Help ID'ing

[vtwinvince]

I posted this on another forum, story goes that it originally came from Germany. Appears the paint is original, as is the 7 speed 105 groupset. Top tube has internal routing, and the front mech hanger is brazed on. Seat tube is 26.8mm, and the dropouts are not marked. Serial number indicates a date of 1990. My first impression is something from Japan that was badged up as a Saronni by a local shop, as I can find no evidence that these decals have been added later. They are not cleared in. Any ideas on origin appreciated.

 

[jim haseltine]

Saronnis were built by both Colnago and Tecnotrat.
Colnago built 3 or 4 models badged as Saronni after Bepe's 82 World Championship and his Grio win in 83. Most were built with Columbus tubing but towards the mid-80s Colnago used Tange tubing on some of the more established models such as the Master Piu and Olympic so could well have used it on lower spec frames too. Having written that, there are a few things that don't ring right for a Colnago product - the number stamped on the BB shell isn't a common Colnago thing and the chrome plating reflects the style used on higher range frames while lower spec examples were usually plain with maybe just the fork crown and dropout faces chromed so it could be one built by Tecnotrat about who I know pretty much nothing other than they were Italian and built out-sourced frames for Colnago and just about every other Italian builder.
I'd expect the BB threads to be Italian in either case.

 

[vtwinvince]

Thanks, I also suspect something from Tecnotrat. I did see a couple of similar bikes, one of which also came out of Germany. I guess I'll start pulling it apart and see what is revealed.

 

[Jesper]

Looking at that frame I see nothing akin to the Colnago "Saronni" models which had pantographed stay caps and fork crowns, and lug cut-outs. I think it might not be a Colnago Saronni, but was badged as one (maybe it was a late '80s Tecnotrat Saronni and had wrong decals added later?) . The early "Saronni" models were essentially "Super" variants (c. '83 catalog). I just received scans of a 1984 catalog (Japanese ed.) which shows the "Colnago Saronni Criterium" and "Colnago Saronni Mondial". I have a "Criterium" frame, but had never seen or heard of the "Mondial" model. No complete 85 catalog to verify, but all Colnago catalogs '86 and later have no Saronni badged models, and Colnago did not start internal TT cable routing until after '85 (e.g. Master Piu c. 87/'87)

 

[peetee]

If it is a Technotrat it is not as well finished as the one I had and certain details such as the squared-off stay ends are quite different. With a 26.8 seat tube it’s not going to be an expensive bike, relatively speaking, and I’d expect that from a outsourced company. Nevertheless , my Technotrat (now sold on) had basic Columbus Aelle tubing so should be comparable but it also had nice, thin, cut-out lugs and immaculately finished joints.

 

[chickendrumsticks]

Wow! There's some knowledge here isn't there? It never fails to impress.

 

[vtwinvince]

I agree, this thing is not up to the sort of spec I would expect. I've put quite a few miles on it as a rough road bike, and it's heavy, but rides very nicely otherwise. I also have a De Bernardi by Tecnotrat which is SLX and a very fine bike.