Originally Posted by
gaucho777
@
Vonruden, I couldn't see selling any of those either.
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My keepers:
'86 LOOK Equipe/Bernard Hinault (753r) - I've had this bike since I was a teenager. Rides like a dream. Tons of nostalgia.
'89 Parkpre Team Road - This was my teenage team-issue race bike. Again, lots of nostalgia.
'90 Parkpre Team MTB - Team MTB I've had since I was a teenager.
'90 Merlin - The bike I wanted as a teenager, though couldn't afford on e at the time. I was finally able to find one in my size a few years ago,, and it lived up to my expectations. I'm not going to let this one go.
'73 Speedwell Titalite - The garage queen. I don't ride this one much, but I love to look at it.
'72 Cilo Pacer - This is my commuter, errand, go-anywhere, do-anything, gravel, Eroica, toss-it-in-the-trunk, take-the-family-out bike. This bike fits and rides wonderfully. I've upgraded the parts over time, but it remains a quintessential C&V bike.
'85 De Rosa Professional - My only Italian, and my only bike built with a modern drivetrain. Rides nice, too.
I feel exactly the same way about my Merlin...it really changed my standards, and it lived up to impossibly high expectations, if not nostalgia. I swear these things have fairy dust in those silly bbs.
Merlins are about as close to perfect as a bike gets, and, honestly, the only roadie I've ever liked as much was a custom, which doesn't count.
I have this brit by a builder named Pete Matthews, and that's a HECK of a bike, especially for older tubing.