Merckx owners thread

97 was not yet Alu era. Gan still rode MXL in the blue livery... While Pantani was big on Alu and rode a series 7000 frame in 1998 these frames were not widely accepted.. a lot of forks and frames broke.. things were much worse than the teams and mechanics ever let out.. A recall a friend coming back from the Giro--- he was providing technical support to Pantani and few other riders who were riding his wheels--- with stories about all the alu/carbon death traps.. but if we are going to talk about the Alu era.. its probably from 94 or 95.. Riis rode, for example, metal matrix in '86.. still steel was still very much around.. and Ti too.. and even carbon.. until 1999.. steel went dead for Y2K and most traditional vendors to elites found it quite difficult to sell or place their frames..

Well, the last steel frame to win the TDF was as you probably know Miguel Indurain's Pegoretti built 'Pinarello' in 1994 (8 speed). Even before then people were competing on TVT carbon framed machines. Riis's 'Pinarello' in 96 was Alu matrix, Pantani's Easton built Willier in 97 was Alu, I myself was riding Alu from 95 onwards (Cannondale). When 9 speed came out it was cutting edge stuff, so it's a bit like putting Campagnolo EPS or Di2 on an Aluminium frame today as opposed to carbon, doable but would you?

So can anyone suggest what year this Corsa Extra frame would be from? I need to make a decision between building with 8 or 9 speed Campag

Serial number starts with G. Vendor said the frame is SLX

Hilly Ben,

If you want to know if it's SLX or not shine a torch or something down the seat tube. if it is indeed SLX then you will see some spiral grooves like gun barrel rifling especially down at the bottom bracket end.

here i give you a new old Merckx, fresh from maiden voyage (I will take better pics later, and once I have played around with the setup a little)

SLX with full 10 speed chorus group

i just love merckx´

:-D

i just love merckx´

:-D

The way she's holding it....

Just picked up my dream Merckx, Strada OS Columbus Brain

What are you going to put on it?

No real solid plans as of yet. Either the groupset from my Enigma once it has been upgraded 2013 Campagnolo Centaur Red/Black or something period like Campagnolo Chorus

Just purchased a 1986 Merckx Professional. It only has one set of bottle bosses on the down tube. Why not the seat tube also?

Cheers

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could tell me if this is a legitimate Eddy Merckx before I go ahead and buy it? I'm viewing it tomorrow and I'm not sure of what to look out for, if anyone would also be able to have a guess at what year it would've been made that'd also be really handy as I'm hoping it'll be suitable for L'eroica this year? Thanks guys
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181378501117&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

I think it's the gas pipe Merckx from the 60's or 70's. Take a look at the bb shell tmr see if there's any panto's

it's a gas pipe. Look at the big thick lugs, mudguard eyes, low end parts. Avoid.

^this. Lugs are biggest giveaway, especially around the bb. Also, no braze ons for shifters or cable guides, and primitive looking rear dropouts.

^this. Lugs are biggest giveaway, especially around the bb. Also, no braze ons for shifters or cable guides, and primitive looking rear dropouts.
Braze ons or the rear dropouts are no giveaway for a lower end frame. Many very good French frames used Simplex rather than Campa dropouts. Braze-ons? Back in the 1960s and into the 1970s braze-ons were viewed by many as a potential source of failure with thin walled steel. Some of the finest frames came without brazed-on bits. Campa, Hueret and others made nice chromed bolt-on cable guides and shifter mounts.
That said I think its a more mundane Kessel.

Aren't the dropouts on 'real' merckx frames usually stamped with something? I'm talking about the quality of the joints in this area too. I think with later frames, 75 onwards, the braze on question is a more reliable signifier of quality. All the corsa extras I've seen from then on take braze on front mechs.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here could tell me if this is a legitimate Eddy Merckx before I go ahead and buy it? I'm viewing it tomorrow and I'm not sure of what to look out for, if anyone would also be able to have a guess at what year it would've been made that'd also be really handy as I'm hoping it'll be suitable for L'eroica this year? Thanks guys
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181378501117&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

As far as i know Eddy Merckx began making frames in the early 1980s with initial guidance from De Rosa and his output was strictly high end racing frames which this is not i'm afraid to say.

The braze ons on this that are the real give away are the mudguard eyelets, the pump pegs and worst of all the lamp holder boss on the front forks that is just gagging to be fitted with an early 70s Ever Ready Miner's lamp with those disgusting old batteries that leaked chemicals and died before the evening was over.

Like the man said AVOID!

Thanks very much guys, glad I dodged this bullet, I thought it looked a bit naff compared to every merckx I'd seen before. cheers for the heads up

While Merckx did not make any of the 1970s Merckx bicycles, some of them were very nice and many were ordinary. They were made to a number of price points all the way to professional grade...

The braze ons on this that are the real give away are the mudguard eyelets,

Up into the 1970s-- and even in the 1990s--- some very good frames came with mudguard eyelets. They are not the sign of a lower-end frame. Most of the high end bicycles--- made using Reynolds DB 531, chromed etc-- pre-Italo bike boom (mid 1970s) I've seen had them. There was not that vast a difference between frames for tourist and racing bicycles back then... It was with the "racing bike boom" that they seemed to start to vanish as people came to associate them with "half-racers". Part of the problem was also the increasing dominance of Campa's sidepulls.. Introduced in 1968 they replaced the Mafac centerpull as "must have" and also reduced clearance leaving little room for mudguards...

the pump pegs

Merckx through the steel era offered as add-on options among other things pump pegs, chain pegs, hangers for starting numbers and chrome.

Road:

Vey nice! Didn't know this paint scheme. Is it custom?

Bought off Mihajaru last year but seems like its done the rounds on here. Just changed from the ventos to Ambrosio prismas with specialized turbo s tyres.

Uff! Well done! that looks amazing!

Can`t really see the flamboyant ruby that well, need to take another pic.

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really really nice Natal!