sufficient_d

Could someone measure the position of their number plate boss on a vintage bike-- specifically mid-late 80s Merckx? A measurement from the outside surface of the head tube to the center of the hanger's threads in mm would be sufficient. I figure best to post here vs framebuilder's forums since the bike owners are the ones who have the correct measurement

steelbikeguy

Do photos help at all?
Bicycle Guide ran an article that includes a nice shot of two Merckx's.. one made of steel and one made of flesh.



Steve in Peoria

sufficient_d

No pictures don't help but seeing Merckx holding a 7-Eleven is always a good way to start the day so thank you!

oneclick 

He must have sticky palms.

Erzulis Boat 

I would check the UCI regulations (if they exist) on placement, but typically I think it's around 10cm (center of HT to hole, educated guess). Also make sure that you have the correct hanger for the frame as there are different configurations, but I am sure that you know that. There was a guy adding tabs back in the day to boost "value", so any repaint has me wondering sometimes!

Manny66 

This is the number hanger from my Concorde TSX .

gugie 

Thanks for posting that Manny, I'd wondered abou that dimension. So 3-1/2" from back of head tube to tab, or about 4" from center of head tube to tab.

Every time I've screwed up tying my bike number to frame at Eroica California and Cino I've thought of brazing on those number holders. Of course, that would screw up the paint. I checked at framebuildersupply.com, they no longer have them in stock. Ceeway in England still shows them on their website, however.

Hmm, wondering if someone could 3D print up a clamp on version...

Mike V3

Later this evening I can measure my Merckx.

Wildwood 

Awww, come-on. Pics always make it better. This one was shipped from Belgium to Seattle. No longer mine.

Erzulis Boat 

That's around 10cm like I guessed. I am sure there is a UCI reg (it's changed now of course) that someone can dig up!

seagrade 

Every time I see race number braze ons mentioned in the same conversation as Eddy Merckx frames I feel compelled to post into thin air that the addition of these braze ons in itself most often proves that an importer, distributor or customer ticked a box and paid a handful of Belgian francs for the attachment of the former to the latter. Nothing more and nothing less.

Markeologist

Not a Merckx but my wife's Gitane Team Pro…number tabs are sexy! So sexy, I got one for myself (still to be built).

velomateo

I've seen them made from what looks like a rear derailleur cable stop. Could you just drill and tap one of those? Also seen guys using the bolt from a campy shift lever to secure the number.

Mark Beaver

Last year, as a custom framebuilder, I had the task of replacing the top tube and head tube on an Italian build Greg Lemond frameset, which sadly had a large dent in the top tube. I replicated the internal brake routing and moved the number plate braze-on from the old top tube to the new top tube in the same location. The frame was then repainted by Velocolour in Toronto, replicating the original paint scheme exactly, they did an incredible job. The owner was over the moon at the end result.

Mark Beaver
Tamarack Cycles
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chombi1 

Most race number plate hangers were actually quite crude, being made from flat stock with a hole on it brazed on to the bottom of the top tube. Only a few bike manufacturers bothered to use something more substantial than that.
So it's amazing how much additional "cred" is placed on bikes with these simple race number hangers......

Mr. Spadoni 

Water bottle cage clamp with a shorter fastener would likely work. Bonus is that they come in pairs. Some of the ride numbers I’ve encountered are too long to be adequately secured by the single bolt on a number tab.