Colnago produced the Super Pantografata in very limited numbers - and imported even fewer into the United States - James Huang / Immediate Media
This bike may be more than 40 years old but it was raced for just a single season and then hung up, so it's in fantastic condition - James Huang / Immediate Media
The coordinated decal and paint colours make for a supremely unified look - James Huang / Immediate Media
These stripes aren't exactly easy to earn - James Huang / Immediate Media
The chrome plating and paint detailing is in excellent shape. Such slim dimensions are rarely seen on more modern machines - James Huang / Immediate Media
Yes, kids, there once was a time when brakes weren't attached with recessed nuts - James Huang / Immediate Media
The brazed construction is elegantly simple and purposeful - James Huang / Immediate Media
While this sort of derailleur cable routing may seem antiquated now, it's arguably a more direct path than modern setups and the cable takes a larger-radius bend. Note the Campagnolo head on the Silca frame pump too - James Huang / Immediate Media
These clover leaf cutouts were done by hand - James Huang / Immediate Media
A Campagnolo quick-release skewer clamps a set of Campagnolo dropouts - James Huang / Immediate Media
One of the highlights of the customised group is the pantographed Cinelli 1A stem with hand painted details - James Huang / Immediate Media
Absolutely gorgeous - James Huang / Immediate Media
Such deep etching and engraving isn't typically seen nowadays because many components are far too thin to tolerate removing that much material - James Huang / Immediate Media
You can still see the machining marks if you look closely enough - James Huang / Immediate Media
So why did the practice of pantographing go away? It's a tedious process for one, but modern lightweight components simply aren't thick enough to do this without compromising the structural integrity - James Huang / Immediate Media
Even the brake levers are drilled out, pantographed, and painted - James Huang / Immediate Media
The cloth tape offers no padding but it's quite grippy - James Huang / Immediate Media
The shift levers are carefully milled out, leaving just an elegant outline remaining - James Huang / Immediate Media
Beautiful - James Huang / Immediate Media
Of course, the paint detailing on the pantographed seatpost features the world championship colours - James Huang / Immediate Media
Topping the Campagnolo seatpost is the classic Cinelli Unicanitor saddle - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Silca Impero frame pump is finished to match. Note the perfect placement of the Colnago logo, too - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Campagnolo Nuovo Record crank is brilliantly detailed with milled-out slots and pantographed Colnago logos - James Huang / Immediate Media
Sure, the milling saves weight but it also looks awesome - James Huang / Immediate Media
The front derailleur is mostly untouched save for the holes drilled in the mounting clamp - James Huang / Immediate Media
Silk tubulars are prized for their supple ride quality - James Huang / Immediate Media
A retro cycling trend that won't be coming back into fashion. - James Huang / Our Media
The Campagnolo Record hubs are minimally sealed but feature grease ports for easy overhauls - James Huang / Immediate Media
Cartridge bearings are prized today for their ease of use but adjustable cup-and-cone setups - especially these - are incredibly smooth and easy to service, provided you know how - James Huang / Immediate Media
The Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur is stamped with the year of manufacture - James Huang / Immediate Media
Shaping on the Regina Oro five-speed cassette is decidedly minimal - James Huang / Immediate Media
CO2 cartridges may be easier and faster to use but none are this pretty - James Huang / Immediate Media
The rear brake housing is secured with real Campagnolo chromed steel clamps - James Huang / Immediate Media
The ends of these leather toe straps were once folded over and secured with a nut and bolt to make them easier to tighten - James Huang / Immediate Media
Thread specs were once stamped right into the crankarm - James Huang / Immediate Media
The wheels are typical for the day, built with shallow-profile aluminum tubular rims and stainless steel spokes with brass nipples - James Huang / Immediate Media
There was a time when riders drilled holes and milled channels in components as a means of making them lighter. Eventually, these modifications also became a means of artistic expression, and few bikes exemplified this practice better than the 1972 Colnago Super Pantografata.
The Super Pantografata was Colnago's flagship road racing bike at the time. It was based on a standard Columbus steel tubed Super frameset but dressed up with a radically 'pantographed' version of Campagnolo's Nuovo Record group. This wasn't some sort of special edition that Campagnolo provided, however, but something Colnago went out and did on its own.
"There was no collaboration with Campagnolo about the decoration," Ernesto Colnago told BikeRadarthrough company representative Alessandro Turci. "At that time, Campagnolo did not agree to that job. They were manufactured by hand by an Italian craftsman close to Colnago. [It was] a masterpiece."
Even the brake levers are drilled out, pantographed, and painted
In this case, the holes aren't just there to help save a few grams
Campagnolo may not have given Colnago its blessing but the outcome was stunning. Lightening holes were drilled in the brake levers, for example, but their placement was carefully chosen so they actually added to the Nuovo Record group's already gorgeous aesthetic. Likewise, the slots milled into the chainrings reduce their weight but also turn them into rotating pieces of artwork, rather than just a consumable drivetrain item.
Shallow slots were also milled into the upper portion of the seatpost, but simple holes or slots simply would not do for the shift levers. The interiors were removed entirely, leaving just a minimal – but beautiful – outline in its place.
The shift levers are carefully milled out, leaving just an elegant outline remaining
The shift levers are lighter than stock, yes, but they're also somehow more beautiful, too
Even more impressive are the various Colnago logos and diamond patterns carved into several of the components. Still-visible milling marks clearly indicate that they were created by human hands, not a machine connected to a computer. Most of the modifications were embellished with various colours of paint.
The Super Pantografata wasn't just a standard Super dressed up with special parts, either. Unique identifying features on the frame include chromed lugs with holes drilled in the fork crown, while the included Silca Impero frame pumps were finished to match – complete with a properly placed Colnago logo that lines up perfectly with the one on the seat tube.
One of the highlights of the customized group is the pantographed cinelli 1a stem with hand painted details
The stock Cinelli 1A stem was decorated as well
Ernesto Colnago says that he doesn't remember how much the Super Pantografata cost back then, but he did confirm that it was the top-end model for the time.
"It's very difficult to know that," he said from Colnago's headquarters in Cambiago, Italy. "Too much time [has passed] to remember. [It was] a high price bike for the early 70s – like a C60 today."
Sure, the milling saves weight but it also looks awesome
The owner of this bike wisely rode it for just one year before hanging it up for safekeeping
What we do know, though, is that the bike is still stunning to behold more than 40 years later. Modern bikes may offer better performance than this aging steed but few will be cherished like this one in another four decades.
Special thanks to the folks at The Pro's Closet, who will soon open up a museum of noteworthy vintage bikes at their headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
Complete specifications
Frameset: 1972 Colnago Super
Headset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Stem: Cinelli 1A Pantografata
Handlebars: Cinelli Giro d'Italia 64
Tape/grips: Cinelli cotton
Front brake: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Rear brake: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Brake levers: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Pantografata
Front derailleur: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Pantografata
Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Shift levers: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Pantografata
James Huang is BikeRadar's former technical editor. After leaving BikeRadar in 2016, he worked at CyclingTips and Escape Collective. He now runs the Substack cycling publication N-1 Bikes.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
