botty kayer

A few changes on my MX Leader. I've just got a new seat post bolt and bracket from a broken donor saddle on eBay to replace my recently snapped ones. Also added sexy new carbon 10 speed crank set and now runs with 28c tyres so is an excellent combination of old and new, a fantastic riding bike.

And upgraded to a shiny new C-Record crank on my 753 Merckx.

smd4

Could do without the MX Leader. But that 753 may be my new favorite color scheme. Simply gorgeous.

nenad

A big shout out to the forum!
I'm a long time lurker but don't post much. Earlier this year, I bought an EM Strada which looked like this:




The powder coat paint was so thick you could barely discern the serial number underneath the bottom bracket. I wanted repaint to be based on original EM scheme and I decided I wanted a frame with lots of green in it.

motochick 

Got this from a friend for cheap and built it up to ride the mountains where I live. I love the way it rides


1982 Professional E4699, built to ride

650b x 38mm, 150mm triple crank, 10sp Dura Ace

orbeamike

The King is Dead! _________Long live the King!

Mike V3

MXL Record, Chorus 10

botty kayer

Hi Nenad, I've only just realised but not only do you and I both own a green and white Merckx, but we also each own a pink Tommasini with stampeding horses on the top tube, surely there's not many of us with that combo. Have you built up the green one yet?

Reading back a few pages on the decoding of Merckx frames thread, I also notice that you posted a green MX Leader that your friend had recently bought, that's the same frame and colour scheme as the one I've just got too! There is a weird parallel bike universe thing going on between Krakow and London it seems.

Unfortunately not all of parts for my new MX Leader have arrived in time for me to get it on the road this weekend, bah! Has your friend built up their MX Leader yet? Any pics of that for me to keep me going until mines finished? ...and of course to see how similar Krakow and London's version of that frame end up

panzerwagon 

Holy smokes that is stunning!

Could you describe the re-finishing a bit please? (powder/wet paint, decals, how the lines were created, whodunnit, etc)

jimbossa

Woah. Whats the story here. Re-built frame? The damage to the top frame looks pretty bad.

orbeamike

This beloved EM Corsa 01 was in a roof rack accident, I had the front triangle replaced by Innerlight cycles and had D+D repaint in one of my favorite paint scheme. I rebuilt it with 10spd parts, 15 years later I still very much enjoy riding this bike.

merziac

H**Y CRAP!

That's freakin awesome, love it when that happens.

nenad

hi botty_kayer,

weird parallel bike universe, I like how you put it. Though, I have to correct you on the green MX Leader, that post is right below mine so you will have to ask "messy11" how that project is coming along. As for green / white Merckx I have used paint scheme from '89 catalogue (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...88-1992-a.html) and your Grand Prix as blueprint to paint mine.

Tommasini bikes are coincidental. I have ordered mine in 2014, the distributor told me I can choose any paint scheme factory has done in the past and this was the one I settled on.

Strada is a work in progress and today headset and fork arrived. Headset remains last piece of hardware to be installed before full build. No rush, autumns in Poland are very long.

nenad

The decals were ordered from eBay. I have also ordered a set of masks, these:
https://www.ebay.pl/itm/131868919411...UAAOSwvg9XfEKA

Of the paint process this is what the painter told me: the frame was stripped bare, then white epoxy primer was applied. He then painted the frame and applied very thin coat of clear lacquer. At this point, I went to see the frame and we applied the decals (he insisted we do this together). After the decals were applied he finished the little details, "eddy merckx" on the brake bridge and EM logo undearneath the BB and on the fork crown. Once this was done, he went ahead and applied clear coat two more times.

Some things that surprised me: he said that even with the mask set it was still quite some work to get all the lines right. When I went to see the frame to apply decals, I thought the green color was too bright. I was amazed how much clear coat darkened and deepened it. I think I now understand why color matching can be so difficult. Also, dark green means different things to different people. He chose something like midnight green (that has blue hue in it) which is not what I envisioned. He also disobeyed me in choosing the white color as I was asking for pearl white which this is not. However, looking at the final result and his workmanship, there's a reason why he does painting for a living.

I hope this info helps if you're contemplating doing EM project of your own.

merziac

The experts are the experts for very good reason.

Your frame looks awesome, great work by your guy despite the disobeying snafu.

Creative license is a tricky thing, I had a case on one of my most important bikes I have, a custom frame. I asked for a little darker red than like on a Colnago or Merckx with medium red metallic Italian like, and got this, , no, wait, "too late we already started, it will be fine."

Lucky for me everybody that sees it loves it and I do too, now, but many would have blown up over it, again, .






Also have a 10TH Anniversary Tribute that has fantastic paint that would probably have been more than the too small frame I traded.




Yes that's a carbon fork, the frame was part of a cashe of frames found in an abandoned warehouse with no forks so this got carbon. I have another frame that may donate its fork to this but this frame and fork are stunning like yours so....

nenad

I would agree with the rest, that's a wonderful (for me that would be cherry) red color.
Just quickly on the topic of forks, I think one should keep an open mind. Steel is real and carbon forks with modern stem/bar combo do change the ride (and aesthetics). However, it is a setup I prefer, so the EM Tribute above gets from me.


