velomateo

Like many of you, I have a few bikes. I don’t consider myself a collector, I like to have a few bikes that I ride, and I prefer them to be steel. I used to ride 56cm frames, but over the last year or two I’ve slowly been refitting my stable with 55 and even a 54.5cm frames and feeling much better on the bike. So I have had my feelers out for a few frames from builders that are well known here, and about a month ago a nice (although patina’ed) Eddy Merckx showed up in 80’s Lotto livery. I was ecstatic to bring it home, even sending pics to my pals to celebrate NBD.



When I purchased the frame I was told that one of the rear dropout “screws” was broken off. I wasn’t concerned, I have everything to remove that, I thought. Upon closer inspection though, I quickly realized it wasn’t a screw, but a tap that was in the hole. That’s a whole different animal. So after confirming my suspicions with the seller and securing a refund, I decided to punt.

A few sad weeks later the Team USA Merckx popped up on CL near Sacramento. The seller had bought it in a storage unit auction and really knew nothing about bikes. Funds were sent, arrangements were made to have the bike dropped at a shop nearby… and my depression from the Lotto Merckx was finally lifted. The guys at Natomas Bikes handled the pack up for me. We worked out a deal where they kept the parts for a discount on the packing charge, since I already had everything for the build I had planned. The employees there have an appreciation for the vintage stuff, so I felt like the bike was in good hands.
The bike was packed well and it was really cool to lay eyes on the frame with its very rare paint job.

velomateo

After posting photos and serial numbers on the Merckx thread CyclesMakaron informed me the frame is a ‘88/‘89 Grand Prix (Reynolds 753). According to his information the Team USA paint was originally released in ‘93 after Armstrong won the road World Championship. So this frame may have been sent back to the factory for a re spray.
Google searches only netted two other examples. One sold through Steel Vintage Bikes in Berlin and another owned by a BF member. Both of those were Columbus SLX frames and had internal rear brake cable routing.
After I pulled the fork I found the factory decal with s/n and USA reference.

romperrr 

wow, very very cool. Nice to find this bike after the first one didn't work out. Looking forward to seeing how you build it up.

velomateo

I finished up the build on the Merckx today. Pretty easy really, as pretty much everything was moved from my too small Rossin. Different bars and stem along with new blue Newbaum’s tape. I’ll get it out for a shake down ride tomorrow.

Spaghetti Legs 

That is a really nice bike and nice job on the build. I would have guessed after market respray until you posted this info. Rare bird indeed. I have a 753 Professional that’s a really nice rider. Mine also has a handwritten sticker on the fork steerer with size and what now makes me think is a paint code.

romperrr 

Great (and quick!) build. Why is the fork steer tube much longer than the headtube?

velomateo

I can’t say for sure.
I don’t know if when the Merckx frames were new, maybe the fork was a little longer and the shop would then cut them to the length needed for whichever headset was used… or the fork was ordered this way.
I have seen this set up before, most notably on one of Bernard Hinault’s bikes. I’m going to ride it for a bit as is, but I may end up trimming it down.
It was suggested on the Merckx serial number thread, that maybe this was a replacement fork, but I don’t think so. The threads are cut all the way down to the original fork decal and the fork thread notch runs the entire length of the threads. If it had been a longer replacement fork, I would expect to see the threads at the lower end of the fork steerer not having the notch.

thinktubes 

Great build!

Indurain always ran with a long fork - didn’t seem to bother him.

seagrade 

Big Mig regularly climbed in the drops so perhaps that was a factor in having a little less saddle to bars differential than others of the era.

thegruyere

Nice

velomateo

First ride went well, but as usual there's always some adjustments to be made. The l/h shift lever needs to be snugged down a bit more. Usually this could be accomplished while riding, but the bolts are quite snug. Even after chasing the threads, I still need a tool to slip inside the loop to tighten them. So, I'll be addressing that. Also, the extended fork is going to be trimmed down. For my regular riding position, it's just too high and makes the bike handle a little weird, especially notable while climbing in the saddle.
So while the fork is out I'll also be swapping out the stem to something a little shorter. That was just a brain fart on me, I totally thought it was a 120mm when I installed and didn't realize it was 130. I have a few 130's in my stash that I need to clear out, there's just no way I'm riding one of those at this stage of the game.
Anyway, I'll try to get some pics of the fork surgery when that happens, it might be a few days. Back to work today, and still recovering from a century ride yesterday. Beautiful day on my Moots, rode along the coast up to Santa Barbara and then back tracked down to Ventura. We met the wives and had some fish tacos and a beer. Pretty good weekend.

