RE: [CR]WAS Merckx's Colnago NOW Details and Set-Up

From: "Steven Willis" <smwillis@verizon.net>
To: "'Bingham, Wayne R.'" <WBINGHAM@imf.org>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: RE: [CR]WAS Merckx's Colnago NOW Details and Set-Up
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:38:14 -0500
In-Reply-To: <D24CD8D2A42DBE408E31D99568D7AAFF0206C886@MLSSWN02P.WAS.INT.IMF.ORG>

Another one that I thought was funny was Bruce Gordon had a seat post built up as part of the frame. It looked cool and I remembered asking what would you do if you bought new shoes and had to raze the seat , I know I am a little weird about seat height, and he said he would just build another frame. Nice to be a Bruce Gordon. Steven

The Bike Stand 1778 East Second Street Scotch Plains NJ 07076 908-322-3330 http://www.thebikestand.com

-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Bingham, Wayne R. Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 9:54 AM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]WAS Merckx's Colnago NOW Details and Set-Up
>>>Check out the brazed on brake caliper spindle/axle on the fork crown: http://home.t-online.de/home/dirk.feeken/colnago/COLNAGO4.JPG Koolamunga!!!...Chuck Schmidt<<<
>>>I've got an image of a similar brake bolt brazed directly to fork crown on a Bianchi ridden by Gimondi...Brook Watts<<<
>>>I remember Bruce Gordon doing that too. Steve Willis<<<<

And that wacky Brian Baylis too:

http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/Frames-and-Parts/BB_H_frame_stay

It's great looking at all these cool bikes and checking out the details and the set up of the components and accessories. Jon had mentioned the cable routing on the Merckx Colnago, and Chuck had noted the same thing about the Masi in the Alberto autograph pic. I've tended to leave cables too long in recent years, something I never did before. I guess some of this is to make it easier to re-do and adjust later. It's so easy to make the cables and housing shorter, and so hard to make them longer. I'm going to think about that a bit more from now on.

One of the other things that struck me as interesting on the Merckx bike was the front caliper set-up: http://home.t-online.de/home/dirk.feeken/colnago/COLNAGO4.JPG The cable is wrapped fully around the fixing bolt and clipped short (a safety measure I used to do while working on other people's bikes, but haven't done in a long time). Also, the adjuster barrel is threaded fully in and the release lever is in the "open" position, even though the arms seem to be adjusted pretty tightly. Hmmmm...wonder if that was original race set-up. I can't even see the cable end on that "meticulously" drilled rear derailleur. And could that rear housing BE any shorter? Race bikes weren't necessarily set-up to look pretty, rather to work hard and stay together. I guess that's one of the reasons I like team bikes and "user" bikes, with all their quirks and oddities, better than the "perfect" restorations.

Wayne Bingham
Lovettsville VA