Mystery Bike ID – W.H. engraved initials, heart-shaped lugs, Campy dropouts, Columbus tubing

andrewjfiorillo
andrewjfiorillo Posts: 1
in Vintage bikes forum
Hello! I would really love some help identifying my bike/frame. Bought 6 years ago, and I've tried a bunch of times over the years to identify it—online, bike friends, bike shop mechanics—but no luck.

Some notable details:

• "W H" engraved in one seat stay cap
• Campagnolo dropouts
• Heart-shaped lugs
• Chris King headset
• Previous owner claimed it was Columbus tubing

Photos:












Previous owner said this about the bike:

The frame was originally a barn red color. The only thing that I could find was the initials on the seat stay and the person I bought it from said he got it from someone who said it was from WI. Best thing I can think of is that it was from some custom frame builder out of WI, but who knows? I can tell that it's of very fine quality, when I stripped it all the welds and everything looked solid. The frame has some nice attention to detail like the down tube mounts were soldered on, there is also mounts for a bike pump, cable guides are part of the frame under the bottom bracket.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,234
    It's a 1980s or so frame, they all look the same. Once repainted, you can't tell a Colnago from a generic one. Decent Columbus tubing is double butted, so should sound thin in the middle if you lightly knock it with your fingers... gas pipe just feels like gas pipe. Campagnolo dropouts suggest the former.

    Maybe it would be nice to shorten the thread on that rear skewer, which was clearly meant for a wider rear triangle
    left the forum March 2023

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