R32

Beautiful bike. Just saw your frame in the Merckx decoding thread. I have a team Motorola from the 90s I'm hoping I can decode once I make it to 10 posts so I can post photos. How does the Reynolds compare to Columbus? I have my dad's old Raleigh Supercourse Mk2 in storage and I'm thinking of building it up.

velomateo

So far the I’m happy with the ride of the Reynolds, but your Dad’s old Raleigh will likely be 531 not 753. I’m still waiting on a few small parts to complete the steerer tube chop, after that I can start dialing my position on the bike.

R32

Yeah, I meant the 753 compared to SLX or similar. I rode his with the original groupset on it but it's hard to tell compared to a merckx with a 90s c-record build. I wouldn't separate his frame from the group on it now, but I've always wondered how reynolds and columbus differ back to back.

velomateo

I had one of the Saturn GT team bikes several years ago, and it was Reynolds, it had a very nice ride. I have only one ride on the Merckx, and so far it rides very similar to an SLX frame. I wouldn't expect the ride quality to be terribly different anyway, but I do think the 753 should be a bit lighter. I think I will be able to give a more informed review after I get more time in the saddle.

velomateo

Spent some time this weekend working on the Merckx. Too hot to work in the garage, so I moved it out to the patio.
With the an old headset as a guide, I removed about 10 mm of the extended steerer tube. After cutting, the old steel headset chased the threads as I removed it, then I dressed the edges with a file.
I left enough threads for a 5mm spacer I found on eBay. The one removed was a tad under 15mm. I feel like this gives me more options going forward, and I can always make it shorter, but I don’t see that happening.
Swapped out the too long 130mm stem for a Cinelli 1R that I had. It’s 115mm and the fit is a lot better. Did a quick 30 miles this morning, and it felt really good.

Garthr

Those are really nice paint jobs and nice frames ! I realize it's too late about the steering tube, but in my world it's a common thing as it's way to get some extra stack height while still using a typical stem. You don't feel it, and it doesn't flex or hinder anything.

velomateo

Thanks and I agree, that’s why I left an addition 5mm of length to the steerer. That combined with the amount of adjustment of the common quill stem, leaves me with plenty of height options. I also, like the added rigidity by not having the stem maxed out to limit line.

velomateo

Here’s the latest configuration of my Merckx. I found the correct levers to match the set of Cobalto brakes I had in the parts bin. Also a different Cinelli 1A stem, in 115 replaces the 1R version I had been using. I just don’t care for look of that model.
I find these new levers are a bit more comfortable than the previous Super Record levers, and I think the white hoods look better too.
This was the last bike I rode in ‘23 a few days before breaking my ankle just before Christmas. Needed surgery to get everything lined up, but now with my cast off and in physical therapy, I’m anxious to get back to riding again.

jamesdak 

What a super cool bike and you've done it quite proud with your build!

If that beauty ever tires you and it's in the 54-56cm range reach out to me. I love me some patriotic paint schemes.

MooneyBloke

I love this build with one glaring exception. I would call up Ron Andrews and get a couple of King Cages in place of the Ciussis. I've run the cages that you have on this bike, and my strong impression is that they are fairly flimsy and don't hold the bottles securely. If you hit some rough pavement, a good sized bump, or even crash, you are likely to have a "yard sale." BTDT for all three cases. I don't get the warm fuzzies about these cages consequently. Stainless King Cages shined up with a little silver polish will complement this fine bicycle just as well, and you can be sure your bottles won't make an inadvertent departure from the frame. I don't generally like product plugs here, but I also don't like products that I've found to work poorly.

BTW: good call on the Rolls. I wish those were still common. My backside is SSM Rolls shaped.

jamesdak 

And... as a counterpoint to the above comments. I'm currently running different variations of those cages on 5 different bikes and have never had any issue with them. In fact they are some of my favorite choices to dress up a classic ride a bit if the color of the cage/buttons work out. I run all Camelbak Podium style bottles so maybe that has something to do with it? Now...after I typed that I went and compared the oldest set I have on the Master Extra Light to the newest ones on the Kestrel 200 SCI. The old ones are like the ones on the Merckx and the tubing is thinner than the new ones. I can easily flex the old one where as the new ones are rigid. So.....while I'll keep running my old ones (maybe) I'd say the concerns are valid. Learned something new.

velomateo

Thanks.

I have King cages on some of my other bikes and they are excellent at holding my bottles in over rougher roads. But I do have a soft spot for these Ciussi cages though.
I'm a sucker for the little brass button on the sides and these have been able to hold my bottles secure and look great while doing it.

MooneyBloke

I used the red button type from the early 2000s. If they've beefed up the tubing used, my warning may have passed its expiry date. I do have yellow button alum Cuissis on my improvised TT rig, and those grabbed bottles just fine. I do know that those red button cages gave me rattling bottles that could launch themselves at inopportune times. I still have those Cuissis around here somewhere, but I'm not going to put them on a bike.