Opinions and/or concerns on Ti Merckx
11-04-22, 02:52 AM
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Opinions and/or concerns on Ti Merckx
I am considering the purchase of a Ti 80's E Merckx. It has full 10s Camp chorus and the asking price is about $700. Decals are in good condition and overall the bike looks good. I have never owned a Ti bike and was wondering if there is anything I should look closely at ?
11-04-22, 03:57 AM
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Go for it! I haven't had much time with titanium, but I would imagine you're just looking for cracks at the welds, bent forks, etc. The usual. Other than that people seem to love them as "forever bikes"
11-04-22, 09:00 AM
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inspect the top of the seat tube / area where seatpost binder is
ensure the seatpost can be removed
not familiar with that frame - 80's (?) - was it originally built for 130mm spacing ?
ensure the seatpost can be removed
not familiar with that frame - 80's (?) - was it originally built for 130mm spacing ?
11-04-22, 10:04 AM
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I had a Litespeed with a crack where BB shell met the chain stay. It was easy to miss. So I would check all the welds/ joints.
11-04-22, 10:13 AM
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Check the same way as you would for any bike: for cracks especially at the welds, around the water bottle bosses, eyeball the frame for alignment. Check the drivetrain and brakes for functionality. If all is well, then $700 would be a good deal, IMO. These Merckx AX bikes were made by Litespeed in the mid-90s (not 80s) before Merckx took the ti frame building in-house. The geometry is classic Merckx (not Litespeed).
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11-04-22, 10:40 AM
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I think this is an "AX" model dating to no earlier than 1995--the AX and EX were produced by Litespeed around 1995–1999. I don't have definite sources for this information, unfortunately. Just what I remember.
edit: now I see @Warren128 already said as much
edit: now I see @Warren128 already said as much
Last edited by belacqua; 11-04-22 at 06:17 PM.
11-04-22, 10:42 AM
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Above advise is very good, a Chorus 10 speed groupset in good shape is easy worth $300 and if the wheels are good you are getting a great deal on a Litespeed built frame.
11-04-22, 12:07 PM
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Looks to me like ~1996 decals.
If memory serves, the Ti EX was based on the Corsa Extra/Leader geometry and the AX was based more on the Century geometry. Almost Race vs. Endurance geometry (but not quite as different) in today's terms. Could be remembering that completely wrong. Love my 1996 Ti EX. Great bike.
If memory serves, the Ti EX was based on the Corsa Extra/Leader geometry and the AX was based more on the Century geometry. Almost Race vs. Endurance geometry (but not quite as different) in today's terms. Could be remembering that completely wrong. Love my 1996 Ti EX. Great bike.