Ready to paint Columbus Minimal

merziac

Tx, yep, being a Strawberry all reds can apply just like cherry, I didn't want that dark. Its Honda Basque red using just the base coat and I am a fan of it, just didn't have a choice once they found it.

I have minimal experience with carbon, only one other bike with carbon fork front and rear and one with just fork, both Fuji's and both good bikes for what they are. Once I put carbon seatposts on them they were pretty good, even with aluminum frames. Still not really a fan except for the 10th where I didn't have a choice but like the Strawberry, love it just the same.

The 10th has been languishing unfinished since I got it and mocked it up as you see it and now that you brought up the ride factor I may finish it to ride. I had not fully considered the ride factor even having put the 3t carbon bars on.

So many projects.

darkmoon

Wow!

Hi, martl, post #820!

Reply from Yokohama, Japan.

Miyata had been making Eddy Merckx 1973 to 1976, in Japan.
Kessels bikes weren't imported at all to Japan, and I haven't seen one for almost 50 years.

Light violet is beautiful too!
Very important photo for Japan's bike and cycling fans.

Thanks a lot

darkmoon

Hi, Mike V3!

MXL in Molteni orange is orignal paint?
I have seen MXL in Japan, but haven't seen Molteni orange ones.

I have Corsa Extra in Moleni orange.
MXL in Molteni orange is cool, too.
Chrome RH chain stay is nice.
I like your bike!

merziac

Fortunately for you, you are doing without it.

And I agree but I would take one in a more palatable color scheme in a heartbeat.

botty kayer

<br /><br />Hi <a href="member.php?u=79742" class="utag">@nenad</a>

Ah yes I do recall your name from that other site, and yes that is me, though I have more than just blue steel these days I only check back there occasionally. And sorry for the mix up with the green FNG painted MX Leader, I really do need my eyes tested
You've done a great job with your resto so far so looking forward to seeing it built up. And don't worry about the lack of the pearlescent white, I have it on mine but find I can never capture it properly in pics with my camera phone, so you can't tell anyway In fact same with the green, it never looks as deep and sparkling in pics as it does in real life, tried again today but still not quite fully representative.

I got some white clip in pearlescent Look copy Campag pedals for the green one this week, which nicely match the white pearlescent on the frame I can't capture. As much as I feel like Shaun Kelly on the Poggio every time I charge up to the crest of Tower Bridge, I used SPD's and SPD-SL's for many years before I ever used clips and straps, so the twisting outwards of the foot to release is 2nd nature to me. I don't have the leather straps pulled tight but I still instinctively twist my foot, instead of lifting and pulling back which seems to work best with the toe clips and straps, and I know in an emergency situation I'm going to do the wrong thing and topple over. I am pretty good at track stands but I do live in central London with its millions of traffic lights so its very stop start riding so clip-ins just seems a better option for me here. They're a fair bit lighter too. I'll keep the clips and straps for long days out in the country.

messy11 did your mate finish building up their green MX Leader Merckx? If so any pics?

botty kayer

And today I finally finished my new MX Leader. I bought it as a complete bike that came with Shimano 105 and looked like this...

I stripped it and replaced everything apart from the headset, so its now running 28c tyres and 20 speed Campag and a mish-mash of black, silver and gunmetal/graphite/ti or whatever words the marketing department insist on using instead of grey. Despite this mix of parts I'm still very pleased with how it looks and rides. Seen here with poser summer wheels....

....but as summer seems a distant memory already, its kitted out with these 32h hole Record hubs and Open Pro combo for the coming months.

himespau 

Finally got this built up. 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX. The mechanic I took it to for a couple things I couldn't do myself (head tube too long for my headset press) said that this was from the second batch Litespeed made because the rear dropouts have the EM logo engraved on them, which the first batch didn't have. Front shifting needs some work, and I feel a bit bad that I gave it a downgrade (it was originally sold with 8 speed Record) when I put 3x10 Centaur on it (it came to me as a frameset), but that was what I had. Still thinking about getting some deep section carbon rims at some point. I have some really nice hubs that I could lace to them.

EMTSC2002

Hi, folks, was going to post some pics of my Eddy Merckx Team SC but no pics allowed for new members. Maybe later.

merziac

You can get your post count up by telling us about it for a preamble, you're halfway there.

You can also add them to an album on your homepage and they may get moved here.

So welcome aboard, glad you found us, you're in the right place.

darkmoon

My dream bike

Corsa Extra 2005
Dura Ace 25th anniversary set
Dura Ace 7700 52t x 39t
Mavic open pro ceramic
Dura Ace pd-9100
Panaracer race evo rcc-ax4 23c
Campy Record 2-bolt seat post, milled and polished





1975, I started cycling in Japan.
Merckx was of course strongest in the peloton and very popular in Japan, too.
Miyata was making Eddy Merckx since 1973 to 1976.
But they were too high priced for high school boys like me to buy.

Eddy Merckx has been my cycling hero.
I've never forgotten about Molteni orange Eddy Merckx.

And at long, long, long, last, this year 2022, I've got this Corsa Extra

My 47-year dream bike has come true

It's a sweet ride bike.

Looking good, riding good, it's my treasure, the last bike I would sell!