E. Merckx Team Capri Sonne + Campa 50th Anniversary

I have put my other Eddy Merck project on hold because I want to do this one first.

Here's the story:

Last sunday I went to a 2nd hand market, like I mostly do every week. I was there early, and people were still arriving and unloading their "for sale" stuff. As I arrived, I saw a big white van full of bicycles. I followed it until it was on it's place and checked it, but there was nothing special inside. I walked back, and I saw another bicycle at a place that wasn't there when I passed that place 5 minutes earlier.

This is the bicycle I saw there:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/Gazelle%20Champion%20Mondial%20AA/IMG_2885_zpsda283228.jpg

A Gazelle Champion Mondial AA frame. Serial number dates it back to 1980. It's in perfect condition with almost no rust, just a lot of dust.

I immediately noticed the Campagnolo 50th Anniversary group. It had the crankset, dustcaps, pedals, brakes, seatpost, rear derailleur, front derailleur and shifters on it (so I'm missing the hubs, toe-clips and brake levers)

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/Gazelle%20Champion%20Mondial%20AA/IMG_2886_zps7b20424f.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/Gazelle%20Champion%20Mondial%20AA/IMG_2888_zpsac754166.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/Gazelle%20Champion%20Mondial%20AA/IMG_2894_zps4635e5aa.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/Gazelle%20Champion%20Mondial%20AA/IMG_2892_zps20c53c8a.jpg

At that moment I started to realise I woul never be that lucky again.

I ran into some fellow bicycle collectors and had a chat. They were jealous as fuck, and for once I was happy that I was the one with the luck. I continued the market at a relaxed pace.

With the end of the market in sight, I couldn't believe my eyes. In the distance I saw another bike that looked very familiar. I walked faster, and this is wat I saw:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2903_zps92ee33cd.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2904_zpsc51063bb.jpg

The seller told me he changed some stuff to make the bicycle more rideable for his wife. All in all, it has still most of the Super Record stuff on it.

It's a very early Eddy Merckx Professional, featured in the 1981 catalog as a Professional Road Model and ridden in 1982 by the Capri Sonne pro-team. Handsigned seatstays, flat forkcrowns with EDDY and MERCKX. Serial number G4-722.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2905_zps537fffa5.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2906_zps434daf47.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2907_zps55e33781.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2908_zps1c8ab858.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/IMG_2909_zps0bb09450.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c235/xbonzox/E%20Merckx%20Capri%20Sonne/Page102_zpsb28be114.jpg

I will never be this lucky again to find all this on one particular market.

I had a long thought about what to do, and this is what I came up with: the Campagnolo 50th group on the Gazelle is nice, and the Gazelle is a good looking frame. However, it's Gazelle, and not anything fancy Italian or Merckx. So I decided to combine the best of the two.

I'm going to build up the Merckx frame with the Campagnolo 50th Anniversary group. The biggest thing I'm missing are the brake levers. Should I be on the look-out for a pair (and spent a loooot of money), or would it be acceptable to use a regular Super Record pair instead?

After that is done, the Gazelle will get it's own CP topic. I'll build that one up with Super Record (containing parts of my other Merckx build) or Nuovo Record (would this be appropriate?).

All feedback is welcome. Let me know what you think or what I should do!