Eddy Merckx Own Colnago Molteni Team Bike 1971

Every now and then we get bikes into our shop which are just that bit more special and more collectible than others. In this case it is due to it being ridden by a former professional rider. But not just any rider on any team.
This bicycle that we have here is one of Eddy Merckx’s very own Colnago Super Team Molteni from 1971

Eddy Merckx, is without doubt the most successful cyclist of all time, He started out dominating the amateur events in the 1960s. After winning eighty races, he turned professional in 1965 and started to really flourish in the world of professional cycling. And by the time he retired he had won more Monuments, Grand Tours and races in general than any rider before or after.

Being notoriously fastidious about his bikes and their setup, he had some of the best frame builders of all time design his machines. Among them illustrious names like Vaneenooghe, Pelà, Confente and De Rosa.
When, as a promising step in his career, Merckx joined the Molteni Team at the end of 1970, he started to ride Ernesto Colnago’s bikes.
During the next two years they had a most fruitful collaboration. Merckx went on to win the Tour de France twice and two editions of the Giro di’Italia as well as many other events in this time period, not to mention the famous hour record.

The bicycle that Merckx was riding at that time was the Colnago Super. Few bicycles have influenced the world of 20th century road racing as much as this model. At a time when racing bicycles had typically a lot of tire clearance and relatively long wheelbases, Ernesto Colnago released a more compact bike that would become legendary and a dream bike for a whole generation of cyclists.
The frame itself was manufactured with the highest quality Columbus SL steel tubes. The Colnago Super was based on a shorter, stiffer, and lighter frame. It was designed for high-performance and thus helped Merckx surpass his competition, cementing him as one of the greatest riders in cycling history.
Boy, are we lucky to have even more than a standard Super here:

Eddy Merckx’ signature is visible on the top tube of the frame which still has the original paintwork that Eddy Merckx and his team would have ridden in. The 1971 team bikes were a bit more special since some were built using a more massive fork crown.
A bike of this magnitude has to come equipped with some great components, the crankset and derailleurs on this bicycle are all Campagnolo Nuovo Record, which was arguably the best groupset of its time.
On this actual bike, Eddy Merckx raced the 1971 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which he won. This bike was built with a particularly slack seat tube angle of 70° which would have helped Eddy to find some comfort on the rougher road sections.

Who owns a bike, built by the most famous frame builder, ridden by the most successful cyclist, raced to victory in the oldest one-day race in existence?
As you can see, the bike has seen some usage in the following years, but in most parts remained unchanged. We just gave it a careful but thorough check-up and made sure that it is fully functional. So a new owner could ride some meters on this unique machine if he feels the need.

This special bike is certainly good enough for any collection, be it private or museum.