# 1980's Colnago Sport CL find



## Mr.RED

Scored this 1980's Colnago Sport off CL for a $150 I understand the Sport model was Colnago's entry level road bike model but still its a Colnago .The bike is equipped with Campy derailleurs, shifters, Universal brakes, Universal brake levers, Ofmega Mondial crankset, Miche pedals, Weinmann 27" wheels, 3TTT seat post,3TTT handlebars and a Sella Italia suede saddle. The frame isn't marked with a specific maker for steel nor does it have the traditional clover lug cuts outs like other Colnagos but its still lighter then other 27" wheel bikes I own.


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## rollfaster

Major score!! Congrads.


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## bikeyard

It’s made by Velosport.  It’s on the top of the seat tube decal.


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## Mr.RED

yeah I didn't even notice that till you mentioned it. Was VeloSport licensed to make the Colnago sport?


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## bulldog1935

found your Campy derailleurs in Velobase, it's the 980 - http://velobase.com/ViewGroup.aspx?GroupID=ef2e40e8-a626-45f4-9b69-365d651b2233
Introduced in 1980.  
Agree this is a nicely finished mid-range end-of-bike-boom bike, that might draw more attention than an equivalent Raleigh.


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## Mr.RED

Yeah I knew it was nothing super high end like other Colnagos I see but it happened to be my size and for $150 bucks I just couldn't pass it up. Since it was made by VeloSport I am gonna assume the bike was made in Canada .


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## bulldog1935

great buy and cool bike - I rode my '77 Raleigh Grand Prix in that size for 40 years and rebuilt it 3 times


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## Mr.RED

hey Bulldog what kind of bars do you have on that Grand Prix ?


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## bulldog1935

Nitto Moustache bars with a Nitto Technomic 70mm stem.  (225mm quill).  With these bars you need a tall stem that's* 2" closer *than normally fits you on drop bars.
Note that the bar links above are 26.0 bar clamp dia.- sometimes you can find this bar with 25.4mm clamp.  Make sure you match the quill stem with the bar clamp diameter.
Soma sells a cheaper version of the bar, but it also needs a 25.4mm bar clamp
You can also use an 80mm dirt-drop stem, which looks good, maybe more natural, but I like the traditional-shaped L-stem (and it's a good place to mount a bell)
Kalloy makes a quite inexpensive stem option, but note the Nitto gives you another inch of height.

Your starting point on these bars is setting the exposed quill about even with the amount of exposed seatpost.
These found their way on my bike on the 2nd rebuild, basically to solve the neck strain issues of old guys on drop bars
They make for a very nice semi-upright position and very good for a utility bike on most all surfaces.
Fair warning - nobody is lukewarm on these bars - everyone either loves them or hates them.



They take road levers, and have at least 3 really nice hand positions.
Palms on the bar and fingers around the wide hoods is the aero position and I can ride it long distances.
The brakes are on the bends, and if you're able to grab the brakes with 2 fingers, probably grabbing the bar in just the right spot.
The wide outside position is really good for control in the rough.



The shift levers are my Zeus downtube levers moved to dia-Compe-ene bar end pods which Rivendell sells, 
though it's easy enough to find SunTour friction bar-cons on ebay, and of course need cable stops on the downtube



The last rebuild was full Honjo fenders, 700c wheels and my custom drivetrain with a wide-7 in the rear and half-steps + granny in the front - it will climb the steepest grades in the Texas hill country (been there) and has narrow gear steps from end to end. (the 400' climb to my house hits 14% grade in 4 spots)
The stout GP frame is one of the best choices for a stable rear-load touring bike.




The Colagno Sport would make a really nice keeper utility bike

Nitto Moustache bars were introduced to America on the 26" all-road Bridgestone XO-1 in the 90s.
In Japan, school children were not allowed to ride drop-bar bikes to school, and Nitto introduced the moustache bar to fill the gap.
They work well with any road bike frame, and it's not the drastic change in weight distribution and geometry that you get going with upright bars on a road bike.
While they turn heads and get a lot of compliments, for me, they make the road/sport frame more functional. They're basically a more flexible hood-height bar.




Even on my road bike, I find my close and compact Cinelli 64 "Dream Bars" much more functional than those long-reach deep-drop pista bars they always put on bike boom bikes.
You can actually use the drops on these bars, which you rarely see anyone doing on their drop bars. Most people are full-time on their hoods, or occasionally grab the cross position to sit up higher.


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## Mr.RED

I own a moustache bar bike already but another one wouldn't be bad either. My moustache bar bike is a 1983 Shogun 400 frameset I powdercoated the frame gloss black built up with NOS Suntour Cyclone group, handbuilt Campy wheels. My only problem is I need a riser stem or a long stem like you said to raise the handlebar height for me to comfortably ride. I just found some riser stems in my stash of parts so over the next few weeks I am gonna swap the current H20 stem out for something taller.


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## bulldog1935

Mr.RED said:


> I own a moustache bar bike already but another one wouldn't be bad either. My moustache bar bike is a 1983 Shogun 400 frameset I powdercoated the frame gloss black built up with NOS Suntour Cyclone group, handbuilt Campy wheels. My only problem is I need a riser stem or a long stem like you said to raise the handlebar height for me to comfortably ride. I just found some riser stems in my stash of parts so over the next few weeks I am gonna swap the current H20 stem out for something taller.
> 
> View attachment 728977



that will be perfect - one of the best sleeper frames of the 80s - my buddy's daughter rebuilt a Shogun frame for her college-commute bike.

Tweaking final position on a moustache bar is always personal, but one point I like to make is properly tilting downward the brake levers - this basically keeps you from bending your wrists backwards - keeping your wrists straight is a really important ergonomic point for neck and shoulder health when pedaling.


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## bulldog1935

one other point to make about reach - if you've set your bars up so your hand position is directly over your front axle (maybe just a little behind), you're probably perfect, and will also get the best handling this way.
Farther forward is faster, because you're putting more weight on the front wheel, but back is much more comfortable.


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## Mr.RED

thanks Bulldog on the handlebar info


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