repechage

that is the actual one. I think not a real recent image though. It does have the titanium stem and the pedals have Mg bodies as original.

jet sanchEz

The actual bike he rode when he broke the record?

There must have been a couple of extra frames for training, etc, no?

repechage

two.

The fellow who ran the now shuttered Chainedrevolution website bought an interesting orange pista frame set on eBay near two decades ago that looked hour record sized, Italian “ playing card” spades incised on top of the crown, drilled! All along Steerer.
I forgot from where it came. He was thrilled to win it.

there was an interview with Ernesto that relayed the hour bike he has in his Colnago collection is the back up bike. It has worn remnants of the Eddy Merckx downtube foil graphic panel. Same as the back up bike in the infield at Mexico City.

repechage

I did cover myself and write Most.

there was a LaGrange club member who had access to a copy of the film, and a favor owed, a screening was set up on the 20th Century Fox lot near Century City. This was all very short notice and basically to shops and other clubs by telephone, token donation requested, was a Zoo! Could have filled the theater 3 to 4 times over the 400 capacity. LAPD was out in force to help control traffic and wondering why they were not told of this “premiere”.

Robvolz 

Repechage,

I respect the hell outta you and the knowledge you've shared with this site.

When Ted Kirkbride told me he had a MASI built bike that Mr. Merckx chose not to ride…..was he fibbing?

I have no ties to Ted. You on the other hand have given me sound advise again and again. I thank you for that.

Robert

bikingshearer 

Yes, you did.. And I figured you knew that. I was just being a pedantic PITA providing info for others who might not have known about it.

repechage

consider the timeline. Why would Merckx or his director sportif ask an unknown American builder who was busy running a bike shop and setting up a deal to have Masi set up a facility in the USA to build a Record attempt frame? Merckx had a number of prior European builders who would have been excited and probably capable with a proven track record. The attempt was October 25, 1972.
‘Masi was struggling to get the first batch of 25 bikes out the door before the Holidays a year later in 1973. Let’s say that Ted had been tinkering building frames way back, he had no demonstrable competition record, national or international. The Columbus tubes used were “off menu” at this time also.

There were a lot of balls in the air, Masi even had to scramble to bring in handlebar plugs, they were omitted from the initial supplies, why Masi California bikes were fitted with white Hunt-Wilde plugs.

The “American” connection to the hour record was through Pino Morrioni. He was responsible for the design and machining, maybe even the welding of the titanium stem that was used. Interesting as the quill draw bolt was buried deep in the tube, very short. Very creative guy he was.
based on visible evidence of the bike at the Metro station, also observable is the addition of the transverse approx 6mm OD tubes brazed into the chainstays, open to the bottom to help stiffen the rear triangle.
These tubes were a Pino concept that surfaced on the down tube and sometimes seat tube of frames he made, most often seen on Pista frames.

it is obvious that Campagnolo was heavily involved, magnesium hub shells and pedal chassis, a prototype black anno Super Record headset. Unclear on the seat post, that might also have been of Magnesium.
On eBay decades ago was a rear Pista low flange 32 hole Campagnolo magnesium hub shell, I should have bid on it, it sold for $134. plus ship out of Italy. Campagnolo at this time had magnesium vacuum casting capabilities.

Robvolz 

I’m not fighting you on any of this.

Nor am I suggesting Ted built a bike for Mr. Merckx.

I spoke with him when he was trying to clean out all his stuff, from Italian made and imported lathes to boxes of lugs.

He never said he made the bike that Eddy didn’t choose. He just said it was a MASI.

But again, everything you say makes more sense than what he said.

from the 2” spoke nipples to other aero bits developed by Campy, plus the handicraft of Pino all to make it happen.

But, to Ted’s credit, didn’t MASI make some of the Faema frames? (Pela, sure). They did have some connection.

sounds like if MASI (big if) did make a bike for him to consider, it certainly didn’t have the engineering or details as what Colnago’s team put forth.

repechage

Masi did make frames for Eddy, later in his tenure with Peugeot, (reportedly via an introduction by Tom Simpson) and with Faema, but not exclusively by Masi during that team period.
I have to reference the list by Eddy again, from memory 1969 was the Faema Masi year.
one interesting bike by Masi was a time trial bike with the “pierced” chainstays, a tour de force of effort. Special to Merckx when revealed.*
‘these would reappear later in other frames and much later during the Nuovo Prestige period.
‘reportedly taken from unused stock hiding upstairs in the Vigorelli, but there have been so many built with them that a better answer would be follow on fabrication.

by 1971 or even 1972, Masi as a builder would be in the rear view mirror for Eddy. Masi did build hour attempt bikes for others earlier. There is an image taken in 1971 at the Vigorelli for a very nice Pursuit bike, Champagne in color and pretty trick. It is in the bhovey.com bicycles section in the 1971 visit to the Vigorelli by a client of Masi while ordering his road bike.

repechage

https://bhovey.com/Masi/MasiVisit/index.htm

interesting things to review in each image.

note the rear ends on the pursuit bike, the windows on the bottom bracket chainstay spigots. This bike received much extra effort.