T-Mar

The original post says the error is "pretty basic and pretty obvious". Having a pad rubbing on the sidewall meets that definition in my opinion. The post says nothing about a "major accuracy issue". That's your assumption. You're not seeing the forest for the trees. Go back to the "basics". There's nothing more basic than ensuring a pad is contacting the rim and not the sidewall.

BTW, who would have to prep a bicycle for a photo shoot? The bicycle should be properly set-up for riding, whether it's going to a photo shoot or not. Sure, clean it up, dust it off, but having to change the brake shoe height?

Otis

To add some focus here:

Race bikes from this period used 700c tubulars NOT 27" wheels.

Pista pedals were very common to use on the road at the time.

The brake routing shown here is correct for Campy sidepulls, although some riders used the opposite routing. (the cables are way too long on this bike though).

The bottle cage is a period correct REG.

Ok, back to the wild guesses.

Crampangoslo

There would be no H2O bottle braze on with a bike of that vintage and the cage would have used little metal straps (just a guess-I can't remember when frames started to get bottlecage braze ons). I would think that if the frame had H2O cage braze-ons, it would also have TT cable braze-ons too, instead of chrome clips.

Old Fat Guy

Nope, see previous posts, or look at Eddy pictures from the era.

DiabloScott

Eddy always parked his front skewer BEHIND the fork blade (the correct way), book shows it in front. Can't tell for sure but it almost looks like the skewer in the photo is all the way open, rather than all the way closed... just looking at the way it's curved... like somebody wingnutted it.

DARTHVADER

yeah the left toestrap is wrong.
the seat is too low but the toe strap is defiantely wrong.

ronw87

Brake lever clamps are on top of bar tape.

Ron

cudak888 

Good point - I got wrapped up in the curiosity of it all.

I'd expect most of these ex-TDF bikes to be in pitiful cosmetic and mechanical condition - they wind up as deteriorating museum pieces, uncared for and left in that state under the nonsense premise that leaving it dilapidated is "more original" then cleaning it up.

-Kurt

pstock

Alright, enough already. let's wrap this up.

after a few hints from another NCCC member ("the clue is in one of Merckx's unique fetishes... also something to do with his body size. think about eddy with his tape measure... ")
the answer was clea. and several people here nailed it.

This from Mike Barry:

Hi Peter,
"Yes the answer is 'saddle too low'.
I had an e-mail discussion with author Jan Hiene about it and he said that that was how he received the bike for photographing and if he had corrected the saddle position scratches on the post would show. To me that saddle position really spoils the whole cover photo. (That is the photo on the front of the book.) I wrote about the book and the cover photo in my blog last Feb 1. You can read it if you wish at www.bicyclespecialties.blogspot.com and going to the Feb09 posts.

Here is the URL to the February posts, which includes a writeup of the restoration of Mike's own 1951 Cinelli.

https://bicyclespecialties.blogspot.c...1_archive.html

thanks for all the suggestions and guesses. I've asked Mike to dream up another trivia question.

Peter

Otis

Well I'm glad I was not the only one who was put off by this photo.

Last month my wife got me the "Handbuilt Bicycle" book that Jan put out, but it was really the "Competition" book that I had wanted, as I'm more into racing bikes.

I got online to possibly exchange them and when looking at that cover shot of the Merckx bike I was immediately put off by the saddle height. I figured if they were going to let that go, then how can I trust the rest of the book. I'm not syaing they needed to get the exact measurement that Eddy rode, but c'mon it looks like a total Fred set-up as is. I would not list a bike on ebay set up like that!

Anyway, I kept the "Handbuilt" book, which is really terriffic, and I probably learned a lot more from that one anyway. I'm sure the "Competition" book is great as well, cover photo aside. Maybe next year.

retrofit

Here's an interesting take on the saddle height issue from Bicycle Specialties blog (scroll down to the 2nd story):

Blame the saddle height on a short priest and an oversight by the photographer.

stan

pstock

Robert Murray of the Toronto No Click Cycling Club took the time to tweak the cover shot a bit. He figures the attached is what the shot should have looked like.

kincsem

Both the brake and the gear cables are routed over / behind the handlebar where they might interfere with the rider i.e they are in the way of the rider. My guess is the levers are switched as pointed out in earlier posts but to do this switching Eddy had to put the cables behind the handlebars instead of in front of the handlebars to avoid too much bending of the cables. The setup as shown in the pictures looks a little dangerous as the rider could catch a hand in a cable and cause an accident.

Old Fat Guy

I challenge you to find a picture of a pro riding with traditional brake cables routed the way you suggest.

Please post the picture here when you find it.

Good luck.

kincsem

You are right. I was wrong. I just looked through my Paris - Roubaix book to confirm.

The "brake levers on top of the bar tape" answer above looks best. I don't like the front wheel quick relaese pointing upwards (could catch in something) but that is preference.

kincsem

Nothing to do with the bicycle?

Should it read -

The Competition Bicycle
A Photographic History

not as shown

The Competition
A Photographic History
Bicycle

Old Fat Guy

See post #35.