Mechanical Designer Kenji (52) Guides His Titanium Merckx Through The City of Glass
In the beautiful parks between the mountains and the ocean in Vancouver, passersby regularly spot mechanical designer Kenji (52) enjoying a ride on his titanium Eddy Merckx EX from 1996. Behind the gleaming frame lies a story of passion and craftsmanship. “It all started when, on a whim, I typed ‘Eddy Merckx’ into eBay,” beams the trendy Canadian.
In the City of Glass, Kenji feels at home—especially when he gets to ride his Merckx. A bike that immediately catches everyone's eye. If it's not the chrome-colored bottle cages, then it's surely the rim brakes or the Molteni stickers on the wheels. “Every little detail makes this bike special. Just look anywhere, and there will be something to amaze you.”
Kenji has been working as a mechanical designer for 24 years. He didn't have much of a connection to cycling until his friend Cyrus sparked his curiosity. “He owned a premium sneaker store, and there was a fixie in the shop. When I asked for more information, he told me about MASH in San Francisco.” This almost sacred name in the world of fixies and urban cycling started as a video project featuring cyclists speeding through busy city traffic. Over the years, it evolved into a community centered around fixed-gear and crit-racing.
“The timing was perfect,” Kenji continues. “At the time, soccer and fitness were my first loves, but my ankle started acting up, and I was looking for something less strenuous on my body. So in 2009, I started building and riding fixies. The MASH videos were a huge source of inspiration! Around that time, I even found some colleagues who went out riding weekly. For years, those night rides were the highlight of my week. I made some great friends through it.”
In the City of Glass, Kenji feels at home—especially when he gets to ride his Merckx. A bike that immediately catches everyone's eye. If it's not the chrome-colored bottle cages, then it's surely the rim brakes or the Molteni stickers on the wheels. “Every little detail makes this bike special. Just look anywhere, and there will be something to amaze you.”
Kenji has been working as a mechanical designer for 24 years. He didn't have much of a connection to cycling until his friend Cyrus sparked his curiosity. “He owned a premium sneaker store, and there was a fixie in the shop. When I asked for more information, he told me about MASH in San Francisco.” This almost sacred name in the world of fixies and urban cycling started as a video project featuring cyclists speeding through busy city traffic. Over the years, it evolved into a community centered around fixed-gear and crit-racing.
“The timing was perfect,” Kenji continues. “At the time, soccer and fitness were my first loves, but my ankle started acting up, and I was looking for something less strenuous on my body. So in 2009, I started building and riding fixies. The MASH videos were a huge source of inspiration! Around that time, I even found some colleagues who went out riding weekly. For years, those night rides were the highlight of my week. I made some great friends through it.”
Arcobaleno
After a while, Kenji's climbing legs started itching. “I wanted to try longer rides and venture into the mountains. So, I bought the very first Cervelo S3 Full Carbon Di2 in Western Canada. People kept asking me what I thought of electronic shifting, but I couldn’t compare it to mechanical shifting because I had never used it on my fixies (laughs). So you could say I skipped a step.”
“Climbing felt good for the mind. One day, I was offered the chance to trade my road bike for a steel Eddy Merckx—an Arcobaleno from 1997—and I agreed. That was my first experience with the brand, and it made me fall in love with cycling all over again. With a pair of ENVE wheels, I felt reborn. That year, I rode over 17,000 kilometers—STRAVA had me completely hooked.”
Currently, the Arcobaleno is waiting in the storage room of a bike shop for a new seat tube because Kenji switched to a team bike from MASH x Santa Cruz Stigmata. “With this, I could explore the trails and forests. After all that time in traffic, it was a refreshing change. 18,000 kilometers later, I built a carbon Cinelli bike with a SRAM groupset and new ENVE wheels and returned to the road. As you’ve probably noticed by now, I find it important to build a bike with all the components that fit perfectly for me.”
“Climbing felt good for the mind. One day, I was offered the chance to trade my road bike for a steel Eddy Merckx—an Arcobaleno from 1997—and I agreed. That was my first experience with the brand, and it made me fall in love with cycling all over again. With a pair of ENVE wheels, I felt reborn. That year, I rode over 17,000 kilometers—STRAVA had me completely hooked.”
