Therefore, it is better to identify the brand and model of the frame using the structural design elements of the frame. Plus, there are probably more than a few steel bikes out there that have Colnago decals, but are not Colnago frames. Frames can also be repainted and re-chromed to match the style of another model. There are plenty of reproduction decals for sale on websites like e-Bay. Unlike modern bikes, decals were simply applied on top of the painted frame, making them easy to remove and change. When trying to identify a Colnago frame, it is not recommended to rely on decals and paint schemes. Hopefully it will help you in your search. Surpisingly, this reference guide was a lot more work than I initially expected as different models kept popping up, but after a lot of hours, it was finally created and is regularly updated. During my search, I found there was just bits and pieces of information scattered all over the internet, with no definitive pictorial guide to help decipher the many different models Colnago produced between the late 1960’s and 1980’s. I decided to create this guide when I was looking to buy a vintage Colnago frame.

For the purposes of this article, I will focus this article on steel frames manufactured between 1968 and the late 1980s, arguably the Golden Age of vintage Colnago steel frames.

In the years that followed, Colnago experimented with different types of steel tubing and profiles to create a range of models, some of which are still manufactured in 2019. Colnago have been manufacturing high performance bicycles since the release of the ‘Super’ back in 1968.

Colnago serial number