Fairly Mental French and Italian Bikes
- Thread starter Canuk
- Start date
Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
Colnago has announced the introduction of its new “retrofitting” certification program, an ambitious project that aims to revolutionise the vintage bike market by offering an exclusive service to certify the authenticity of its bikes.
How it works
The program is aimed at owners of used Colnagos who wish to ascertain the originality of their bikes, or for prospective buyers who wish to authenticate a bike before purchase.
The certification process begins by filling out a form on the Colnago website, wherein the storied Italian brand requests that the owner provide pictures of the bike and other identifying information such as the serial number on the frame or a purchase invoice, to give the Colnago team as much information as possible to confirm its origin. From there, the experts will provide a final verdict on the authenticity of the bike’s frame. Once certified, owners of the authentic Colnago will be entered on an official digital register, an exclusive club of certified Colnago bike owners.
“The Colnago brand has always been synonymous with excellence and quality in the cycling world, which is why numerous replicas and fakes have come into circulation over time. The program will not only help to catalog the circulation of authentic Colnago bikes, but will also increase the perceived value of the brand, guarantee its authenticity and reinforce the bond of ownership and sense of pride of its owners,” says Colnago
Exclusive benefits for historic Colnago owners: increased asset value
Once the authenticity of the frame has been certified, Colnago will provide the owner with a certificate of authenticity and a special tag to be applied to the frame that will allow the bike to be registered on Blockchain, in practice a public digital register that guarantees maximum security and transparency in the management of information. This tag will not only be an additional mark of authenticity but will also offer numerous practical advantages:
Strengthening Colnago brand perception and owner pride: beyond pure value
With this development, Colnago not only reinforces its position as a leader in premium bikes, but also helps to create an even stronger sense of ownership among its customers. Colnago bicycle owners will be able to feel part of an exclusive, globally recognized and valued community.
“The Retrofitting project is a key step in Colnago’s strategy to protect and enhance its heritage of excellence while providing its customers with a unique and innovative service. This program, which combines tradition and modernity, will set a new standard in the world of cycling, demonstrating once again that Colnago is synonymous with quality, passion and innovation. With this development, Colnago not only reinforces its position as a leader in premium bikes, but also helps to create an even stronger sense of ownership among its customers. Colnago bicycle owners will be able to feel part of an exclusive, globally recognized and valued community. The Retrofitting project is a key step in Colnago’s strategy to protect and enhance its heritage of excellence while providing its customers with a unique and innovative service. This program, which combines tradition and modernity, will set a new standard in the world of cycling, demonstrating once again that Colnago is synonymous with quality, passion and innovation,” adds Colnago.
Once registered, it will be possible at any time to verify the model name and the certificate of originality issued by Colnago by simply scanning the tag with a mobile phone.
How it works
The program is aimed at owners of used Colnagos who wish to ascertain the originality of their bikes, or for prospective buyers who wish to authenticate a bike before purchase.
The certification process begins by filling out a form on the Colnago website, wherein the storied Italian brand requests that the owner provide pictures of the bike and other identifying information such as the serial number on the frame or a purchase invoice, to give the Colnago team as much information as possible to confirm its origin. From there, the experts will provide a final verdict on the authenticity of the bike’s frame. Once certified, owners of the authentic Colnago will be entered on an official digital register, an exclusive club of certified Colnago bike owners.
“The Colnago brand has always been synonymous with excellence and quality in the cycling world, which is why numerous replicas and fakes have come into circulation over time. The program will not only help to catalog the circulation of authentic Colnago bikes, but will also increase the perceived value of the brand, guarantee its authenticity and reinforce the bond of ownership and sense of pride of its owners,” says Colnago
Exclusive benefits for historic Colnago owners: increased asset value
Once the authenticity of the frame has been certified, Colnago will provide the owner with a certificate of authenticity and a special tag to be applied to the frame that will allow the bike to be registered on Blockchain, in practice a public digital register that guarantees maximum security and transparency in the management of information. This tag will not only be an additional mark of authenticity but will also offer numerous practical advantages:
- Authentication of the originality of the frame kit: a bike with an original and unalterable authentication certificate will acquire additional value on the used bike market. Guaranteed authenticity will become a key element for collectors and enthusiasts, making it easier to sell in the future. It will also increase the ease of resale, as the presence of the Blockchain tag and registration will greatly simplify the sales process by assuring potential buyers that the bike is authentic, thus increasing trust and transparency in the transaction.
