# Colnago Mexico mid 80's questions



## bradxbv8 (Mar 15, 2011)

Hello all

Im new here, Im Brad from Adelaide, Australia, I have been looking through this website and thought that i would ask your opinion's about my Colnago Mexico road bike, which from the best of my records, i have owned since late in 1988 and still have today.

This frame i bought 2nd hand here in Adelaide, and was bought by a local rider, who went to the world junior track championships which could have been in Italy, my findings from recent internet search's is that it could have been around 1985. He bought this frame back with him and rode it around until he decided that it did not fit him properly, which was great for me as it was perfect, and as a proud 16 year old, I had my first, and only Colnago.

I was never really sure what it was to be honest, some said it was a Master, one guy said it was a Mexico, but it never said on the frame and i raced it and rode it up until about 3 years ago until i moved to a carbon bike. During my racing career i had an identical frame made, thus i had a training bike, and the Colnago for racing (which stayed clean, unlike the training bike).

Attached are a couple of photos of the bike before i had it painted by Brian Hayes (Euro Sport bikes) here in Adelaide. When i crashed the track bike in a handicap race in 1990and broke my wrist in two places, I gave it to Brian and allowed him to take his time and repaint the Colnago for me. I could not ride it anyway.

The top tube is crimped, and the tube from the head bracket to the bottom bracket is also crimped, but in an outward style, I may need to draw the profile

there are two things that I find interesting

1. I can not find a photo of such another bike with the same paint scheme as mine. ie, not chromed lugs, and with the kris/cross paint. Also, none of the other Mexico's have the paint on top of the forks, they all have full chrome forks.

2. The sticker decals were different, each letter of the world COLNAGO was a seperate sticker, not one complete decal. I would like to find if this original style decal is available anywhere, as i am again thinking that if Brian is up for it, i would again like it repainted and again stick to the original spec's.

I have seen this frame on your site, and it is about the closest that i can find
https://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=160846&highlight=colnago+mexico

I would be very keen to learn more about what i have had for over 22 years, like the exact model, year (which I had always thought to be around 1986) and basically anything else about this frame. Is it possibly some sort of rare bike, as i have never seen another one like it? 

I never plan to sell it, had it to long to let it go and i have a great deal of memories with it.

Any help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Brad


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## iyeoh (Jan 6, 2005)

Brad, 

Congratulations on that stunning bike, and my opinion is that the Mexico is the best frame that Ernesto Colnago ever made. If you were to give me a choice between your Mexico and a modern carbon frame, I would pick that Mexico each and every time. Your bike is precious and irreplaceable. Treasure it. And don't repaint it! It's valued a hell lot more even if rusted with original paint than with a repaint. I've ridden Colnagos for about 33 years now, so I like to believe I know a thing or two about steel Colnagos. Have fun with it!


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## tmluk (Sep 19, 2005)

I am another Colnago steel frame fan. The 5th picture shows that the right chain-stay has "COLNAGO" stamped on it ... am I correct?

By the way, I think you already had the frame re-painted because the 1st picture has decals and all others don't.

Could you draw the cross-section profile of the main tubes.
Master frame has top, down and seat tubes all profiled ... crimped.


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## bradxbv8 (Mar 15, 2011)

Hi guys and thanks for your comments
Yes, I had it repainted in around 1990, and Brian did a great job of replicting the paint work. I never could find the origonal stickers, and used the Colnago stickers that were available at the time.
I will get it out on the weekend and take some new photo's of it, those first pics are scans of 20 year old photos.
I will also draw the cross section of the down tube, the seat tube is not crimped in any way.
Regards
Brad


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