Was it the 70’s Peugeot PX-10, Eddie’s MX Leader, that old Bianchi, Cervelo R3/Cannondale six/13, some traditional Italian job, Richard Sachs or some other custom guy, that Litespeed you almost bought, that old steel 12 sp way back when, Lance’s Trek or Greg’s Lemond. That bargain you got off ebay. That modern high tech $$$ carbo wonder you own now. Or maybe something else?
Tell us why. It’s only about your love for that particular bike.
I am lucky to have had some well made aluminum frames that rode very well. In addition to the extremely smooth Klein that I mentioned above, my tri bike last year gave a great ride quality in an all aluminum Yaqui Mariola. I think workmanship matters more than material.
1 vote for the 70’s px10. It used to be my dads bike then I got my hot little hands on it and turned it into my fixie. The brake is necessary with the local hills; this thing is brutal going up and down. (sorry for the lame photo but when I saw the first ride mentioned from the OP was hanging in the garage I just had to run take it down and snap a pic.) I never noticed the bars were so out of whack. I don’t ride it often enough.
I’m unable to restrict myself to just one, I love them all. I have managed to reduce the List to just 5 in a vague semblance of preference
Merckx MX Leader - Molteni Orange
Colnago Master Olympic - Blue/white scheme
De Rosa Anniversary - pearl white
Cannondale CAAD6 - hibiscus paint scheme (current race bike - bought off Simon Lessing)
Merlin Extralight (I thought they were so cool when I was a kid and that memory never fades)
This is restricting myself to Production bikes - the list would be much longer if I got into the creative custom builders like Bohemian, Vanilla, Llewelyn etc.
The merckx is at the top because of it’s supreme robustness, great ride and stiffness and the fact it is associated with the greatest rider ever. I like the fact that it pays complete disregard to weight and focuses on being a bike that you want to ride and will be able to hand down to whichever grandchild fits it.
I actually think about this topic often and there really are a lot of great bikes out there, unfortunately they are currently being overwhelmed by the TBG copycats. All it takes is a bit of effort to hunt down a bike that a bit of thought put into it and you will be very happy.
Merckx corsa extra (Columbus SLX) in 7-11 colors. Yes, it is my dream bike and yes, I have been a proud owner of one for the last few years. It’s my workhorse and I get a kick out of riding it, but it also tends to be a great conversation starter at group rides.
I had that bike! Mine was “Storm” paint. It was to harsh for me and I traded it in for a Kestrel, that I didnt like that I traded for a Litespeed, then another Litespeed, then another Litespeed…
I really like my current Cervelo Soloist Carbon, but I still have a soft spot for the previous bike to it, an R2.5. That bike was so comfy, yet stiff…I loved it. Right up to the point when the chainstays disbonded from the bottom bracket, that is (but Cervelo treated me very well when that happened).
I love my Rivendell Romulus, leather Brooks saddle and all…BUT I just bought a tricked-out Cervelo R3 from R&A, complete with Campy Record, Zero Gravity brakes, blah, blah, blah, the whole nine yards. I haven’t turned a pedal on it yet due to miserable road conditions,; I can’t wait!
Hey I was going to post the exact same bike Merckx corsa extra (Columbus SLX) in 7-11 colors. Still a great bike to ride and as you say a good conversation piece. Did my first year of triathlons on it. Right now it is hanging in the basement waiting for the snow and salt and crap to go away before it sees the road again.
Actually my brother bought the frame new but I “borrowed” it from him about 6 years ago and I figure it’s mine now!
My thoughts exactly. I mean I give it all the TLC it so rightly deserves and he gives it nothing and it was just sitting there… He’s great for buying stuff and then letting me “borrow” it once he’s bored with it. Now if I could just talk him into buying some race wheels.
