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Omar is a dear friend. Someone I trust with a straight razor and sharp scissors. He owns Vinny’s Barber Shop in Los Angeles and apparently has great style both on and off the bike. Which makes for a perfect Merckx Mondays entry. Check out Omar and his All City Mr. Pink below!
Artist Chris McNally, like many of us have a long withstanding love for Eddy Merckx, his legacy and his bicycles. Maybe not his modern machines, but rather the years of classic racing. Specically, Faema and Molteni.
As part of a giant undertaking, Chris is working on a new watercolor painting project: a bike shop of life experiences both fiction and non-fiction. Inside this gem of a idea will be bikes he’s owned and bikes he’s yet to own. Case in point: a Molteni Merckx…
There’s more to come from this unique undertaking, but for now let’s just appreciate the detail he put into this classic race steed.
@Ben.Scruton on Instagram has unknowingly provided a prime piece of Merckx Mondays with this Molteni team car illustration. If you don’t follow him on Instagram already, you should check it out. Nicely done, Ben!
While many collectors would take a vintage road frame and spend hours upon hours sourcing parts to complete the perfect “period correct” build, others simply take a perfectly good mix of components and turn a bike with a bit of beausage into a commuter.
That’s what a recent customer at Golden Saddle Cyclery did with this Eddy Merckx road bike. There are at least a dozen different brands that are currently making this bike roll. From Modolo to Mavic, it’s got a good mix of components adding to what I would consider a very sensible build.
One last part is in queue: a Wald basket…
Check out a few more below!
Rapha recently published a look into the history of racing’s eyewear including the Cannibal. See Eddy’s profile, Lemond’s, Coppi’s and André Leducq at Rapha. Great find, Tracko!
“Eddy Merckx embodies that spirit of excellence…”
Last week was Eddy’s birthday and to celebrate this excellence, the folks at River City Bicycles in Portland made an homage video, showcasing their in-shop shrine of the Cannibal.
This is not for the vintage elite, the collectors, the Eroicas, the spoke sniffers, or the internet aesthetes. Do not bother commenting on the lack of period correct toe clips, or the lack of bar tape, or how you don’t like white tires. The bar angle will rub you the wrong way and Scotty will ride on, not giving two shits.
Scotty’s a working messenger in Los Angeles. Scotty’s older than dirt. He walks with a stride, or a cadence that is only found in individuals who live, breathe and sleep track bikes. You won’t see Scotty on a road bike and in fact, you won’t see him on any other bike than this street-thrashed Eddy Merckx SLX pista. The components tell a story, moreso than any museum-grade bicycle will, regardless of heritage.
Like beausage? This bike is for you. Just remember, before you type a critique, Scotty don’t care. Happy Merckx Mondays. Thanks to Tracko for the heads up on this bike!
Truthfully, when the Eroica California was announced, my hope was to find an older, California-made road bike. Something like an Eisentraut, or a Bruce Gordon. You know, classic American steel from the west coast. When all I could find were either in the 54cm or 64cm range, I began looking elsewhere. Which is where I came upon this frame on eBay.
I’ve always loved the Merckx Professionals, with their flat crown forks and Columbus SL tubing, yet this bike looked a bit strange. The seller claims it was from 1982 and raced at the European Championships in 1982 at Goodwood with the Belgian team. ’82… Giuseppe Saronni got first, Lemond got second and Sean Kelly, third. Sounds like a good year.
… but, that fork. I’ve never seen a sloping crown Merckx prior to 1985. Those seat stay caps point to a post-1985 bike. I’ve also never seen a single bottle cage Merckx before. The over-the-bottom-bracket-routing puts in the early 1980’s though. There’s a story there, somewhere. I just have to find it. The seller assured me it was unique and yes, custom.
It’s been a while since I’ve owned a Merckx… and the timing couldn’t be better. Here are a few teasers from my Eroica California ride.
… the cannibal! Brought to you by Secret Awesome.
Photos by Andy White
Don’t ride up grades, buy upgrades.
Leave it to FYXO to deliver a clean and crispy Merckx Mondays. This Eddy Merxkx pista, is built with a panto’d Cinelli XA stem, Record components and even filtered air in the tubes! See more at FYXO.
