#Eddy-Merckx

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Merckx Mondays

It’s easy to understand why people call Merckx the greatest of all time, especially when watching his stage 12 of 1967 Giro d’Italia victory. It was the first time Eddy won a mountain stage, thus beginning to carve his legacy. Nice find, Tracko.

Eddy Merckx Motorola Corsa Extra with Dura Ace 25th Anniversary

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Eddy Merckx Motorola Corsa Extra with Dura Ace 25th Anniversary

This is a special Merckx Mondays treat. Sean from Team Dream recently acquired an Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra in the Motorola livery, laced with a beautiful NOS Dura Ace 25th Anniversary group. I’ve personally never seen this group on a bike, in person before, so it was a real pleasure photographing it. Sure, there are a few blemishes on the kit, like the insertion marks on the seat post, which were like that before Sean acquired it, but overall, this bike is a real gem.

Sean also has the case for the 25th group, which came with the fabled wrist watch. Once he replaces this group with a modern Campagnolo Athena kit, he’ll be displaying the 25th in its case at the Cub House, along with the bike itself. If you’re in the South Pasadena area, make sure you roll through the Cub House and check it out in person because no photos do this bike justice in real life!

Merckx Mondays

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Merckx Mondays

I hope you’re enjoying your holidays. We’ll be back in full swing tomorrow with some year in review posts. Santa Merckx hopes you didn’t buy any upgrades for Christmas, so go ride up grades! Original photo via Old Campy.

A Shifter Bikes Gilded Eddy Merckx Professional with Campagnolo 50th

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A Shifter Bikes Gilded Eddy Merckx Professional with Campagnolo 50th

It’s been over years since I’ve been to Australia, so I made a point to connect with a few of my mates in Melbourne while en route to Tasmania. One of which being Dan Hale at Shifter Bikes, a bicycle studio in South Yarra. Two years ago I shot some photos of a rare gold plated Eddy Merckx Professional at Shifter Bikes and on this recent trip, I got to document the bike, built from the ground up with a Campagnolo 50th group.

While most bikes of this rarity would end up on the wall, the owner of this Merckx enjoys riding it , hence the modern pedals and non-period correct seat post. I suppose when you come across a frame like this, you’ve gotta do what you can to make it road-worthy (just ignore the front tire) and the result is a bike with a patina that comes from years of continued use.

Merckx Mondays

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Merckx Mondays

A reader sent in this Merckx Mondays photo, straight from the Colnago Twitter account with the caption: “44 years ago Eddy Merckx beat the Hour record. Ernesto Colnago was at his side!” Look at that New Bike Day face on Merckx! You can read all about this bike from Merckx Mondays number 40 where we look in depth at this very Hour Record bike.

Merckx Mondays

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Merckx Mondays


Photo by Graham Watson

Cycling accessory company Brancale recently interviewed Phil Anderson on his racing career. Having raced on numerous Merckx teams, Phil’s life as a racer is filled with interesting anecdotes, ranging from extreme lows like losing the World Cup in 1985 due to illness, to highs like returning in 1986 to win the Paris-Tours. Head over to Brancale to check it out.

Karen is the Original Owner of This ’80s Eddy Merckx – Morgan Taylor

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Karen is the Original Owner of This ’80s Eddy Merckx – Morgan Taylor

For those of us who are taken by steel frames and appreciate their ride feel and longevity, the idea of a “lifetime” bike is a familiar one. In practice, however, the idea that a bike could last a lifetime is often just that – an idea – and for some reason or another bikes don’t always stay with us as long as we’d initially envisioned. Not so with Karen’s Merckx.

Karen bought her Eddy Merckx brand new when she was living in Edmonton, AB, in the ’80s. It was originally equipped with a mix of Dura-Ace AX and Campy Record, 6-speed downtube of course. She rode it for a number of years before hanging up the road bike in favor of mountain bikes in the mid ’90s.

Now based in Kelowna, BC, Karen and her husband Chris run a full service repair shop for vintage and modern European cars, with a focus on the details that those machines deserve. Chris took this attention to detail to Meshkat at The Lions Cyclery in the form of a restoration project, and Karen was inspired to dust off the Merckx.

To retain the bike’s classic aesthetic, a silver Campagnolo Veloce group was installed from front to back. The tan sidewall Strada LGGs look perfect on the polished Weinmann rims. The stem, bar, and headset are all that’s left of the original build; with its bombproof new groupset, Karen’s Merckx is ready for its next 30 years.

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Follow Morgan on Instagram and follow The Lions Cyclery on Instagram.

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Merckx Mondays

La Course en Tete is now on Youtube in its entirety. I highly suggest you watch this one if you haven’t. Happy Merckx Mondays!