Quick Colnago Question

[tarehy]

Hi guys ,I reckon I might get a quicker reply here than from hours of online research .Im looking at an ad for a keenly priced Colnago steel bike (no,I wont post link!) Now it has the attractive ornate lug style found on certain mid to late 90s Masters and the occasional Spiral Conic SLX but did some of the more basic frames like Superissimo also sometimes have these specced or should I snap this up ?

How to identify a Colnago Master - Cycling Obsession

Learn how to identify a Colnago Master bicycle. This guide features detailed pictures and other information to help you identify this model.

cycling-obsession.com

Its the style of lugs on the red bike near bottom on this webpage but it doesnt have Gilco style tubing .Im hoping its a Conic spiral SLX but could it be something else ?


EDIT .Its Gilco style tubing so must be a Master .Now do they 'size' them a bit small or am I mad considering a 54 when Im normally 56/57 ish ?

 

[bikeworkshop]

Sizewise, It's always very tempting to buy a bargain one size out, but a 54 master won't be a nice ride if you're nearly or over 6'.
You could buy to sort out and sell on, and have a bit of fun, but I've seen the odd one lately sell for under £700, whereas a couple of years ago it would have been over£1000

 

[pigman]

I've always found that Italian bikes tend to be a bit shorter in the top tube than say British bikes, so if I was looking to buy something for me with a 56 top tube, I'd have to buy something like a 57

 

[bikeworkshop]

Italians have longer legs and shorter torsos and arms, innit

 

[jim haseltine]

'Master' has/had a wide range of sub models and not just Masters were built with Gilco, it or similar style tubing can appear across quite a lot of the Colnago range in both steel and aluminium.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Mine's seattube is 56 CtoC,(58 CtoT) is a 56 toptube, fits me lovely at 5'11

1995 iirc

 

[LondonClassic]

They tend not to get to have massive head tubes like everybody else, so in the larger sizes the top tubes get longer and longer but the head tubes are still relatively small compared to trad british geo where the top tubes dont really get longer beyond a certain point but seat and head tubes do.


I ride a 63cm CTT seat tube Mercian strada. The top tube is 580mm and the head tube is 210mm. For a Master my 63CTT frame would have a 594mm top tube but still only a 174mm head tube.

This is my long winded way of saying if you go for your regular size it'll be longer and lower at the front - and you may need to show more seat post and stem / stack above the headset.

If you're going for a size down from usual, be ready for still more seatpost and stem.

 

[Earl J]

I know this is an older post, but… Most of my race bikes are Colnagos as they fit my build best. I once attempted a custom frame set from Albert Eisentraut. After measuring and suggesting frame geometry, it was pretty similar to an off the rack Colnago. I ride a 56 c-t with a 54 top tube.
So over the years, that’s what I’ve been buying and riding. ( the far right one is my wife’s)

Cheers,
~Earl J

 

[bikeworkshop]

 

[ChromeChainstay]

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