# Help in Identificaiton of Merckx Corsa



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

I just acquired a Merckx Corsa that the seller believes is a 1992 or so model. On the drive side of the BB there is an S over 7C and on the other side of the BB is stamped C1525. This bike looks very similar to the one in this thread ... 

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=178258&highlight=corsa

below is an image of the bike I bought ... Can anyone help with the BB numbers or confirmation this is a 92 vintage bike?


----------



## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

90/91

Check out this...

http://www.cadre.org/Merckx/

Congrats on a great bike.


----------



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

Hi Fasteddy,
I did check out that website before and after I bought the bike and although it confirms it is a Corsa, I maybe just lame enough that I cannot decipher the date in the C1525 stamp.
Thanks
JR


----------



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

So, I am assuming this is about a 1992 Corsa ... still can't sort out the date from the database -- and it is in riding condition, but the prior owner used this as his commuter bike. The seapost, stem, handlebars, and saddle are the first things I want to upgrade. I am assuming I should find a campy seatpost, but I am not sure what would be period-appropriate parts for the stem and handlebars. I have seem a few images on the web of stems with the Merckx name on them, but some searching did not yield much ... any suggestions on where to period-appropriate parts for this Corsa?

Thanks
JR


----------



## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

ah - a long and pricy road -

Question one - Ginger or Marry Anne (woops)

I mean..

Campy or Dura-Ace?

I have been (with the exception of my Casatti re-build in Campy Record) been building in Dura-Ace. Mostly 7400, and there is a ton of it on Ebay.
My MX Leader , Professional and Corsa Extra are all in Dura-Ace 7400. The only component in that group that can be a pain to find is the quill stem - let alone in a size you want. Nobody will balk with a cenelli in it's place..

Pantographed Campy with Merckx ? whole new ball game... Open up the checkbook. It's out there but can run up the tab quite a bit.

All depends on what you are going for, a rider or a wall hanging ... Or - a compromise - something in the middle-

I still have a NOS corsa frame hanging in my basement - I am a little broke and a little burnt out chasing down period parts, may just pop for a brand new 105 or Ultegra group and be done with it...

Remember -

Post pics and let us know how you are doing !


----------



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

Hello Again,

Just looking at seat posts, I see that this can be expensive. I think what I will do is replace the offensive parts -- seatpost, seat, stem, handlebars -- and then decide what to do elsewhere. I may opt for the new Athena group that is all silver and then call it good. I am shopping for a Ti Mercx for a different build, but this will be get me started!


----------



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

Here are some of the upgrades I am considering for my new to me Merckx Corsa

Seatpost -- Campy 27..2mm Super Record or similar
Stem -- Vintage Cinelli with 120mm with 26mm clamp
Handlebars Vintage Cinelli Giro D'Italia
H'Bar end caps -- New Silver Cinelli caps unless I can find older ones 
Handlebar tape- Cinelli white
Saddle -- San Marco Vintage Regal in white

It seems the next thing will be the headset and whatever the piece is called where the forks attach to the frame. I am not sure about the sizes of these -- does anyone know the size I should be looking for?

After that I may replace the existing drive train with the newer Campy all silver Athena group unless I can find another NOS group that is a better fit with the bike.

Am I going the right direction in this redo of my bike?


----------



## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

It's a journey -
Looks like a rider from the start which is a good thing - Take your time, bid low and update as you go..

if the headset is is good shape, I would leave that alone - it is a PITA to change out, and a change in stack hight can make a mess of things.. 

What is the drive train on there now? Looks like shimano from the picture...


Bottom bracket is something else in the if it aint broke don's fix it category


----------



## gomango (Aug 30, 2006)

Hi,

Glad to see you bought the bike.

I would order up an Athena or Centaur gruppo and be done with it. Alloy shifters would look best on there I believe, but its up to you of course.

There will be new versions of these gruppos that may have alloy shifters available if you are a little patient.

Let your fingers do the walking and check out webstores such as PBK, Total Cycling, and Ribble. There are others as well. 

Order a white Regal while you are at it.

Stems and bars are up to your personal tastes. Cinellis and Nittos work great for me, and are out there waiting to be ordered.

I have seen some great deals lately on used and new Record/Open Pro wheelsets.

That frameset is a beauty by the way!

What a fun project. 

Cheers,
Gomango


----------



## molamola (Jun 20, 2010)

It is definitely a rider bike -- I think the gentleman I bought it from used it as a commuter bike. The drive train is Shimano 105 crank and hubs and a Deore XT derailuer and mountain bike cassette. Nice for riding the hills where I live. 

I have just been looking at stems and bars again and it looks as 3T also makes stems and bars that might be appropriate?


----------

