Hi all,

I'm building up a Colnago frame that I got on eBay (it's the one that I was trying to identify, over on the "classic" forum). When I was first cleaning it up I noticed some "irregularities" in the top tube. I didn't think all that much of it, but over time, with more exposure to the bike (and more invested in parts), I've started worrying that it's indicitive of a problem.

Compulsive that I am, I spent about a half-hour in the garage tonight with the lights off, trying to capture these irregularities to show to the group and to get opinions. I fear that the bike has been wrecked, or is rusting under the paint, or some other disaster. But maybe (hopefully) it's just an irregular tube.

Note that the forks appear to be original to the bike (they have matching Art Decor paint) and show no damage, so that makes me doubt a wreck. However, I suppose the fork could have been replaced, and the bike repainted. But it seems that if it had been damaged significantly, it wouldn't be worth the new fork and repaint.

This bike continues to be a mystery. Thanks in advance for any insights you may have.

http://www.samoht.com/colnago_tubes/colnago_tubing1.jpg
http://www.samoht.com/colnago_tubes/colnago_tubing2.jpg
http://www.samoht.com/colnago_tubes/colnago_tubing3.jpg
http://www.samoht.com/colnago_tubes/colnago_tubing4.jpg
http://www.samoht.com/colnago_tubes/colnago_tubing5.jpg

I guess I should also mention that the top tube irregularities roughly correspond to the housing inlet/outlet holes. Do they put any sort of guides into top tubes designed this way?

Another thing to note is that I took the photos under "special" conditions. It was dark in the garage and I used a flashlight at a very shallow angle to bring out the irregularities. they're pretty subtle in normal lighting.