The Motorola Merckx
The last of the Classics from a Century ago.
This is the bike I ride the least. But it might be the most valuable one in the Quan Collection. What is it worth? I don’t really know, because it isn’t for sale. But I know rare art when I see it, and I won’t make the mistake of letting it go again. I’ll take this one to the grave. Or it’ll be the nicest hand-me-down one of my kids will get. We will see which one fits on it better when they’re all grown.
I consider this Merckx the peak of the Classics era. Before modern materials like titanium — painted to look like steel, or the carbon that’s now considered de rigueur in the Pro Peloton. 1991 might as well have been 100 years ago. As an unabashed technophile, this one is hard to justify. It’s old. It’s heavy. It’s not particularly comfortable despite all those cliches about the realness of steel. All my other road bikes are indisputably better at being road bikes. Even my townie rides as nice, and is even a bit quieter — and probably lighter! No one would use this as their road bike today. Not even the Pros who rode them.
Luckily for me, art doesn’t need justification. I tell my wife its a collectible. Other notable Red, White & Blue Merckx riders include: Andy Hampsten, Frankie Andreu, George Hincapie, and Lance Armstrong. And just like Jay Leno and his garage, I still take my classics out on a beautiful Sunday, and turn heads in my matching Motorola team jersey. They can all take a long look, since I’ll be spinning so slowly. 2 miles per hour, so everyone sees you.
Like a restomod 911 from Singer, this Merckx is both usable and special. That’s how Henry Catchpole describes it, and I think that’s the best way to sum up this bike. I’ve made a few upgrades in the name of comfort: a straight Thomson post, a slight rise on the Ibis Ti stem, and wider 25c tires in tanwall. It isn’t as fast as a modern road racer, but that’s to be expected. Technology always improves over time. This was the pinnacle of race bikes in the early 90’s. You’d expect things to be better, faster, lighter after three decades of racing improving the breed. But there’s nothing cooler than this old race bike.
