scozim 

My friend opened a bike shop here in town last fall and has been getting some decent C&V bikes in. He's currently got a Trek 2000 for sale and just sold a really sweet Univega Alpina Pro mtb that I was really tempted with but my wife happened to be with me that day. He also has a 50cm or so pre-Trek (I think -don't quote me as I'm going off memory) Klein Quantum.

I thought I would post pictures of this one. If anyone is interested PM me and I'll give you his number. This mid-1980's 56 cm Merckx is on consignment by the former rider's widow. She may be a little high at $999 but, then, it's a super nice bike. My friend has gone completely through it including adjusting the Delta brakes.

thinktubes 

Nice bike! If you sell the Deltas, it becomes a $500-600 bike

merziac

Wow, that looks great and so a good deal as well, not overpriced at all IMO, so glad its not my size.

billytwosheds 

This seems to be a great example of the Campagnolo transition in the 80's. Earlier hubs and shifters, later most everything else.

Curious, are the Deltas 3-pivot or 5? I'd guess 3.

Either way that's a solid deal for a complete bike like this.

saulgoldie

Wow! Magnificent!

smd4

I think I'd pay more for something without the Deltas. Ugly.

joesch

Looks very nice. Give it a test ride and you may not be able to leave it for someone else.

Spaghetti Legs 

I think it’s fairly priced with that setup and, ahem, maybe undercuts my similar era Merckx for sale.

Looks like first Gen C record crank, second Gen RD, cool shifters.

joesch

Both bikes look very nice and Id pay more for yours with the better wheels.
Im looking for a approx 60cm EM

repechage

Visual too big for me, appears 56 ctc.
nice bike, reasonable price

pastorbobnlnh 

What an exceptional find and I agree, the price is very fair.

I'm in partial agreement with smd4 about the Delta calipers. However, I wouldn't describe them as "ugly."

Instead, I find them to be too large and intrusive when compared to the other elegant Campagnolo bits. The Deltas, instead of blending and becoming part of the total machine, seem to leap out of the picture and assault the eye. I've never noticed this on other Delta equipped bikes, but maybe those bikes never caught my eye like this stunning Merckx.

As a comparison, here is the similar Shimano alternative from 1983, and thus the same era. IMO, it provides a less intrusive look.

Dura Ace AX front caliper.

Yet with that said, Campagnolo does need to hang on a Merckx frame.

jdawginsc 

And Shimano AX actually stop the bike! At least I am assuming they do...haha!

i think the EM is a solid bike shop price, even if CV. Delta presence considered.

Available 56s are everywhere tempting me...

pastorbobnlnh 

Be strong and resist jdawginsc ! And yes, the DA AX calipers stop just fine and make little to no noise. Great brakes!

jdawginsc 

I always thought that blueprint (SunTour as well) were potentially a good match for high performance brake design. Not sure why centerpull lost ground (though I love the Campy and Shimano versions of dual pivot)

SurferRosa

​​​​​With the wide separation of those chainrings (53/39?), the rear derailleur might benefit from a more narrow rear cluster (14-25) ... or just lengthening the chain. If you do add links to make it easier for the rear derailleur to get up to those bigger cogs when on the big ring, you may lose the ability to ride in a tall gear on the small ring. #catch22

smd4

I grew up in a time when "aero" was just starting out. Those massive, flat, un-aero speedbrakes that are Delta's just looked to me so ridiculous considering the attempts to "aero" everything from seatposts to pedals.

The Dura Ace AX look great! Glad to hear they stop well. I think if I had to keep it Campy, I'd go to later Record caliper or dual-pivot brakes, even though they might not be "period correct."

Trakhak

Switching back and forth between different freewheels for my Bianchi Specialissima in the '80s, I was always careful to size the chain such that it sagged significantly in the small/small combination with the Super Record rear derailleur. Otherwise, the drivetrain friction resulting from using the big ring with any but the smaller sprockets was unacceptably high. Obviously, I was happy to give up the ability to use those small sprockets with the small ring.

After all these years, it still surprises me when a poster complains that the large/large combination or small/small combination on a bike doesn't work flawlessly. Even when I upgraded the Bianchi to a six-speed freewheel back then, I still used only 8 of the 12 possible combinations. Why subject the chain and sprockets to additional wear from cross-chaining just to use a few ratios that are essentially duplicates of straight-chain combinations? Ten speeds were ten speeds only nominally, and the same holds true for all the other two-or-three-chainring drivetrains.

Newer, more flexible chains and longer chainstays than were fashionable in the past make it possible to use those hitherto-verboten combinations, but I still like to keep as straight a chainline as possible, to get the maximum life out of the drivetrain.

squirtdad

this is clear example of beauty being in the eye of the beholder I have always thought the delta's were cool look and to me the AX is clumsy

all good and the bikes are super nice which is the important thing

smd4

Exactly. Never understood this.

jingy2

The delta brakes on this Merckx are Croce d'Aune. You can tell by the exposed springs.
Still a nice bike though!
Jim

Trakhak

I've sometimes thought, based on absolutely no evidence, that the average European was familar with bikes of all kinds and learned their strengths and limitations early, whereas most U.S. riders didn't, so the mentality here is, "I paid for a 20-speed (or whatever) bike, so I'm owed 20 usable gears, dammit!"

pastorbobnlnh 

I've always thought Deltas were nice looking as well. I don't ever remembering seeing a bike equipped with them and responding the way I did today to the Merchx. I never thought they looked as obtrusive as they do (to my eye) on this frame.

Spaghetti Legs 

Maybe the tire clearance has something to do with that. I’m used to seeing a much tighter squeeze. Sorry for the sideways load. Cannot use pics in portrait orientation on this site.

P!N20

Do you think? Most of the iconic Merckx racing bikes were equipped with Shimano.

smd4

Yep. Dura Ace.

Love that paint scheme though. Pure 1980s.