[CR]What Eddy Merckx REALLY rode...

(Example: Production Builders:Tonard)

Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2004 13:41:18 -0700
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]What Eddy Merckx REALLY rode...

I asked Brett Horton if it would be okay to post his email on the CR list and he said yes. Pretty interesting since the list is directly from Eddy Merckx:

=================================================================================== Subject: Merckx Bicycle List Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 08:11:34 -0800 (PST) From: Brett Horton <bretthorton@thehortoncollection.com> To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net

Chuck,

Remember, don't shoot the messenger.

Eddy had a whole lot o' bikes made for him during his career.

•After his big crash on the track, it was not uncommon for him to have 30+ frames a year.

•He told me that it was not unusual that a bike that was made in, say, 1974 may have been used during that season and again the following year.

•He told me there was no reason why forks made by one builder would not be mixed with frames made by a totaly different builder. In his words (parapharsed), "I wasn't riding for bicycle collectors."

Personally, I have never seen one of Eddy's race used bikes that pre-dates 1971. With my own peepers I have seen Kessels, Colnago, and DeRosa bikes made for him but never a Masi, Van der Este, or Pella.

-Brett

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The following sets forth information, written in Eddy's handwriting on April 7, 2003, that I obtained during my visit to his home in Meise earlier this year.

1965 - Superia (stock bike) 1966 - Peugeot (stock bike) 1967 - Peugeot (stock bike) and Masi 1968 - Masi 1969 - Marcel Van der Este (Belgian builder) 1970 - Pella (or Pello) Torino, Italy 1971 - Colnago and Kessels 1972 - Colnago and Kessels 1973 - Colnago and Kessels 1974 - DeRosa and Kessels 1975 - DeRosa and Kessels 1976 - DeRosa and Kessels 1977 - DeRosa +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

===================================================================================

Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California