# My new old Colnago International



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

First, check out this thread about my Guerciotti.

I've been a fan of Colnago since about 1980 when I was still in middle school. I have never owned a Colnago. Until now. Recently, I got a buddy of mine into road biking and he kept asking me what I considered to be top of the line. My response was, "Colnago!" He just bought his second Colnago (his first was a very nice blue Colnago Dream B-Stay that we built up but he sold when he fell in love with the Bianchi Coast 2 Coast. His second one is a new steel Colnago Master Light frameset that he is building right now). He made a comment that I should stop messing around and get what I really wanted so we found this 52cm Colnago International on eBay and I bought it. It didn't help that the Guerciotti was a touch too small for me. I applied Frame Saver to the frame and fork then took all of the parts off the Guerciotti, except for the headset, and installed it onto the Guerciotti. Because the Guerciotti is blue and the Colnago a light burgundy, I swapped the blue saddle and blue tires with my other road bike (black for both). The frame was brand new, partially built up then torn down again then sold to me. It has never been ridden and was in outstanding shape when I received it.

I hope you like it.

The components on the bike are:
Cinelli 1A stem, 90mm (soon to be a 110mm 1R stem)
Cinelli Mod 64-42 handlebar
Campagnolo '00 (or so) Chorus headset
Campagnolo '89 Chorus brake levers routed in aero mode
Campagnolo '89 Chorus Monoplanar brake calipers
Campagnolo '89 Chorus downtube shift levers
Campagnolo Chorus braze-on front derailleur
Campagnolo '89 Chorus rear derailleur
Campagnolo '06 Centaur CT crankset
Campagnolo Chorus (???) bottom bracket
SRAM PC971 chain
Look Keo Classic pedals
Cane Creek Volos TI wheels (with Shimano cassette body)
Shimano Dura-Ace 12-25T 9-speed cassette
Continental tires
Colnago aluminum water bottle cage
Forte brand white handlebar tape (I have a white Velo-Orange elk skin handlebar wrap ready to be installed but I want to work out the fit, first)
Titec seatpost (with an American Classic silver seatpost on its way)
Fizik Aliante Carbon/carbon saddle

I've only ridden it about 100 yards so far trying to adjust the rear derailleur to shift nicely. I plan on riding it more this weekend.


----------



## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

That is a sweet looking neo-retro ride! Love the monoplanars! I'm assuming friction shift?
Cheers, D


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Thanks!

Yes, monoplanars. No, indexed. The index ring is an 'A' 7-speed. There's a huge gap between the first and second clicks (between the smallest and second smallest cogs) so I held the ring in a vice and and cut a notch in there next to what is now the third position detent. I also cut an extra notch at the end of row of detents making this ring have 9 detents. I then had to do some creative cable attachments to the old rear derailleur to get it to work right. Shifts like a dream to every cog except that it rattles when it is on the largest cog. I'll take it out and cut the detent a little further over so that I can get that to work better. This is an early A-B Chorus rear derailleur in the B position.

New pictures as I changed the stem to a black 100mm 1R and changed the Forte white cork tape for white Velo-Orange one-piece leather bar wrap.


----------



## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

very VERY nice!! Curious why you switched the stem to black? Was it the size difference for better fit only?? If so you might beg Toomanybikes to go into his stash for you 

b21


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Thanks!

Yes, I put that stem on there because of fit. I have three Cinelli stems at my disposal: 90mm (1A), 100mm (1R), and 105mm (1A). With the 90mm stem it felt too short. The 1R was new and unused so I decided to use it. It's absolutely gorgeous as it was essentially brand new and unused. I suppose that I could have used the 105mm but it is a bit beat up from use (and the previous owner used a big screwdriver to spread it to get it onto or off of a handlebar some time ago). I think the black stem compliments the black saddle and black Colnago water bottle cage.


----------



## edmundjaques (Dec 29, 2005)

Squidward said:


> First, check out this thread about my Guerciotti.
> 
> I've been a fan of Colnago since about 1980 when I was still in middle school. I have never owned a Colnago. Until now. Recently, I got a buddy of mine into road biking and he kept asking me what I considered to be top of the line. My response was, "Colnago!" He just bought his second Colnago (his first was a very nice blue Colnago Dream B-Stay that we built up but he sold when he fell in love with the Bianchi Coast 2 Coast. His second one is a new steel Colnago Master Light frameset that he is building right now). He made a comment that I should stop messing around and get what I really wanted so we found this 52cm Colnago International on eBay and I bought it. It didn't help that the Guerciotti was a touch too small for me. I applied Frame Saver to the frame and fork then took all of the parts off the Guerciotti, except for the headset, and installed it onto the Guerciotti. Because the Guerciotti is blue and the Colnago a light burgundy, I swapped the blue saddle and blue tires with my other road bike (black for both). The frame was brand new, partially built up then torn down again then sold to me. It has never been ridden and was in outstanding shape when I received it.
> 
> ...


Nice one: I had to look twice, it almost looks like mine - Cinelli stem,bars and all. Mine is all period Campag, the whole bike acquired in mint and orignal condition. I always think it looks just like the one on which Saronni won the World's. But.................. ( and it's a big one )........ mine isn't a brilliant ride. OK in a straight line on the level - comfortable and reassuring etc. but lousy on a climb or any distance. Mine is definitely too highly geared but also feels very heavy and ( this is an insult to a Colnago) sluggish. But it looks absolutely fabulous. The red and chrome must have been the ultimate back in (?) 1986 and I cannot ever contemplate selling it. ( I have several other stable companions.) I have this vague and clearly insane plan to ride it on the L'Eroica.. My only excuse at the moment is that I don't have a DelTongo jersey. It's a masterpiece like almost all Colngos. Don't ever sell it, you will regret it for ever.


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Thanks!

Here's another picture of the bike from the front end.


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I took new pictures of the bike earlier today.


----------



## Quattro_Assi_07 (Jan 13, 2006)

Squidward said:


> I took new pictures of the bike earlier today.


Beautiful bike. May I ask why the last picture shows the leather being replaced by the Fizik wrap? Not that there is anything wrong with that.  I use that wrap on all of my bikes...


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Quattro_Assi_07 said:


> Beautiful bike. May I ask why the last picture shows the leather being replaced by the Fizik wrap? Not that there is anything wrong with that.  I use that wrap on all of my bikes...


Thanks!

The Velo-Orange buffalo leather wrap bruised way too easily. I don't ever recall laying the bike down on the ground in such a way that I would have bruised it, let alone dropping it onto the ground, but it had a few bruises after about 9 months of use and it just plain looked bad. The white leather also trapped dirt and could not be cleaned so I gave up on it. The Fizik bar wrap has been great so far.


----------

