1972 Colnago Super Pantagrafata Road Bike

[theproscloset]

is this one for keeps or just another seo ploy then?

Which bike are you referring to? Futura or this Colnago Super?[/quote]
the super[/quote]

No the Super is not for sale. This is one of the bikes in our shop's collection. We posted it for sale for 2 days and then decided to pony up for it in our shop display.

 

[saarf]

good call

 

[lewisfoto]

Superbe bike with some lovely patina! Don't clean it up any further, in my opinion!

Would be nice if you could find some used campagnolo brake hoods that have some signs of time too. Would look a bit strange to put new and unused hoods on this bike! Always liked that more than brand new ones...

Although these are shield logo hoods so they are not original, I would go for quality repop globe logo hoods, just my two pence....

 

[torqueless]

40 years in storage? That is so sad... almost as sad as.... I dunno... putting a gold-plated Colnago in the Vatican? :evil: :shock: please take her for a spin before you put her on display again? (and maybe shift the nose of that saddle up a bit?

 

[theproscloset]

Very excited to have our Colnago featured on Cycling News today:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/ret ... ata#glance

Classic Colnago steel frame with gorgeous pantographed Campagnolo components

This article first appeared on BikeRadar.

There was a time when riders drilled holes and milled channels in components as a means of making them lighter. Eventually, these modifications also became a means of artistic expression, and few bikes exemplified this practice better than the 1972 Colnago Super Pantografata.

The Super Pantografata was Colnago's flagship road racing bike at the time. It was based on a standard Columbus steel tubed Super frameset but dressed up with a radically 'pantographed' version of Campagnolo's Nuovo Record group. This wasn't some sort of special edition that Campagnolo provided, however, but something Colnago went out and did on its own.

"There was no collaboration with Campagnolo about the decoration," Ernesto Colnago told BikeRadar through company representative Alessandro Turci. "At that time, Campagnolo did not agree to that job. They were manufactured by hand by an Italian craftsman close to Colnago. [It was] a masterpiece."

Campagnolo may not have given Colnago its blessing but the outcome was stunning. Lightening holes were drilled in the brake levers, for example, but their placement was carefully chosen so they actually added to the Nuovo Record group's already gorgeous aesthetic. Likewise, the slots milled into the chainrings reduce their weight but also turn them into rotating pieces of artwork, rather than just a consumable drivetrain item.

Shallow slots were also milled into the upper portion of the seatpost, but simple holes or slots simply would not do for the shift levers. The interiors were removed entirely, leaving just a minimal – but beautiful – outline in its place.

Even more impressive are the various Colnago logos and diamond patterns carved into several of the components. Still-visible milling marks clearly indicate that they were created by human hands, not a machine connected to a computer. Most of the modifications were embellished with various colours of paint.

The Super Pantografata wasn't just a standard Super dressed up with special parts, either. Unique identifying features on the frame include chromed lugs with holes drilled in the fork crown, while the included Silca Impero frame pumps were finished to match – complete with a properly placed Colnago logo that lines up perfectly with the one on the seat tube.

Ernesto Colnago says that he doesn't remember how much the Super Pantografata cost back then, but he did confirm that it was the top-end model for the time.

"It's very difficult to know that," he said from Colnago's headquarters in Cambiago, Italy. "Too much time [has passed] to remember. [It was] a high price bike for the early 70s – like a C60 today."

What we do know, though, is that the bike is still stunning to behold more than 40 years later. Modern bikes may offer better performance than this aging steed but few will be cherished like this one in another four decades.

 

[theproscloset]

Some photos out of the studio and in the natural light.

Note the recent additional of some NOS Campy hoods to replace the cracked originals.

 

[theproscloset]

Some more photos in natural light (photo credit Bike Radar / James Huang)

 

[conasata2]

Re:

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[theproscloset]

Studio photos with the NOS Shifter Hoods and NOS Silk Tubular Tires installed:

 

[dirttorpedo]

Someone needs to take that bike to Italy and ride it in L'Eroica.