How to identify a Colnago Regal

Colnago Regal 1986
Colnago Regal circa 1986.
Image courtesy of steel-vintage.com

In the early 1980’s Colnago began experimenting with crimping main frame tubes to increase stiffness. In the mid 1980’s, Colnago and Columbus developed the ESACOLNAGO tube which was a round tube with six distinct symmetrical flutes. In 1986, the Colnago Regal bicycle was the first bike released with this tubing. In addition, the Colnago Regal was built using the same decorative lugs as used in the Colnago Arabesque. The Colnago Regal was essentially the successor to the Colnago Arabesque.

Whilst the ESACOLNAGO tube profile was released after the Gilco Master profile, it did not enjoy the same longevity. The Colnago ESA Mexico was the last model to be built using these tubes and no longer featured in Colnago catalogues by the early 1990’s. The Gilco Master tube profile however, is still used in Colnago Master in 2019.

Special features of a Colnago Regal.

As mentioned previously, the ESACOLNAGO tubing is one of the special features of the Colnago Regal and when combined with the special decorative frame lugs (2 on the head tube, 1 on the seat tube), it is quite easy to identify this model. These decorative lugs were said to be crafted by an Italian bicycle manufacturer known as ‘Rauler’ and were also used in other Colnago models, namely the Colnago Arabesque and 2016 Colnago Master Arabesque. Images courtesy of steel-vintage.com

Colnago Regal seat stays
ESACOLNAGO 6 fluted top tube.
Colnago Regal head tube lugs
Decorative Arabesque lugs on the head tube.

General features of the Colnago Regal.

Here are a collection of images that show features typically found on the Colnago Regal frame. Images courtesy of steel-vintage.com

Colnago Regal catalogue page (circa 1985)
Colnago Regal catalogue page (circa 1985)

Colnago Literature.

The following websites have a large selection scanned Colnago literature including reviews, catalogues and brochures.

bulgier.net
2velo.com

Article References.

I hope you found this article interesting. I have listed the following website pages as general references.

steel-vintage.com

Disclaimer!

Please remember that this information is only to be used as a guide.
I consider myself an enthusiast, not an expert. The information I have presented in this article is based on my many hours of online research.

In addition, there will always be frames that don’t quite match the characteristics of a particular model as they could have been a custom build, prototype etc. Note: forks can also be swapped between different frames.

About Me.

I have been riding and working on my own bikes for many years now. I wanted to share my experiences, knowledge and research with others. My aim is to inspire people to get involved in all aspects of this amazing sport. Cheers.

Comments.

I welcome reader feedback in the comments section. Should you wish to suggest an amendment, please include a note advising the source of your information so that myself and other readers can ascertain the accuracy of your information. Note: Trolling or argumentative comments will be removed as they are counter-productive.

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