colnago hybrid?!?

1x4x9 said:

i've got a 20 year old colnago racing frame with some super old, worn out componentry from my racing days i college. it's been collecting dust for way too long. the problem is that i live in the city and don't really find it so conducive the city riding. i decided i would buy a new hybrid with 700c wheels so that i could get back on a bike on a regular basis. then i thought, huh, maybe i should just convert my colnago into a hybrid - straight bars, fewer gears, tougher wheels with tougher tires, etc. am i crazy? i can't see selling this bike because it's got too much sentimental value but i'm not riding it because it's not so well suited for my life currently. does it make any sense to convert this thing to a hybrid? is it even possible? how would i go about figuring out what components are compatible? can i put [censored] brakes on it? any words of advice would be cool but please don't bash me for suggesting such a thing. i really do love this bike, i just want to get back on it. thanks.

I love the idea of converting a classic steel frame into a commuter. The problems that may come up will relate to fitting commuter/hybrid type parts to a racing frame. You may be limited to about 28mm as the largest tire, but that may be big enough (I commute in downtown Seattle on 25mm). Straight bars are no problem as you can get road compatible shifters for straight bars, or flat bars as the new nomenclature would see fit to call them (my favorite solution--use Paul's Thumbies adapters with bar-end shifters--you can index 7-10 speeds depending on the set-up you select). You will not really be able to use disk brakes unless you get a frame builder to braze some mounts on. My opinion is that would look really out of place on a Colnago, and besides you would have to spread the frame a lot to accomodate a 135mm rear disk hub (assuming your Colnago is 126mm rear spacing). It could also get really expensive really fast to buy a bunch of hybrid/touring parts for that frame.

If it were mine, I wouldn't sell it either, but would try to keep the bike close its vintage form and get a second bike for city riding and commuting. Use the old racer for occasional higher performance rides in the true spirit of its Italian racing heritage.