Eddy Merckx Balance Bike
FYXO

Eddy Merckx Balance Bike

Everyone remembers their first ā€“ well so they say. I had trike, then bikes, but my blue 20ā€³ Hallmark BMX is the first I can vividly remember ā€“ especially my Grandpa reversing over it. Ā That was a tough lesson to learn.

Back when thisĀ De RosaĀ was conceived by Jody, I thought it was cool but didnā€™t really understand just how cool ā€“ until I too became a Dad.

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If you fancy having a crack at creating your own mini Merckx, Colnago, De Rosa, Cinelli, Masi or Kenevans ā€“ here is how.

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Buy a balance bike.

There is a plethora of options online. Ā For $60 I hadĀ this oneĀ land on my doorstep. Ā I assembled it, modified the saddle to get it to the absolute minimum height, then disassembled it completely.

SAND

Get out the sand paper (600 grit or similar), break the clear coat and sand down to the raw ply only on all the surfaces you plan on paint.

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GET ARTY

I always hadĀ this bikeĀ in mind when it came in making a mini version. Ā It was simple and classic and one close to my heart.

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Bit of bashing on the keyboard, export to the PC and then let the Roland weave it's magic on the vinyl.

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Sourced the headbadge from Cyclomondo and the fork blade decals were leftovers from the firstĀ Fauxnago.

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MASK / SPRAY / MASK / SPRAY

I got just a little fancy and masked off the fork ā€˜bladesā€™, using a metallic silverĀ spray paintĀ for this section. Ā The overlap is electrical tape ā€“ a similar approach is often used to cover masks and transitions between colours or chromed sections.

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Once the fork legs areĀ done, mask them up and paint the remaining sections in the colour you select ā€“ Ā gloss redĀ for my project.Ā  Two coats ā€“ let it harden for at leastĀ 24 hours and then assemble.

I masked and painted the ā€˜Cinelliā€™ on the bars and would opt for vinyl if I did it again. Ā  Bartape replaced the stock grips and voila!

The next level of fancy would have been my own attempt at aĀ Busyman saddleĀ ā€“ maybe for the next bike.

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I doubt sheā€™ll remember today, but itā€™s one us parents will never forget.

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