A history of the iconic COLNAGO SUPER racing bicycle.
Updated: 08/14/2024
1968
- "Super" decal on chain stay
- Columbus SL tubing
- Fork crown semi-sloping, curved front and back with two holes in the points at each side
- Fork tangs wide, no cutouts
- Club cutouts in all three lugs (sometimes one added on underside of upper head lug)
- Bottom bracket shell with drilled holes (eight in circle plus one in center)
1970
- Fork crown semi-sloping, flat front and back with two holes in the points at each side or very rarely, fork crown semi-sloping, curved front and back with two holes in the points at each side and with clubs in top
- "Eddy Merckx" style fork crown used in very rare instances
- "Playing card" club decal graphics. The Colnago Ace of Clubs logo was inspired by 1970 Milano-Sanremo victory in March by Michele Dancelli. Sanremo is The City of Flowers and the Ace of Clubs is known as the Ace of Flowers in Italy. Note that before Milano-Sanremo the club-shaped lug cutout was not a Colnago logo but only a club-shaped lug cutout. Using one of the four card suits, Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts or Spades for the lug cutouts was common with Italian frame builders.
1970 October
- Eddy Merckx' first Colnago (October 1970), no chrome, supplied with fork crown semi-sloping, curved front and back with "C" and club in top of crown and two small clubs in the points at each side and head lugs with four small clubs in the sides
1971
- Fork crown semi-sloping, flat front and back with two holes in the points at each side and clubs in top
- Fork tangs narrow, no cutouts (rarely no tangs)
- Club cutouts in all three lugs but club in lower head lug is now larger
- Hole in lower point of seat lug (last year)
- Bottom bracket shell with club cutout
1972
- Black Club/COLNAGO decal on head tube/seat tube (two seat tube Worlds bands) and COLNAGO on down tube
- Fork tangs with two holes (rarely three hole tangs or no hole tangs or no tangs)
- Derailleur cable guide braze-ons top of bottom bracket shell
- Water bottle braze-ons on down tube
- Super Pantografata model introduced; chrome head lugs (1972 and 1973), pantographed components
1973
- Wreath seat tube decal with Worlds band at top and bottom
- Fork crown with clubs in top but no holes in each side
- Fork tangs with club cutouts (rarely two hole tangs or no tangs)
- Club cutout in lower head lug only
1974
- Shifter braze-ons on down tube (available as option before this)
1975
- Diagonal Worlds band added behind black Club/COLNAGO head tube decal
- Diagonal Worlds band with yellow Club/COLNAGO head tube decal used for one year
- Vertical COLNAGO seat tube decal with single diagonal Worlds band at top
- Top tube brake cable guide braze-ons, always two instead of customary three (an option before this)
- Mexico model introduced; Columbus KL 4/10 Record tubing, Mexico identified by lack of chain stay indents for tire and chainring clearance
1976
- Fork crown with COLNAGO added to clubs on top
- Short Campagnolo or COLNAGO dropouts
1977
- Fork crown with shallow triangles cut into back (no recessed brake bolt)
1978
- Fork crown for recessed brake bolt with shallow triangles cut into back
- Brake bridge for recessed brake bolt
1979
- Gold Mexico model presented to Pope John Paul II
1980
- Fluted seat stay caps engraved COLNAGO and straight seat stays (no longer biconical shape)
- Brake bridge with square boss for recessed brake bolt
1981
- Chain stay bridge is spool shape (no longer tube)
- Chain stays stamped COLNAGO on sides, long stiffening flutes inner-side of chain stays and right chain stay chromed
- Derailleur cable routing on underside of bottom bracket
1982
- Superissimo model introduced with chrome head lugs and new decals
- New decals introduced with Worlds stripes at one end of white panel and club at other end of panel
1983
- Nuovo Mexico model introduced with chrome head lugs, fork, seat and chain stays and crimped top tube
- Sloping aerodynamic fork crown
1986
- Superissimo model using SLX tubing with helicoidal ribbed reinforcements is introduced (SLX stamp on right rear drop out)
Notes:
Year dates are approximate; changes might have occurred the end of one year or the beginning of the next for example. Paint schemes, panels, decals and chrome varied according to how importers spec'd their frames, so this all varied considerably and there are anomalies. Dates and details based on the Classic Rendezvous archives, the Wool Jersey Gallery, and Colnago and Bikcology catalogs.
Serial numbering only started for Colnago on USA-bound bikes when the CPSC started requiring tracking, etc. West Coast Cycles was importing Colnago at the time and the serial numbers started for their product. There is still no way to determine manufacturing date by the numbers, except that they are 1979 or later....
I would greatly appreciate any assistance you the reader can offer in updating this timeline as this is the only way the accuracy of this timeline can be improved. Chuck Schmidt
