Fake Colnago

[Illaveago]

MBK were the remains of Motobecane and had some interesting seat stay designs

Wouldn't the threads in the bottom bracket give a clue to it's origin ? If a right hand thread on the drive side would point to continental ?

 

[biggs682]

Don't know why but reminds me of a Cilo......

Well at least it's not a Renault Clio

 

[colly]

Speaking of fake Colnago's.

I was given this bike a year or three back when I did some work on the seating of an old 1940's car a friend of Mrs Colly was refurbishing. It was his size he said but he had pretty much given up on cycling. It's too small for me even though I was hoping it wouldn't be.

Has the logo stamped on the forks, even if it looks a little less than perfect:

Internal routing for cables

It has beautiful lug work. It's chrome plated but sadly that is showing it's age. The black lable says 'Refurbished by Bob Jackson' The other sticker says 531 and it probably is.

When he got it out of his car and gave it to me I said '...but it's a Colnago' and he admitted it wasn't the real thing.
Although it's a bit care worn it does look the part complete with a Stronglight chainset and a one piece stem/bar. It really is featherlight too.
Sadly gathering dust atm.

 

[Cambram]

Shot in chainstays were not a mass produced item in the UK, only Carlton did something similar called the victor seat stays AFAIK the Raleigh / Carlton Pro had shot in stays but again not mass market.

Is the BB shell 70mm ?

Yes - 70mm

 

[Cambram]

Speaking of fake Colnago's.

Looks a better fake than mine!

Mind you Jack Ma, the Alibaba boss said in reply to question about Chinese knock-offs that sometimes the knock-offs were better quality than the originals.

 

[rogerzilla]

A "Chinarello" came up on eBay locally. Very convincing.

 

[midlife]

Yes - 70mm

70mm points towards an Italian frame, both bottom bracket cups will have a right hand thread...

 

[Cambram]

70mm points towards an Italian frame, both bottom bracket cups will have a right hand thread...

Thanks. Yes, right hand threads. Probably accounts for the red/white/green colours.

 

[Cambram]

Slow progress. I discovered that there was approximately 6" of seat tube frozen in the seat tube. Possibly burned down with a hot flame. Impossible to move, I finally got some caustic soda and gradually increasing the concentration got it to bubble away in the seat tube and carefully prising at the edges got the caustic soda to release the remainder. A piece of 8mm steel rod with a M8 thread put on the end fed down the seat tube with a washer and nut fixed. With the rod in a vice a few pulls on the frame got the remnants of the seat
tube out.

The bodger who did the original faking had obviously caused problems with the seat lug and top of the seat tube. These splits had been covered up with epoxy filler and paint. I re-brazed the seat lug and made a brass item to cover the seat tube split.
Another bodge was to Cyano the shifter bosses onto the brazed on points. Fortunately I have some unbonder and got them off.

Cleaning off the paint on the underside of the bottom bracket I discovered that it was stamped 55. When I removed the front forks the same number in the same size stamping at least shows they are the originals. The ball races are in a terrible state. How are ball races measured? Is it the diameter to the centre of the balls or the o.d. of the tube?

Now ready to repaint - either something from the stock of colours in the garage or try to match the original colour scheme? I don't know how they did the original fancy colour transition from red through yellow and two shades of green and then pearly white. I don't think that I can do it as well as the original.

I still don't know who made the frame. Someone may know. Beginning to like the frame so will get it roadworthy before using it as a turbo trainer frame.

 

[midlife]

If its a 1" headset the ball races are essentially standard. Weldtite should do them.. Neat bit of brazing

 

[biggs682]

55 stampings poss frame size ?

I have seen similar stampings on a couple of Italian frames i have sold

 

[Gunk]

I’m enjoying this, well done getting that bit of seat tube out.

 

[Cambram]

Back on the job after a bit of a diversion. Thanks for comments above. midlife - 1" ball races found and on their way. biggs682 advice looks right re the frame size. Gunk obviously dislikes bits of seat tubes as I do.

Took the bull by the horns and gave the frame a coat of white primer/undercoat applied from a rattle can.
Decided to go along - sort of - with original colour scheme. I used some Tamiya model spray from rattle cans for the red and white. I was at a loss how to replicate the green and wonder if it was a clever form of decal on the original.
As I have not been able to find out who was the frame builder I have given it a made-up name. It is pretty obvious that it is an Italian frame. I am impressed with this and my Kurmann frame that there is considerable use of plated pre-treatment and hence no rust. Not like Lancia cars! The home printed name decals say what would be said in it's native country if asked "who's frame is it".

 

[biggs682]

Nice colour scheme and fade

 

[carpenter]

I liked "nonloso", thought it was a brilliant idea - whoops! Italian works but in Galician it means "sluggish"