Fiets in de kijker: tijdritfiets Concorde Colombo

The bicycle in the spotlight is a time trial bicycle with a diving frame from the Dutch bicycle brand Concorde. The model is Colombo and built with Columbus tretubi Aelle tubes, which is not common for a time trial bike. Columbus SLX tubes were usually used, the top product at the time.

The diving frame was probably made in Italy, namely by Ciöcc from Bergamo or Billato from Padova: After all, the first frames were made there, later also by Maertens from Martelly.

Little is known about the bicycle, I bought it at a vintage bicycle fair and the seller didn't know anything about it either. He also bought it through someone else. The time trial bike probably dates from the end of the 1980s, as can be seen from the components mounted on it.

In the 1980s, the Dutch bicycle brand Concorde was still an established name in the professional peloton, including the PDM team that achieved numerous successes with it. More information about the bicycle brand Concorde can be found in the article Concorde, once a famous Dutch bicycle brand.

Striking is the typical ox-head time trial bicycle handlebar that was widely used in the 1980s and was replaced by triathlon handlebars after Greg Lemond's Tour victory in 1989. After the defeat of Laurent Fignon in this Tour, who rode a time trial bicycle with ox-head handlebars, everyone realized that this type of handlebar was more disadvantageous than the triathlon handlebar, which immediately led to the end of the ox-head handlebar.

Below you will find an overview of the components mounted on it. The brake levers and calipers are Campagnolo Athena which were in the catalog from 1988 to 1992 which corresponds to the time period of the bike. The same goes for the Miche Trofeo crankset dating from the late 1980s

However, the rear derailleur is a Campagnolo Mirage 9 speed that was only released on the market in 2000 and must therefore have been added later.