Colnago Super 1981 rebuild

[4th in the devil]

Great looking bike. Whilst nuovo or super record is essential if you want the Freddy Maertens look, the equipment you have is period correct for what most people in Britain were racing on in the 80s unless you were a pro or were rich!

A lot of people used track pedals back in the 80s as they offered more ground clearance. The road pedal had the extra quill bit on the outside which meant more chance of grounding the pedal when pedalling coming out of a corner - particularly important in criterium type races.

Derek

 

[hernehill69]

Thanks Derek, I know what you mean...
I used to suffer from Campag envy terribly back in the 70's!
All that NR and SR stuff and all I could afford was Grand Sport at best and in some cases supposedly inferior UK or French alternative.
Still it made me feel better when they still couldn't beat me in the races!
Dave

 

[hernehill69]

After much humming and hahing I have decided to rebuild the bike so that it at least looks like Freddy Maertens 81 version even if it is not the exact spec. So mostly NR/SR plus the Colnago branded/modified items that you can see in the pictures.

I was lucky enough to find a Contrex water bottle in France and am now after the other slightly special bits like the brake levers and pedals. I'm still not building a replica more of a 'look-a-like'. So I have added brown brake hoods and orange tape to my list as well....

I keep reminding myself that doing the research and sourcing the parts is half the fun...!
Dave

 

[Rich34]

Lovely... Look forward to seeing the finished product. Any idea why Maertens had orange tape at the ends of his bars?

 

[hernehill69]

I'm not certain but I suspect it was to make his bike and him more recognisable to the support crews. And maybe even to help him find the bike in a scramble!

 

[Rich34]

That could well be true - I believe that Laverda chose bright orange and Kawasaki bright green to make their (motor)bikes easy to spot in races. The same thinking could just as sensibly be applied in cycling.

 

[hernehill69]

The last item needed for the rebuild arrived today...
Colnago modified Campag brake levers as per the 1981 team bikes. Had to be imported from Italy, not perfect but I think they will look the part.
So now I have found all the bits I needed, and a few that I thought I needed but then found better ones so a few duplicates and alternatives. I even managed to find a few nos bits, like the Regina Oro freewheel.
Next step is to start putting it together...

 

[saarf]

looking forward to completion, looks stunning so far

 

[Nob]

The last item needed for the rebuild arrived today...
Colnago modified Campag brake levers as per the 1981 team bikes. Had to be imported from Italy, not perfect but I think they will look the part.
So now I have found all the bits I needed, and a few that I thought I needed but then found better ones so a few duplicates and alternatives. I even managed to find a few nos bits, like the Regina Oro freewheel.
Next step is to start putting it together...

You could have swept the floor before taking the photo :facepalm:

 

[hernehill69]

That was the cleanest bit - I was lucky to find a clear patch big enough!
I'll get the broom out soon I promise