Charles and Ray, Thank you for your contributions to this matter. You guys are backing my opinion on the frame as well as on the paintjob- I might add one exception for powdercoating - it is an option for a bike intended for hard and rough use like typical winter training bikes in certain areas (like my home area). There only powdercoated frames will withstand the abuse and will look considerably well. Of course a discerning and avid bike fanatic will not choose a valuable and collectible frame for this. I did the mistake of having a Francesco Moser Frame powdercoated for restauration and was kind of disappointed because I lost all the details in the lugs and the end caps. It was not so bad after all since the frame originally came to me badly repainted without any original finish and I would not have known a local painter being able to do a decent job on a bike. I will use it as a nice winter bike now. I am still courious what price the Merckx frame will get.
Regards
Michael Schmid Oberammergau - where you have salt on the roads in winter Germany Tel.: +49 8821 798790 Fax.:+49 8821 798791 mail: schmid@zunterer.com http://www.zunterer.com
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] Im Auftrag von Charles Andrews Gesendet: Dienstag, 4. September 2007 16:25 An: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Betreff: [CR]re: merckx molteni replica on ebay
Ray Dobbins wrote:
Overall, this bike is a Molteni replica that could have been great, but came out awful.
For those who aren't familiar with it, I have a factory built Merckx Molteni replica bike that you can see here:
http://www.raydobbins.com/
Ray Dobbins Miami FL USA
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I agree with Ray. The finish on the frame on ebay is terrible; the frame itself a typical 80s Merckx product.
To me this is a good example of why powdercoating is just not an option with bikes. Patio furniture, yes, bike-frames, no. And, yes, I've seen
examples of "good" powdercoating...and they still looked bad.
In answer to the question originally asked, Colnago *did* make an Eddy Merckx-badged road bike in the early/mid 70s. It may even have had its own geometry, separate from a Super...although it looks like a Super from the pictures I have. It was painted molteni orange and had the earliest Merckx graphics on it. A *very* rare bike, with milled and drilled parts different than what came on a Colnago. I have heard that
a few came into the United States, but only a very few. The brochure pictures I have show a very tasty bike.. does anyone here have one?
Charles Andrews
Los Angeles