Wheel choice for an 80's Colnago Mexico build - Help needed

[agentorange]

I'm currently building up a mid-eighties Colnago Mexico based on the below frame with Campagnolo Super Record parts and I'm not sure what wheels to use, so would appreciate some input from some Colnago purists.

I currently have some low flange NR wheels with Mavic GP4 rims with the old style red decals (see pic). I worry these suit a 70's build better and I'm not happy with the wear on the braking surfaces.

I have the opportunity to buy some large flange NR wheels with the newer GP4 decals plus virtually zero braking surfaces wear(see pic).

So, my questions are...

1. Which rims would suit the build best?
2. Are large flange a bit too hipster fixie bling for a classic road bike?
3. Is there a more suitable hub/rim set up for this build.

The frame...

 

[Theoldfm]

I used to race road during the mid 1980's and always used the red label GP4's.

If anything, the large flange hubs were more of an old fashioned design at the time and most people preferred the look of the small flange hubs as these were seen as bring more 'racey'.

That said, I actually do prefer the look of the large flange hubs now although on your bike, I think that the small flange would probably look more in keeping.

Just my view!

 

[Robbied196]

In the early 80's a friend of mine would regularly break spokes when hill climbing on low flange hubs. He swapped them for some Record high flange hubs and never had another broken spoke.

The point being, you could justify using either

 

[American Friend]

Mid-1980s? Later GP4s, or MA40s, with low flange Record, but the earlier Red Labels look more cool with their slightly curved and lower profile edges and that fab decal. High flange hubs on road bikes were out of fashion in the 1980s, as oldfm says.

edit: sounds like you need to get rid of that frame and find a 1970s Super.

 

[agentorange]

Mid-1980s? Later GP4s, or MA40s, with low flange Record, but the earlier Red Labels look more cool with their slightly curved and lower profile edges and that fab decal. High flange hubs on road bikes were out of fashion in the 1980s, as oldfm says.

edit: sounds like you need to get rid of that frame and find a 1970s Super.

Haha, well, quite. The frame was a steal so keen to stick with it, it looks quite rare with what appears to be SLX tubing, though still struggling to date it accurately.

I like the 'sportier' angle on the low flange hubs and I agree, the earlier rims seem more in character with the frame, I'm just conscious of it being period correct which i guess can be hard if I don't know the exact date of the frame.

OK, well, great, I'm going to stick with the wheels I've got, which helps keep the budget on target.

 

[nammonk]

If I remember correctly, the red labels didn't go out until the mid 80s, and the new style labels came in from the mid 80s on. So I don't think the current red labels would look out of place. Indeed, I think they would match the Super Record kit better than the newer ones.

I've got early 80s high flange Super Record on Mavic CX18 red label, and love 'em. I agree that low flange were more popular by the 80s, though.

Nice looking frame.

Nick

 

[mattsccm]

Red labels bought new by me in 85. they look nice IMO. why not be different and look for some alternative hubs eg Zeus? We didn't worry about matching wheels to groupsets but bought what was cheap, expensive, trendy, what big names used or the local wheel guru suggested.

 

[agentorange]

Red labels bought new by me in 85. they look nice IMO. why not be different and look for some alternative hubs eg Zeus? We didn't worry about matching wheels to groupsets but bought what was cheap, expensive, trendy, what big names used or the local wheel guru suggested.

I totally agree but I wasn't there in the day so my knowledge can only be pooled by what I read and see & sadly Campagnolo/Mavic-fitted bikes are well documented. I love old bikes, I find what I believe to be a nice frame, I research the frame to see what bits folks add to theirs or what the bike looked like when new (catalogues), from this I make a decision based on my opinion (based heavily on the above research) & then see what I can find depending on budget.

I rode and raced MTBs from 1988 to current and have always been a member of a club so knowledge gets pooled & we try lots of different bespoke kit, stems, pedals, lever blades etc and end up with very different, personal bikes. But the road thing is different, the bikes are older and the approach to the build is more as an antique collector rather than a racer. Don't get me wrong, I'll ride this bike as often as my MTBs, it's just that I (and others I'm sure) tend to build road bikes with more of an eye on the assumed period relevance rather than the personal quirks. Interesting though.

 

[American Friend]

How you build up the frame depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are no hard and fast rules for a frame like that. Even though they were relatively expensive frames back then, a Colnago frame like yours was often purchased separately in the UK (typically from Whiskers because they were the cheapest) and then built up with a mix of parts rather than a complete Super Record groupset, simply because very few riders in the UK back then would have had the funds for a complete Super Record groupset. Still, while it was in production, Super Record was the groupset everyone lusted after, and on a Colnago it would have to be engraved. In the US, where there was more money sloshing about and at times better exchange rates, it was more common to see good Italian frames in full Super Record kit. Personally, I think any Colnago with Zeus parts just looks wrong, but it's all completely subjective. Some Colnago collectors clearly aim for a copy of the 1982 Saronni bike. In that case, what's "right" is really very simple.

 

[Robbied196]

Super Record was the groupset everyone lusted after, and on a Colnago it would have to be engraved. Personally, I think any Colnago with Zeus parts just looks wrong, but it's all completely subjective.

It has to have Campagnolo hubs. In fact, I think its the law