No, it's not a repaint. The bike hasn't been used very much but was stored long ago and hasn't been ridden since then. At closer inspection you'll find the typical small paint chips of maybe one or two season's usage. The rear drop outs show the typical wear from installating the wheel but always at the same position. You're right that the set screws have probably never been adjusted. I doubt that parts have been replaced. Even the water bottle is the real one.
Dirk
-- Dirk Feeken Heidelberg Germany
-----Original Message---- Of chasds@mindspring.com To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Merckx's Colnago
> Have a look at
> http://home.t-online.de/
Interesting photos of what's supposed to be a bike Merckx actually rode..
I'm wondering if it's a repaint. Notice no wear to speak of the rear drop-outs, was the rear wheel never removed? Or did the set screws just stay in place? The paint just looks awfully clean for a race bike that would have been treated fairly roughly from what I've seen...maybe it was just a lucky bike, and stayed fairly pristine.
And that chainring comes from the late 70s I thought..wasn't Merckx done by then?
I'm just wondering if a couple of things were replaced later. Love the crappy drilling on the derailleur. Very much in-period..<g>
Charles Andrews
SoCal