Colnago Mexico 1982
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/0/1/5/1065015-65374-50-pristine.jpg)
Here, the biggest flaw of the kit: too long wheelbase. The only way to shorten it, is just cutting out a segment from the chainstay. I hope it won't affect the rest of the geometry too much.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/4/5/8/1065458-65374-85-pristine.jpg)
Imitation of 'Cromovelato' finish: Tamiya clear red on a high-polish diecast surface
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/4/5/9/1065459-65374-62-720.jpg)
Cromovelato is a combination of hard chroming and a coloured translucent varnish. It was a nice touch among great Italian framebuilders with almost trademark colours: red was Colnago, copper brown was Wilier (Ramato), Gios and Pinarello shared blue shades... flip-flop version finish of Bianchi (Celeste) turquise came later in the 90's.
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/3/8/1/1070381-65374-91-720.jpg)
bar tape of the original was too rigid and adhesive evaporated: here a stripe from Leukosilk bandaid did the job right.
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/3/8/2/1070382-65374-42-720.jpg)
My biggest concern was the state of the Letraset-type-rub-over decals: of course their release layer was fully dead. I have had to peel them off with an extra-sharp cutter and stick them with acrylic clear paint. And do it quick, as paint solved the screenprinted layer! So I have omitted the "Mexico" lettering, anyway it neither appears on every original bike.
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/3/8/3/1070383-65374-64-720.jpg)
Another rear view. The original rubberband cable guides were useless, I painted black 0,5 mm copper wire instead. Derailleur cables running without housing I have also omitted, as in this scale ~0,1 mm wire would have been needed. I thought any wire would have been an exaggeration.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/3/8/4/1070384-65374-89-720.jpg)
Finished with the base and compliments to the former racer friend's birthday
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/3/8/5/1070385-65374-37-720.jpg)
finished, from rear. A copper plate touch on the saddle makes a Selle San Marco 'Rolls' ot of it: on the original it meant to be a 'Concor Special' but again, the mould is miles far away from it. The seatpost much worse: neither the size nor the shape let alone the clamping mechanism are not resembling anything like a Campagonolo Super Record. So I have made a scratchbuilt one out of a sprue frame and turning the clamps inside out.Finally, it resembles a Nuovo Record, which is correct for the era (BTW a better adjustable seatpost than the Super Record)
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/3/8/6/1070386-65374-14-720.jpg)
though, wheelbase is shortened, the gap between seatstay and rear wheel is still too wide. Overall geometry is OK, I was afraid that further shortening would have tilted the bike too much to its front
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/3/8/7/1070387-65374-22-720.jpg)
The drivetrain, meant to be a Campagnolo Super Record but again: spindle locking pegs have to be grinded off the cranks as it's a tapered square locking! I think just remained from the old Bianchi/Legnano moulds of Protar... bottle cage is scratchbuilt from copper wire, along the lines of the plastic one.
Hozzászólások
1 8 September 2021, 09:12
![](/profiles/img/65374-380-s.jpg)
@Benjamin Jäggi: overall, the kit measures about right, with some deviances here and there... though, the wheelbase measure (110 mm) is not bad (racing bikes of the era with 9900 mm are just right) but the gap between back wheel and seatstay-tube was eye-disturbing. The 2 other mismeasures I won't correct: the identical hub-flange gap of front and rear wheels, and the overall frame size: Saronni's bike is ~53 cm, here is at least 57 cm depicted. I think Protar has sacrified too much for tool commonalities of their bicycle line...
9 September 2021, 06:10
Album info
Purchased in 1999 in Delft. Long stay at several flats, now found and under construction for a former bicycle racer friend's birthday. I hope he will like it.