I'm not really a MTB rider. I'm a roadie and a trackie, and I have a bit of a penchant for Italian bikes and parts, especially Colnagos and Campagnolo. Got a few of them - all steel. and I love to ride and race them all.
I've always wanted a Colnago Mountain bike, and when Hilary Stone put one up for sale in my size, I jumped on it.
Here are the pics: Click 'em to zoom.
According to Hilary, this is a Colnago Maxim MTB Frame. It's new and unused and it dates from circa 1990.
"This frame is built from tubing that is ovalised at both the head tube and bottom bracket - I suspect it could be Columbus Max OR tubing but I do not know for certain. The paint is in excellent unmarked condition and is really a rather unusual finish. This frame is really rather rare - early Colnago MTB frames are not seen very often"
So whilst I have an approximate date, I would like to find out the exact year of manufacture, so I can do a build that will do this frame justice.
I have a complete new and unused 1992 Campagnolo Record OR groupset that I could use, but that's 8-speed, and if this is a 1990 or earlier frame, then it should be 7-speed to be period correct. No dramas there. I have a complete 7-speed Euclid groupset too which is lightly used, but I have new brakes and shifters I can mount, as well as new Campag rims.
I like to make my builds as accurate as possible, so that they look just like they would when the bike rolled out of the shop for the first time, so here are my questions for the MTB gurus out there...
1) Can anyone help to narrow down the precise year of manufacture? - All I know is it's pre-1994, as my Colnago catalogues show alloy frames from that point forward.
2) Should I build with 7-speed Campag or 8-speed? I suppose this will depend on the date stamp of the frame though...
3) Anyone have any idea what would be a correct stem and handlebar combo for a build like this. Italian brands would be preferred, although I don't even know if they were made.
4) If there are some previous threads that can help with some of this info, then please let me know.
Appreciate all your help.
I've always wanted a Colnago Mountain bike, and when Hilary Stone put one up for sale in my size, I jumped on it.
Here are the pics: Click 'em to zoom.
According to Hilary, this is a Colnago Maxim MTB Frame. It's new and unused and it dates from circa 1990.
"This frame is built from tubing that is ovalised at both the head tube and bottom bracket - I suspect it could be Columbus Max OR tubing but I do not know for certain. The paint is in excellent unmarked condition and is really a rather unusual finish. This frame is really rather rare - early Colnago MTB frames are not seen very often"
So whilst I have an approximate date, I would like to find out the exact year of manufacture, so I can do a build that will do this frame justice.
I have a complete new and unused 1992 Campagnolo Record OR groupset that I could use, but that's 8-speed, and if this is a 1990 or earlier frame, then it should be 7-speed to be period correct. No dramas there. I have a complete 7-speed Euclid groupset too which is lightly used, but I have new brakes and shifters I can mount, as well as new Campag rims.
I like to make my builds as accurate as possible, so that they look just like they would when the bike rolled out of the shop for the first time, so here are my questions for the MTB gurus out there...
1) Can anyone help to narrow down the precise year of manufacture? - All I know is it's pre-1994, as my Colnago catalogues show alloy frames from that point forward.
2) Should I build with 7-speed Campag or 8-speed? I suppose this will depend on the date stamp of the frame though...
3) Anyone have any idea what would be a correct stem and handlebar combo for a build like this. Italian brands would be preferred, although I don't even know if they were made.
4) If there are some previous threads that can help with some of this info, then please let me know.
Appreciate all your help.