Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra Return to Timeline
This one is special.
Columbus SLX, rifled, double-butted chrome-molybdenum tubing. The latest Italian high-end steel of the mid- to late-80's. Maximum permissible dosing of chrome, gracefully balanced with classic color and lightly accented by sophisticated white font of the down-tube decals. Minimalist nubs for top-tube cable guides, just before the internal routing came along...and then became standard. Braze ons in all the right places: shift lever, front derailleur, rear derailleur cable guide, and two bottle bosses. No pump peg, because this is an elegant racer. (I know, it's not a real racer, or it would have the race number tab brazed beneath the top-tube.) Campagnolo drop-outs and recessed brake caliper fixing nuts are de rigueur.
This Corsa Extra will be equipped with 1984-85 period of Campagnolo Super Record parts, currently sitting in a drawer, rolling on Ambrosio Synthesis 36 hole rims. Tubulars, to be sure. The rear derailleur is the state of the art Pat '84, complemented by a black-anodized braze-on front derailleur. The brake calipers are the '85 vintage, with script logo and slightly aerodynamic silhouette. Style notwithstanding, one mustn't rule out the possibility this machine will be faster because of them.
Many thanks to Leo at Velo Saloon for this fantastic frames.
Columbus SLX, rifled, double-butted chrome-molybdenum tubing. The latest Italian high-end steel of the mid- to late-80's. Maximum permissible dosing of chrome, gracefully balanced with classic color and lightly accented by sophisticated white font of the down-tube decals. Minimalist nubs for top-tube cable guides, just before the internal routing came along...and then became standard. Braze ons in all the right places: shift lever, front derailleur, rear derailleur cable guide, and two bottle bosses. No pump peg, because this is an elegant racer. (I know, it's not a real racer, or it would have the race number tab brazed beneath the top-tube.) Campagnolo drop-outs and recessed brake caliper fixing nuts are de rigueur.
This Corsa Extra will be equipped with 1984-85 period of Campagnolo Super Record parts, currently sitting in a drawer, rolling on Ambrosio Synthesis 36 hole rims. Tubulars, to be sure. The rear derailleur is the state of the art Pat '84, complemented by a black-anodized braze-on front derailleur. The brake calipers are the '85 vintage, with script logo and slightly aerodynamic silhouette. Style notwithstanding, one mustn't rule out the possibility this machine will be faster because of them.
Many thanks to Leo at Velo Saloon for this fantastic frames.
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| Beautiful original paint from 1985, with superb chrome stays and fork. |
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| Italian thread 70 mm bottom bracket, marginally stiffer than English or French standard 68 mm. |
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| Deep chrome layer in fantastic condition after 33 years. Campagnolo short drop-outs are standard "best," in my book. I will likely turn back the adjuster screws for a plusher ride (longer wheel-base) over Belgium's beloved rough roads. |
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| Chuck Schmidt, Pasadena graphic designer, crafted the Merckx decal and pantograph font. His was a regular friendly face in the bike shop where I worked. |
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| Just enough metal to keep the rear brake cable housing secure: in line and free of bumping. |
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| Wheel-suckers know who they're dealing with (as they say in SoCal). Slipstream profiteers know with whom they are reckoning (as they say at Yale). |
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| The elegant downward sweep of the sloping fork crown: art meets performance. |
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| Brev is the abbreviation of "brevetto," which means "patented." Campagnolo means Campagnolo. The translation can only be understood by riding. |
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| Eddy, indeed. |
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| SLX: rifled, double-butted chrome-molybdenum steel tubing. |
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| Eddy Merckx accomplishments in the decals: Belgium National Champion World Champion Giro d'Italia Tour de France
(...and that ain't all.)
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| The X indicates a Corsa Extra, the Z the year 1985. |
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| Stay tuned for the build.
This blog post (by J. Rauch--Tears for Gears) contains useful information for date, size, and tubing on Merckx steel frames. Many thanks for this carefully collected information!
Below is a list of serial numbers and descriptions for a variety of Eddy Merckx steel frames.
Serials are of the form <driveside>-<non-driveside numer>-<non-driveside letter>. When looking at the bottom bracket, with the frame veritcal and the headtube at the top, read this as upper left, lower left, lower right, upper right. Sort of a U shape. Why? Because it sets a standard way for me to record this info, no other reason.
Only when either a frame has been date verified by Gitabike or the Merckx factory do I add a verified model year. Model year bikes are begun production the year before, and as such its possible for their date code to be somewhat different than what the pattern suggests
Pattern? Right, the patterns.
The left side of the serial gives model and (sometimes) size information. Sometimes there are some other letters I haven't deciphered. But here's the general gist
* On frames prior to, roughly, 1986, the M probably denotes a multisport or other model, and does not necessarily denote a Strada. If there's a Columbus SL style sticker on there (either no tubing type mentioned, or an SL), then its probably not a Strada - which will have either a Strada or possibly a Cromor decal, depending on the year.
Sometimes things don't match up -- there are multiple Corsa Extras marked with an H, for instance. Things to figure out as the sample space gets larger. Originally, I thought an S designated a Grand Prix (made of Seven-fifty-three tubing), but has shown up on a variety of other frames clearly labeled as other models.
The left side number will give the last digit of the frame size. C5, for instance, would be a 55cm Corsa. On some frames, this might show up as 5C, but it means the same.
The right side of the serial is less easily defined. The numeric portion seems to be at least semi-linear. The two identical Grand Prix differ by 1. Other frames from the 88/89/90 time frame show numeric portions radically different. Its possible the number portion is sane for a given model type.
The final letter, however, seems to be at least a somewhat reasonable marker for timeframe. Its possible that the letter corresponds to the catalog which the model comes from -- Merckx didn't necessarily issue a new catalog for every year, so the letter may indicate the catalog year to which the model is designed.
In general, the letters from 1986/87 and on seem to follow a somewhat recognizable pattern. 84/85, part of 86 maybe, also seem semi consistent:
* The E is a tough thing to deal with -- a misdating of a frame in the table below as a 94/95 by Gita, when it is very clearly early 80's, strongly points to E as 94/95 when its an appropriate looking/constructed frame. But the E also appears for frames in the early 80's. So use the list wisely. If you have over-bottom-bracket cable routing, you don't have a 1990's frame.
Some bikes seem to slightly predate or post date the range. These may be bikes manufactured to the new specs in the year prior to the model year -- Gitabike indicates, for example, the Grand Prix's in the list to be 89 model year, while a 10th anniversary TSX frame also carries the B. Might be a late 89 build?
This list is (roughly) in the order that they were probably produced, based on the letter, claimed date, as well as look + model. As earlier frames seem less likely to follow a pattern, I've placed them first. At some point I'll make tables that break out by frame-type, where identifiable or strongly guessable.
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