-Tony"
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tall Tony's Merckx
This is Tony Tambini's 1982 Merckx. It's a beautiful, functional machine. I notice it appears to have Simplex Retrofriction shifters as well as the changes Tony mentions to make it a more practical rider for him.
"Here are the pictures of my Merckx. I ride this bike a lot, this is not a wall hanger. The original sew-ups, crank & shifters are hanging in my garage. I replaced the original wheels with the clinchers in the photos for practicality purposes, and the crank because it had those small black oxidation marks you find in vintage aluminum parts. I've seen a few snapped super-record cranks, and am not eager to have this happen to me. The late '80's Chorus crank was purchased NOS a few years back and is my size. I know the saddle is out of place, but my choice is based on comfort, and these newer Specialized saddles fit my anatomy. (besides, when I'm sitting on it, you can't see it!). Hope you enjoy!
-Tony"
-Tony"
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12 comments:
Hmm nice. This is and older model, no top tube braze ons and a flat fork crown. One of my favorite frames. I like the color...very chic.
I noticed the top of the BB cable routing and the lack of braze-ons for the rear brake cable. Does Tony have an older bike than he assumes?
Tony? Serial number?
Nice bike!
I am no expert on European bikes, but I always wanted an Eddy Merckx back-in-the-day, but being a poor college student and/or fledgling teacher/mountain biker, money was always scarce, therefore I never got one. Eventually around 1992, I opted for an affordable Bridgestone RB-2, which was supposed to have similar geometry (so someone said).
I'd still like a classic Merckx someday.
When I bought this (from a local newspaper classified ad), the seller told me he had purchased this new in the early 1980's. The date code on the Super Rec cranks & rear derailleur were both 1982. Merckx opened his factory in Belgium in 1980-1981, and I have a scanned catalog from that period with pictures of frames with over the bottom bracket cable routing. You could order these frames with as many (or few) braze-ons as you wanted. This is a great long- distance riding bike. It soaks up road shock like a touring frame, but handles like a racer. When I am looking to ride for hours, this is my bike of choice!
Also- The Simplex shifters and (slightly modified) super record derailleur are shifting a 9 speed cassette, so I have plenty of gears.
-Tony
Tony, Sounds like you're done your homework. I'll give you an A on the report.
This is an early transition model. The first models had Eddy's signature on the seat caps. What got me with this frame is the combination of logo'ed seat stay caps and no top tube cable guides.
If you email Jeremy Rauch he can peg if for you.
jrauch@gmail.com
Also here is his blog he is a wealth of info when it come to all things Merckx, also attached is his serial # log.
http://www.tearsforgears.com/
http://www.cadre.org/Merckx/
More than you probably wanted to know.
Cheers,
Jack
OK, I couldn't resist. I flipped the bike over and found: A and 2 on the left (Professional, size 62cm), and E, 6659 on the right. Mr. Rauch explains on his site that the E date code could be early '80s. If the serial numbers were sequential during the first few years of production, then based on the examples from 1981-1985 on his site, my frame falls in the 1982-1983 time period (which matches the patent dates on the crank & derailleur).
I like the clamp-on cable guides. My other '80's bikes have braze-on cable guides that are prone to rust.
Thanks, -Tony
Okay Tony, you fell for it. Now you do "know more than you probably wanted to know".
my favorite detail is the clamp-on water bottle cage on the seat tube. Matching bottle cages, but only the downtube had the brazeons.
and yeah, I give my highest respect to a rider's bike made to go the distance regardless of "period correct."
mw
and yeah, it functions without being bastardized, at least to my eyes.
Ohhh. The danish design ethic is coming out in you Mr. Berg
God save any old bike from defilement vis a vis Danish design ethos! The horrors!
mw
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