A few people have asked what bike I was pedaling around on the Eroica California course. While it doesn’t meet the pre-1987 guidelines, it’s vintage enough for my tastes. The MX-Leaders have always had a soft spot in my heart. Arguably the most significant bikes to ever leave the Merckx factory, these were race-ready, pedigree machines. Made with Merckx’s proprietary lugs and Columbus MXL tubesets, they were some of the stiffest steel frames at the time.
Perfect for the US team Motorola, or in this case, team Telekom. This frame in particular was Brian Holm’s and while a majority of the MX-Ls were raced with Dura Ace 7400, the bike’s owner, Mark Riedy, decided to go a bit more practical – and classy IMO – with a 10-speed Campagnolo gruppo. He then topped the cockpit off with an ITM stem.
There’s something about the Telekom paint jobs that always did it for me. Flashy, yet classy and an undeniable style. I’d love to add one of these to my collection some day.
So, a reader sent this over, with the subject line “I think this is ok to share” and all that was in the body was this photo. A quick glance at the Eddy Merckx Facebook reveals it’s a tig-welded steel bike, commemorating Eddy’s 70th birthday, which would make sense, but details like pricepoint, country of origin, tubing, etc, etc, etc, seem to be missing.
Personally, I’d rather see a lugged Columbus frame with a steel fork. As far as pricepoint, I’m gonna guess this bike is upwards of $10k, complete… Does anyone have any more information on this?
Turns out, Peloton has the full scoop. Head over there to see more information. It’s stainless steel, hence the tig welding and made in Belgium. Oh and it’s $17k!
This one’s too good to not repost. Thanks for the heads up Tracko!
“A print series celebrating cycling’s legends in op art portraits. Each print colour is inspired by the team jersey in which they achieved their greatest successes and includes their detailed palmarès.”
See more at Victory Chimp.
What are these people thinking, posting a video of Eddy Merckx on a Wednesday of last week?
“First across the finish line 525 times, Eddy Merckx is the most successful cycle racer of all time. Jacky Ickx’s career is one of the richest and longest in the history of motorsport. His list of achievements is unrivalled in its variety. In 2015, Eddy Merckx and Jacky Ickx both celebrate their 70th birthday, as well as their long friendship. So it’s high time for the first major exhibition about this pair of Belgian sporting legends.”
Photos by Antton Miettinen
Jon Azkoitia has been a reader of the Radavist since the early blogspot days of PiNP and one of his favorite features is Merckx Mondays. When he began riding track bikes, it was due to his father’s love of track racing and Jon didn’t have just any introduction, he was given a Molteni-team Colnago track. For those who weren’t aware, the first few Molteni Eddy Merckx frames were made by De Rosa and Colnago before Eddy began making his own in Meise, a small town outside of Brussels.
Prior to Jon’s father, this bike was owned by Milano-SanRemo winner Michele Dancelli, who raced it for a number of years in the Molteni livery. The bike was then raced by Jon’s father for nearly 40 years! Needless to say, once Jon was handed down the frame, he felt it was time for a restoration, so Jon looked to the original heritage of the frame and did an amazing job.
See more photos below and follow Jon on his Flickr!
Yeah, this was probably better for last week’s Merckx Mondays, due to Halloween and all, but I missed Simon’s email. Seriously though, I’m stoked he used Merckx Mondays to inspire a series of illustrations at his site, aptly named Merckx Mondays.
From time to time, enthusiasts, hobbyists and collectors get an itch. An itch to make a vintage “replica” bike, modeled after any number of liveries or teams. For Andy White of FYXO, he really, really wanted a replica Molteni.
A frame came up in Eddy’s exact measurements, 58cm TT, 60cm ST, but it was from the wrong era, so he filed off the front derailleur hanger and painted the seat stay caps to resemble Eddy’s team bike. From there, fresh paint and decals were applied by Sun Graphics. He’s even got a flat crown fork, instead of the sloping crown.
Then, well, life happened. He had a kid and has to let her go. The frame, not his daughter.
This Molteni replica is available and I thought it’d be a perfect Merckx Mondays post. Holler at FYXO for more info and head to the FYXO Flickr for more photos.
