its ALIVE!!!

This Frame was meant for other things but on arrival I discovered that she was in much MUCH better condition than first thought! NO way could I strip her back and redress her just for the sake of it, this is one beautiful original ol school Merckx!

I had just the answer for my latest addition to the stable, Shimano Dura Ace grouppo 7402 8spd with down tube shifters, that's wright campers...DOWN TUBE SHIFTERS! ah bless!!!



With a full Dura-Ace group including seat post I was (still am) at a bit of a loss to solve the problem of bars and stem for this ride. In the end I had to just throw on the only combo I had lying around which really doesn't do this bike any justice at all but will have to do for now.

Besides there are many beautiful aspects to this bike to distract one from pointing out the bars and stem! Take the number hanger for example, how many of these do you ever see these days? Who cares if they make the frame weigh 200grams more, number hangers on steel frames are functional pieces of artwork in my book!!!



I have always found it interesting yet disturbing that SLX frames just aren't as nice to ride and are heavier than their SL brothers, the last Merckx I actually rode was a SL and it was stunning to ride! This SLX is very Very niiiice don't get me wrong but just doesn't have the same rolling smoothness of an SL.

That said its one HOT bike, ridden today for the 1st time and on a sunny CHCH morning almost every cyclist I saw turned there heads to see what I was riding. I imagine some of the younger riders have never seen a bike without STI or Ergo power shifters before!




Ya just gotta love the lines of a classic geometry steel frame, the engraved lugs and brake bridges to the fork crown, simply magic!

To be fair I'm running out of things to say about this bike, its simply a joy to ride and I love it! the pictures say it all so here are a few more....






Just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Jason Rico and Ski for getting this bike to me from the US, wouldn't have been possible without you guys helping out so big BIG UPS to you both, Cheers G

Ride safe....G

come to papa!.....UPDATED

So far some careful research I have decided that this "Buy of the Year" will get the complete overhaul, Pimp my Ride retro styles and I will sacrifice the "Master" and strip it of its C Record group in order to build an exact replica of the Merckx pictured below.


Cant wait for this frame to arrive so I can start on the ultimate restoration project!

Ride safe....G

Merckx Mania

Ok...so here comes a really special Merckx project!


Just won this lil beauty on eBay this afternoon, currently sitting in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, and soon to be on its way to lil old NZ for a FULL make over, PIMP MY RIDE Merckx styles!

The plan here is to get a full strip back to the bare metal, treatment against the evils of the "R" word (rust for all those not in the know) then a full custom paint job so its a "one of a kind Merckx", new decals (some custom treats there too) and a couple of clear coats to make her shine baby shine!

Dress her up in full Shimano Dura Ace 7403 8spd STI.

Watch this space for further developments as they come to hand, until then a few more photos for the "before phase" of the project.




As you can see she ain't in the best nick but give us some time to work a little magic and this frame will look brand spanking new again hopefully in time for Xmas!
What a mean Xmas gift it will make as well.

Ride safe....G

Dont start something you cant finish Glenn :)

Colnago Master 1988

This is where it all started, approx 3 yrs ago I was talking with a mate about a box of 2 bikes he had bid on on trademe, no photo's no questions answered he bid on it blind for a stupid amount of money (stuff all I suspect) anyway 2mths later a box arrives and he opens it up to find this....

...a 1988 Colnago Master full C-Record group set with Deltas and Omega wheel set....only problem is...wrong frame size, mate put it on eBay you will make truck loads out of it, no Glenn i want you to buy it....and so a monster was born, one trip to eBay lead to another and another then to google to find more treats for my new family member.....and now well you have seen the blog and if you know anything about retro steel and Campagnolo you know it don't come cheap!!!


So I started to collect everything i needed to rebuild this beauty to NOS standard, I even got Mystery to strip the bike down to the frame (he almost rang to say he couldn't do it as it still had all the original Campagnolo grease in the headset and bottom bracket) i wish he had, i would have said stop, how I am in too minds what to do with her, the paint needs work on the left hand side as she was mistreated by the original owner, we all know you cant paint one side and not the other so its off to the paint shop for a new dress and some new decals clear coat and a rebuild by the master....Mystery Morrison.

I still think this is "the" nicest bike I have ever ridden, smooth, comfortable, and solid, heavy as hell but what a ride!!!

I know she will look amazing once finished but I am almost scared to send her to the paint shop for fear of a low grade finish, i guess its like sending your children to school on there first day, glad to see them go but you miss em all the same... I say I guess cos I haven't had to do it yet!


So I have a box of gold (C-Record grouppo) setting under the bed and the frame in the office against the wall waiting and wondering when is the right time to do this, always something else comes up, the NOS Merckx, the Rossin, the Hiatchi Merckx, now the Montello, all of which are the same sort of projects, strip down rebuild/paint, still none of them are "the first" and we all know you never forget your first :)

I know that one day soon I will just have to do it and get it done, its a crime to have such a Master piece lying around in parts and not getting the full pampering its deserves but at the same time you cant be too careful can you...its a bad world out there........

MOLTENI MAGIC

COOL!

The Holy Grail

If anyone out there can help me with finding one of these baby's let me know i would be very grateful, the holy grail of late 80's retro!