One thing’s for certain, this is not Eddy Merckx’s bike, it’s far too large for him. Instead, it’s a team bike, sprayed in Molteni colours, which, among other clues, dates it to the early 1970s.
It was almost certainly ridden by Merckx’s loyal, taller teammate Joseph Bruyère, a rider blessed with a talent of such magnitude that he was only eclipsed by ‘The Cannibal’ himself. The bike now forms part of Dave Marsh’s collection.
Identifying the builder of this bike is a trickier proposition. The list of those who made frames for Merckx around this time reads like a roll-call of the most skilled artigiani who ever lit a brazing torch – Masi, Colnago and De Rosa being the most iconic.
A cut out bottom bracket gives a glimpse of what’s inside, but must have been hard to keep clean.
(Image credit: Future)
However, the frame is later than Merckx’s Masi period, and it predates De Rosa. The Molteni-era Colnago frames often include an Ace of Spades emblem somewhere, often on the fork crown, but there’s no sign of a logo on this bike.
The Reynold 531 decal on the rear face of the seat tube does provide a clue. It practically rules out any Italian builder (Colnago occasionally specced Reynolds) and instead points us towards Belgian bike brand Kessels.
Deep orange is a colour inextricably linked to Merckx
(Image credit: Future)
Fernand Kessels fulfilled orders from Merckx during this period, with many bikes featuring Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing throughout. However, he was not a builder, and instead relied on others to construct the frames for him. So, we’ll probably never know the builder behind this bike.
The components are mostly Campagnolo Nuovo Record – the outer chainring is Super Record – augmented by a Cinelli 1A quill stem and deep drop 66 pattern bars. The wheels feature Mavic Pro Rims laced to Campagnolo Record large-flange hubs. The sharp-eyed will notice that the Brooks Professional saddle has been modified by Ottusi of Milan.