeit goods worldwide is huge. Everything from car parts to designer clothes so why not bikes too?
Down here I see lots of fake Fender guitars which look very convincing even down to stickers proclaiming made in America.
I'd be a little suspicious of this one. Where is the serial number? Never seen one with stamped chain stays like that.

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Gunk

Guru
Location
Oxford
I’d say that’s the real deal, well worth restoring. Shame it’s not got the Colnago branded Super Record groupset
 
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torjus

New Member
I’d say that’s the real deal, well worth restoring. Shame it’s not got the Colnago branded Super Record groupset

thank you for the answer:smile: Can you say anything about what it is worth restored? And what model it is?
 
Location
Essex
Where is the serial number? Never seen one with stamped chain stays like that.
Looks like a post-1981 Super or Mexico which had stamped chainstays, and were often half-chromed. Yours might have been overpainted, as the lug cutouts were often in contrasting colours, usually yellow or white.

In 1980 they started stamping the Colnago logo in the seatstay caps <tick> and the little dice-shape in the middle of the brake bridge <can't tell from photos>

In 1981 the inside of the chainstays got a long crimp on the inside to clear the tyre <can't tell from photos> and a Colnago stamp to the outside <tick>, the BB shell got the cable guides <tick> and the chainstay bridge became the little spool shape you have here <tick>, having been a short round tube previously.

With Shimano 600 Tricolor, which is a perfectly suitable match, and even with a bit of rust that's an absolute bargain - chapeau, sir!


Edited to add: Colnago frame numbers are usually non-existent for this time period. which is what adds somewhat to the mystique of 'fake' Colnagos, as a frame number database would clear things up in an instant. Generally speaking, if it's got the right cutouts and features it's probably legit. Unscrupulous sellers will sticker-up sometimes quite nice frames with Colnago decals but they'll only fool the naive, and there were a number of contemporary manufacturers who were 'associated with' or associated themselves with Colnago. In roughly descending order of legitimacy: Colner, Rauler, Saronni (the later Tecnotrat-built ones, not the original Colnago-built Saronnis which do have the right cutouts), Cornelo, Celo Europa, Vagacini, U Scannini, Loverdi and Martelly.
 
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