- Certification of ownership of the bike: as the bike is an unregistered movable property, the burden of proof of ownership is presumed to be on the owner; in this case there will be a certainty of ownership of the bike effectively reversing the burden of proof in case of legal challenges.
- Protection in case of theft: registration on the Blockchain will make it easy to report any theft of the bicycle. This innovative system, combining technology and security, will help owners protect their valuable investment.
Strengthening Colnago brand perception and owner pride: beyond pure value
With this development, Colnago not only reinforces its position as a leader in premium bikes, but also helps to create an even stronger sense of ownership among its customers. Colnago bicycle owners will be able to feel part of an exclusive, globally recognized and valued community.
“The Retrofitting project is a key step in Colnago’s strategy to protect and enhance its heritage of excellence while providing its customers with a unique and innovative service. This program, which combines tradition and modernity, will set a new standard in the world of cycling, demonstrating once again that Colnago is synonymous with quality, passion and innovation. With this development, Colnago not only reinforces its position as a leader in premium bikes, but also helps to create an even stronger sense of ownership among its customers. Colnago bicycle owners will be able to feel part of an exclusive, globally recognized and valued community. The Retrofitting project is a key step in Colnago’s strategy to protect and enhance its heritage of excellence while providing its customers with a unique and innovative service. This program, which combines tradition and modernity, will set a new standard in the world of cycling, demonstrating once again that Colnago is synonymous with quality, passion and innovation,” adds Colnago.
Once registered, it will be possible at any time to verify the model name and the certificate of originality issued by Colnago by simply scanning the tag with a mobile phone.
Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
The Colnago Master Equilateral frame is quite rare as it was only in production for a year. As far as I know it's 'ex libris, I couldn’t find it listed in any of my Colnago catalogues. Further research online suggests that possibly only 85 frames were ever manufactured. Road Bike Action magazine wrote an interesting article about this bike along with close-up photos
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Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
Not surprisingly, it was not branded as a cyclo cross bike! Some of these frames were sold with a Cromovelato finish. This requires the frame to be fully chrome plated and then sprayed with a tinted colour coat (often candy red or blue). This gives the frame a reflective gloss coloured finish and would have been a considerably more expensive process due to the entire frame requiring an intensive polish, followed by a multi-step chrome plating process and then a spray paint application. Unfortunately whilst it is a very beautiful finish, it seems the paint was not particularly durable.
Aero features of a Colnago Oval CX
More aerodynamic oval shaped tubes and special lugs were created to streamline this frame, however this frame featured several other design changes in the pursuit of aero gains;- shift levers mounted on top of the down tube.
- shift cables are routed inside the down tube.
- rear brake cable is routed inside top tube (Più style).
- CX fork has flat side profile to reduce frontal drag.
- Rear brake reverse mounted (inside the rear triangle).
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Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
Radball, or Cycle-Ball, first played on 1883. Cycle-ball, also known as "radball" (from German), is a sport similar to association football played on bicycles. The two people on each team ride a fixed gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal.
Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
The first ever carbon monocoque bike produced by Colnago. Together with Ferrari, it brought Formula 1 technology and engineering into the world of cycling.
What made this bike special:
The C35 features striking star-shaped swooping carbon tubes, which increase the stability and rigidity of the frame. The frame is made out of pre-impregnated carbon in the form of both fabric and unidirectional tape, which was layered and pushed into a mold with a bladder to cure into a single, solid piece. It is the same method used by every major manufacturer today to build modern carbon frames. The C35 features internal cable routing for the rear brake and gears, as well as a straight-bladed fork made out of carbon fiber and five-spoke carbon fiber wheels, in the most premium versions.
What made this bike special:
The C35 features striking star-shaped swooping carbon tubes, which increase the stability and rigidity of the frame. The frame is made out of pre-impregnated carbon in the form of both fabric and unidirectional tape, which was layered and pushed into a mold with a bladder to cure into a single, solid piece. It is the same method used by every major manufacturer today to build modern carbon frames. The C35 features internal cable routing for the rear brake and gears, as well as a straight-bladed fork made out of carbon fiber and five-spoke carbon fiber wheels, in the most premium versions.
