Colnago Precisa Fork History

Vintage Colnago Precisa Fork
Vintage Colnago Precisa Fork

The introduction of the straight-blade fork is an important moment in the history of Colnago’s bike production. It was a turning point that led the entire cycling industry into a new era. The Precisa straight leg fork first appears in their 1989 catalog, but is still manufactured today and supplied with modern Colnago Master and Arabesque steel frames.

A Revolution in Bicycle Fork Design.

The following information is an extract from the Colnago website.

Strokes of genius are unpredictable, and the history of the Precisa fork is similar. In 1988, the forks fitted to the bikes Ernesto Colnago has designed have curved blades. This is the tradition at the time, and it’s an established fact that no one manufacturer had ever thought to change. They’re good, they look perfect, they are light, and they do not have significant defects. Yet, the intuition comes from a discussion with the “Drake”, Enzo Ferrari, another pioneer of the twentieth century. From concept, through tests and trials, until finalization, it’s a short step. The discovery is revolutionary. A fork with straight blades can guarantee exceptional results, far superior to forks with curved blades. The results of the tests conducted by the engineers at Ferrari speak for themselves. Vibration absorption is maximized (also benefitting the integrity of the headset), the danger of resonance by vibrations transmitted from uneven surfaces is controlled, and better comfort and handling precision is achieved. Simply put, a frame with a straight fork is much easier to control, and is more safe and stable – a success! From that moment on, the Precisa fork, renamed by Ernesto Colnago, supplanted the classic style and the entire cycling industry adapted the new design.

Straight Leg Fork vs. Curved Leg Fork

According to tests conducted by Ferrari and Colnago, the straight leg fork has the following advantages;

  • Better vibration absorption for improved comfort.
  • Better stability.
  • More precise handling.
  • Improved lateral rigidity.

That leaves just the aesthetic difference. If you’re after a pre-1990’s vintage aesthetic for your bike, then fit a fork with curved legs, otherwise the Colnago Precisa fork was better in every way to a traditional curved leg fork.

Precisa Fork Design Variations

I don’t know how many design changes have been made to this fork over time, but I have identified 3 different variations of the fork crown markings of the Precisa fork.

First Version

Vintage Colnago Precisa Fork Crown
Vintage Colnago Precisa Fork Crown
Image courtesy of Steel Vintage Bikes

The first version of the Colnago Precisa fork featured the same fork crown markings as the curved forks of the late 1980’s. It also features a 1 inch threaded steerer tube to suit the threaded headsets which were still found on road bikes up until the late 1990’s.

Vintage Colnago Precisa Fork
Original Colnago Precisa Fork

Second Version

Here is another version of the Colnago Precisa fork which first appeared on the Colnago C40 in the 1995 Colnago catalog. You can see it has a more decorative 3 point crown.

Colnago Precisa Fork (another version)
Colnago Precisa Fork (second version)

Third Version

In 1996, looking at the Colnago catalogs, the stamping on the fork crown changed to the current style. Which features the Club symbol with the letters ‘COLNAGO’ below. At some point the fork incorporated a non-threaded steerer tube, but the steerer tube has remained a 1 inch diameter.

2nd Version Colnago Precisa Fork
Third Version Colnago Precisa Fork
Modern Colnago Precisa Fork
Modern Colnago Precisa Fork 2021

Differences in Fork Rake?

The change from traditional curved legs to straight legs naturally affects the rake of the fork, which in turn changes the steering response of the bicycle.

To ensure the new Precisa fork retained the same rake as the traditional curved fork, the Precisa fork crown features a 4 degree offset to match the fork rake measurement of curved forks (which according to my research is 43mm).

The image below shows how the fork steerer is angled up and not directly inline with the legs of the fork. When fitted to the bike, the angle of the steerer tube causes the legs to sit forward of the head tube positioning the drop-outs in the same spot as the traditional curved forks.

Colnago Precisa Fork Rake
Colnago Precisa Fork Rake

Note: Steering response is also affected by the head tube angle which often varies by frame size, however changing from traditional curved forks to Precisa forks on a specific frame should have no affect on the steering as the fork rake is the same and the head tube angle hasn’t changed.

Precisa Fork Components & Quality Control

Colnago Precisa Fork Components
Colnago Precisa Fork Components
Colnago Precisa Fork Quality Control
Colnago Precisa Fork Quality Control

References

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

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.

15 thoughts on “Colnago Precisa Fork History

  • I can confirm that the Precisa works well on frames older than 1988. I replaced my 1985 raked fork on my Super and not only is the handling razor sharp, it also looks gorgeous.
    Thanks for the article!

  • I recently got a colnago with what seems a first version Precisa fork. Do you have any idea if the club logo’s were always painted black?

    • Hi Jay, not really sure on that one, it may have depended on the colour scheme of the bike. Perhaps others will be able to answer that question.

  • This is an excellent overview!

    Are Precisa threaded forks always threaded ITA or were they also threaded ENG/BSA/ISO?

    Thank you.

    • Hi Tomaso,

      That is a good question, I’m not 100% sure, but I would expect they were all threaded ITA as they were designed and manufactured by Colnago to fit their bikes which seem to use the ITA standard. But someone else may have come across one?

  • I made some images of the Colnago Precisa Fork history, versions 1, 2, 3 , to serve as visual aids to this excellent post. These show full length, crown detail, and dropout detail.

    I do not know how to attach images here.

    If you would like to use these (I think they would be very helpful) let me know how to forward them to you (via email). I think you would like them.

  • Great article, I have the straight Precisa on my 80’s Master (I replaced the original curved fork shortly after they came out),
    However I have two other versions;

    1. I noticed the Precisa art decor fork on my Carbitubo is non magnetic & seems to be Aluminium, not steel.

    2. I have a Tange Master Krono with 650c Precisa fork which has a C on the crown with a club inside it & below this it has CX engraved, Also the inner side of the fork on either side is another club but elongated this time with a dot below it, cool stuff

  • Hi, I´ve got 2 bikes, Colnago Master Olympic (1992) and Colnago Master (2005) – older frame with threaded fork first version and younger frame with threadless fork second version. I tried a fork third version on Master 2004, but handling with second version is more sharp n cmparison wtih third version, like on the track bike. But there is one difference between forks from first and second version vs. third version – older versions doesn´t have safety dropouts.

      • Hi, Rouleur
        Have Master X Light pista frame came with carbon fork after about year and half of searching found Precisa undrilled fork so I guess it for track would you know if any difference in angles then from Precisa fork for road. Thanks

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