Maiden Voyage - Merckx Team Stuttgart
Woohoo! Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny spring day, so I took a ride on my recent acquisition, a 1989 Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra road bike.
Team Stuttgart was sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Telekom (now T-Mobile) and the first pro team of Germany according to Wikipedia. Some notable riders: Erik Zabel, Jan Ullrich, Alexander Vinokourov, Andreas Kloden, Cadel Evans and others. The team became Team HTC-Highroad.
Here's the run-down:
Columbux SLX tubing
Team Stuttgart colors
Campagnolo Super Record Crankset (52-42), bottom bracket, derailleurs and brakes
Shimano freewheel, 7 speed 14-26
SRAM chain
Campagnolo Triomphe brake levers
Campagnolo Superleggeri pedals
Cristophe toe clips and straps
Campagnolo Victory hubs
Mavic MA-40 rims
Cinelli bar and stem
Selle Italia Rolls saddle
Sugino Pro seatpost
Elite Ciussi bottle cage
Maiden voyage was a delight, except for a broken chain. Fortunately, I managed to stay upright, and I found a bike shop within walking distance (.7 mile)! The owner, Darby, set me up with a new smooth-running SRAM chain and straightened, tightened and adjusted my rear derailleur while he was at it. He did this knowing I didn't have a credit card with me. Without taking my contact information, he just said "come on back tomorrow and pay for the chain." He did not even charge for his service. He's found a new customer! The drivetrain was extremely precise and silent on my return ride.
Team Stuttgart was sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Telekom (now T-Mobile) and the first pro team of Germany according to Wikipedia. Some notable riders: Erik Zabel, Jan Ullrich, Alexander Vinokourov, Andreas Kloden, Cadel Evans and others. The team became Team HTC-Highroad.
Here's the run-down:
Columbux SLX tubing
Team Stuttgart colors
Campagnolo Super Record Crankset (52-42), bottom bracket, derailleurs and brakes
Shimano freewheel, 7 speed 14-26
SRAM chain
Campagnolo Triomphe brake levers
Campagnolo Superleggeri pedals
Cristophe toe clips and straps
Campagnolo Victory hubs
Mavic MA-40 rims
Cinelli bar and stem
Selle Italia Rolls saddle
Sugino Pro seatpost
Elite Ciussi bottle cage
Maiden voyage was a delight, except for a broken chain. Fortunately, I managed to stay upright, and I found a bike shop within walking distance (.7 mile)! The owner, Darby, set me up with a new smooth-running SRAM chain and straightened, tightened and adjusted my rear derailleur while he was at it. He did this knowing I didn't have a credit card with me. Without taking my contact information, he just said "come on back tomorrow and pay for the chain." He did not even charge for his service. He's found a new customer! The drivetrain was extremely precise and silent on my return ride.