Phil Anderson's 1991 Team Motorola Merckx specs

As promised, here's the specs of the Team Motorola build. I consulted various sources both online and in print (which will featured in a future blog entry) in order to come up with the final build that would hopefully be a reasonably good representation of the way the bike would have looked when it was still in Phil's hands.

Frame: 57.5cm Eddy Merckx Team Motorola (custom geometry for Phil Anderson)
Fork: (Not Original) Eddy Merckx Columbus Steel, professionally repainted and color-matched to frame. Fork decals from Cyclomondo

Wheels:
Hubs - (Front) Shimano Dura-Ace 7400
(Rear) Shimano Dura-Ace 7403 Freehub
Spokes - DT Swiss Champion 14-gauge
Rims - Wolber Profil 20, 32-spoke
Tires - Vittoria Rally tubular

Drivetrain:
Derailleurs - (Front) Shimano Dura-Ace 7403 (clamp-on)
(Rear) Shimano Dura-Ace 7403
Brake/Shift Levers - Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 STI
Chain - Shimano
Crankset - Shimano Dura-Ace 7410, 53/39
Bottom Bracket - Shimano UN-72
Cassette - Shimano HG-50 8-speed cassette, 13-23

Components:
Brakes - Shimano Dura-Ace 7403 Dual-Pivot
Pedals - Look PP96 clipless
Headset - Shimano Dura Ace 7400 (NOS)
Seatpost - Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 Aero
Saddle - Avocet Racing II (NOS)
Bar/Stem - Cinelli 66-42 with Cinelli cork tape/Cinelli XA 85mm (NOS)

As far as I know, many of the Motorola Team bikes had a Shimano sponsor sticker on the non-drive chainstay and mine was no exception. However, the frame was in poor condition and all that was left of the original sticker was the top part of the "M" and a bit of the "I" and "A". I ended up removing those scraps and replacing it with a new sticker. The replacement was just a bit larger than the original, but I think it completes the look.

I searched long and hard for an Avocet Racing II saddle and found this one in "NOS" condition with a lot of shopwear. No titanium rails like the team used, but good enough to complete the build. Note the DA 7400 aero seatpost - I've since found some evidence that the 1991 team may have used the fluted version instead.

L Look PP96 pedals - donated from another famous Merckx bike (which will be featured in a future post) and perfect for this project. Period correct, but not for the Motorola team. They actually used a similar pedal that was a 'pro' model.


Really scored on the rear derailleur. Absolutely gorgeous!
Note the cable fixing bolt is reversed. Out of the box, the 7403 bolt is actually hidden by the derailleur body. The Motorola mechanics (as well as scores of other owners) reversed the bolt to make accessibility and maintenance easier.

Dura Ace 7403 hubs, but with a 'modern' 8 speed HG cassette. First set of wheels I ever built, so we'll see how well they hold up.

Shimano's first ever STI shifters. Some of you may already know that a few Motorola riders still preferred DT shifters, and even more used a single DT shifter to handle the front chainring shifting duties to save weight on mountain stages.

Wrapping and finishing bars is truly an art form.

NOS Cinelli XA stem mated to 66-42 bars. Just the way Phil would've liked it.

DA 7400 front hub laced to Wolber Profil 20 rim. Absolutely one of the greatest hubsets. Ever.

NOS DA 7400 headset. The DA 7403 brakes aren't the prettiest, but they get the job done.

Absolutely stunning paint job on the forks.

Note the incorrect cheap black plastic ferrules on the shift casing. Back in the day, it probably would have been cheap chrome plastic ferrules.

Anyone who's ever shopped for Merckx fork decals will know exactly where these came from. The shape of the white background on the Columbus decal still bothers me, but these decals are undeniably top notch all the way.

No, I didn't forget the dustcaps! None of the Motorola Team bikes I've seen had dustcaps for the crank bolts. I'd assumed this was because they spurned the traditional cap/bolt in favor of titanium bolts to save weight.

That's it for now, kiddies! Stay tuned for my next post detailing the inspiration and references that helped me complete this build, as well as some other cool Motorola stuff!