Currently, the Arcobaleno is waiting in the storage room of a bike shop for a new seat tube because Kenji switched to a team bike from MASH x Santa Cruz Stigmata. “With this, I could explore the trails and forests. After all that time in traffic, it was a refreshing change. 18,000 kilometers later, I built a carbon Cinelli bike with a SRAM groupset and new ENVE wheels and returned to the road. As you’ve probably noticed by now, I find it important to build a bike with all the components that fit perfectly for me.”
Pure bliss!
And so we come to the moment when Kenji stumbled upon an Eddy Merckx online. It was a titanium model, finished with an 8-speed Campagnolo Chorus groupset. It had to be fate: the Merckx was in the same city as Kenji. “It could have been anywhere in the world. The original owner had bought the bike in 1996 and had ridden it no more than 500 kilometers before it started gathering dust in the garage.”
“I wanted to upgrade the groupset to a newer carbon Campagnolo model, and my mechanic and friend Clint (from VeloStar Cafe) convinced me to go for the latest 12-speed mechanical groupset with custom 52/39 chainrings. I found a 3ttt Eddy Merckx Panto quill stem from the mid-’80s in Spain and a set of vintage 24-hole Campagnolo Electron hubs in Germany. My friends at WEIS MFG in Brooklyn made a custom 3D-printed titanium seat post for me, matching the finish of my frame and featuring a subtle logo that complements the Merckx logos.”
“Next, I searched for carbon rims and designed my own laser engraving, which I had applied to the sides. I’m absolutely thrilled with the result. They even provided special ‘oil slick’ decals with a few extra logos I wanted to highlight. The bike is now equipped with a Selle San Marco ShortFit CarbonFX S3 saddle and rolls on 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires with Schwalbe Aerothan race tubes—and it rides like pure silk on the road.”
Thanks to his extensive network, Kenji has built his ultimate Eddy Merckx bike. “The end result is even better than I imagined. After trying electronic groupsets and disc brakes, I’m now back to a setup with a retro-modern look. Pure bliss! It’s crazy that a frame from 1996 can be tweaked to modern specifications, with perfectly wide rims and tires. I’m really happy to be riding a bike with rim brakes again.”
The stylish cyclist often heads out with friends from Vancouver’s cycling community. “It doesn’t matter what bike you ride; there’s always a group for you. Personally, cycling means a lot to me. It’s a way to be social, but also to explore. More and more, I dare to go out on my own, though I feel it’s my duty to pass on my passion. Sure, it costs money, but you’re spending it on a healthy habit. Nature is a space for healing—I believe we should take advantage of it as much as possible.”
“I wanted to upgrade the groupset to a newer carbon Campagnolo model, and my mechanic and friend Clint (from VeloStar Cafe) convinced me to go for the latest 12-speed mechanical groupset with custom 52/39 chainrings. I found a 3ttt Eddy Merckx Panto quill stem from the mid-’80s in Spain and a set of vintage 24-hole Campagnolo Electron hubs in Germany. My friends at WEIS MFG in Brooklyn made a custom 3D-printed titanium seat post for me, matching the finish of my frame and featuring a subtle logo that complements the Merckx logos.”
“Next, I searched for carbon rims and designed my own laser engraving, which I had applied to the sides. I’m absolutely thrilled with the result. They even provided special ‘oil slick’ decals with a few extra logos I wanted to highlight. The bike is now equipped with a Selle San Marco ShortFit CarbonFX S3 saddle and rolls on 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires with Schwalbe Aerothan race tubes—and it rides like pure silk on the road.”
Thanks to his extensive network, Kenji has built his ultimate Eddy Merckx bike. “The end result is even better than I imagined. After trying electronic groupsets and disc brakes, I’m now back to a setup with a retro-modern look. Pure bliss! It’s crazy that a frame from 1996 can be tweaked to modern specifications, with perfectly wide rims and tires. I’m really happy to be riding a bike with rim brakes again.”
The stylish cyclist often heads out with friends from Vancouver’s cycling community. “It doesn’t matter what bike you ride; there’s always a group for you. Personally, cycling means a lot to me. It’s a way to be social, but also to explore. More and more, I dare to go out on my own, though I feel it’s my duty to pass on my passion. Sure, it costs money, but you’re spending it on a healthy habit. Nature is a space for healing—I believe we should take advantage of it as much as possible.”
