Iconic bikes in the pro peleton

Molteni team bikes from the seventies. Just love the orange colour + decals...

Here is the bike Merckx used to become world champion in 1971. You can see it in the Merckx & Ickx exposition in Brussels at the moment!

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Re:

Couple of obvious choices:

Coppi's Bianchi Specialissima - not many examples where a bike and the rider are so closely associated. Bianchi = Coppi and Coppi = Bianchi (I know he did ride other bikes, but even so...)

Pantani's Bianchi - (not even sure it was a specific model, since he had them customised so much). The bikes seem to reflect the Pantani's character, e.g. the way he was at once a throwback to an older era and a representative of his time (doping included, sadly).

Maybe less obvious:

Vandenbroucke's Cinelli Best Of - again a bike that reflects the rider's character and life story. One of the bikes from the end of his career is in the cycling museum in Roeselare. The Cinelli labels have been taped over because he had been thrown off the team and was riding as an independent rider. Someone pointed out that the care with which this was done (all the tape is perfectly neatly cut and stuck on) seemed to reflect VDB's love and obsession for cycling.

Frischknecht's Swiss Cross - If anyone sees one for sale in size 59, do let me know :LOL:
 
the gios blue bikes of kelme really stood out.i wondered if those
were the last steel bikes in the pro peleton.
where's old ned :LOL:
ooh the peugoets px10 s they must fit in as icons,
anc halfords 753? iconic to me :cool:
 

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Some really top stuff.

I'd add in the PDM Concorde, a Merckx Corsa Extra in any of the myriad of colours but 7-11 or Telekom in particular, Raleigh Team Professional, Holdsworth Professional and got to have a Colnago Master in there somewhere but which one? Oh, and a Panasonic PR-6000 and I guess there should be a KAS Vitus 979 and perhaps one of those lugged carbon Look's that La Vie Claire used.

There must be more though and it would be great to get a decent photo of each one mentioned so far into one thread (bar the Trek of course) with a bit of history and why it means so much to the writer - any volunteers to take a bike and write something? Can always be added to edited as we go along.
 
cchris2lou":8j3an6pa said:
TVT from Team Z .

+1. My ultimate retro bike.

Thought about buying one and having it resprayed in the Z colours but have been warned by Argos and other renovators that they are prone to failure. :(
 
not forgetting tvt 's were used by others in the pro peleton.indurain for one.
why do they fail ? is it the glue ? ive got some drill head screws in case that happens
to my trek :LOL:
the la vie clair looks please rusty! :)
and even though the trek oclv monocock....i say[extremely wealthy] cock cause of the one who made it
famous :LOL: i would include it as a stepping stone to modern bikes of the peleton.

gerbil
 
I am totally biased but the early / mid 90s Team TVM bikes have the most lush colour scheme around.
 
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