Classic & Vintage - In with the new!

I've only ridden this 3 miles (to get it home today), and I can already tell it is going to be great. Buying this bike is a big step in the right direction for me :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7122231781_79613ce503_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/6976149982_e7c110d895_z.jpg

Going to make some adjustments and a few cosmetic changes, then rack up some miles while I ponder upgrading the drivetrain to 10s or 11s... :)

Right now it has a mix of Campy (mostly Athena, Veloce derailers) and DA (hubs). Anyone know the year or can link me to a catalog? My guess is 89/90 based on right side serial (C2659) (http://www.cadre.org/Merckx/).

Sweet bike. Upgraditis already?

Not necessarily! Going to give it some time.

Sweet bike for sure, I really like the color scheme too. I wouldn't be upgrading a bike like that, the whole idea of vintage is keeping it original! So I hope you don't turn it into a fixie or upgrade it.

Geez I saw a saddle in my LBS the other day that had those three main colors in it, if had seen this post first I would have taken note of the brand and model.

Not necessarily! Going to give it some time.No really, go ahead :)

Step in the right direction - are you going semi-pro? That is the coolest Merckx scheme I've seen. Bravo!

Step in the right direction - are you going semi-pro? That is the coolest Merckx scheme I've seen. Bravo!

:o Ha, no. But I am getting more serious about riding.

Sweeeet

Way to go!

One of my all time favorite color schemes.

Looks to be in great shape as well.

Congratulations! That is a beauty. It is a grail bike for me, well preferably in orange ;-). I dont blame you for thinking about upgrades already, maybe SR all around... Ride it and it.
Pb

Very nice. I agree with you, ride it a while. You may find you don't need an upgrade. I'm sure it rides great as is.

So, is this your first ride with 8-speed Ergo? If so, it will simply grow on you; I know from recent experience ;)

Looks beautiful. Sounds like the riding experience will be similarly so.

BTW, is that Flite from me, or did you get lucky enough to find that on the bike, too?

DD

I wouldn't change a thing other than the saddle, as needed, and pedals, as needed.
Everything on that is just fine. Great ride, glad you secured it to a good home.

DD is right, you'll ride those Ergos and look at other folks with a "knowing grin."

Nice bike! I caught upgradeitis early after a few hundred miles on my bike. Just waiting on some parts!

I guess it's a little better than the orange thing I tried to sell you... ;)

Nice ride, congrats...

So, is this your first ride with 8-speed Ergo? If so, it will simply grow on you; I know from recent experience ;)

Looks beautiful. Sounds like the riding experience will be similarly so.

BTW, is that Flite from me, or did you get lucky enough to find that on the bike, too?

DD

Yep, first time with ergos. It's already grown on me. And that is the flite I got from you, temporarily borrowed from my Peugeot, and pedals borrowed from my single speed so I could ride it home.

I ride 8 speed Shimano 105 on one bike and 10 speed Campy on another, and gearing wise, I never miss the two extra cogs when I ride the Shimano 105.

Beautiful bike. My nephew rides a Merckx and he loves it.

Beautiful old bicycle and I, too, suggest just riding it for a while. Doing so will allow that new bike thing to wear off and allow you a decent opportunity to actually judge the ride quality. I have found, over the years, that it takes me many rides to get to know a bicycle, not just a few.

As for a color matched saddle, I have this NOS USPS butt perch tucked away and have no bicycle to fit it too...

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=235145&d=1327688376

Ah, another beautiful Merckx! Just ride it for a while, my Merckx frame is sitting unbuilt in the garage waiting for $$ to buy the rest of the parts. I'm dying to ride it.

I wouldn't change a thing other than the saddle, as needed, and pedals, as needed.
Everything on that is just fine. Great ride, glad you secured it to a good home.

DD is right, you'll ride those Ergos and look at other folks with a "knowing grin."

Flites work for me, so it'll stay. I did go 'into town' (NYC) today to buy some speedplays, and the guys at the lbs were all over the bike. It's a nice feeling going into a shop with a bike that all the mechanics want to take pictures of! :)

To get back to Brooklyn I decided to take the ferry across the East River.

247384

I did give a nod to a guy going the other way on the Manhattan bridge who was wearing a Motorola Team jersey, but I don't think he had time to see my bike because he gave me a weird look.

Randyjawa, thanks for the offer but I'm going to stick with the classic black flite. The blue paint on the Moto Merckxs is more green than it tends to look in photos. I imagine it would be hard to color match if I ever decided to go with blue bartape, for example. I'm thinking white when I change the cockpit. I'd like a slightly longer stem, shallower drop bars... the list is beginning!