# Questions about a late 1990's Strada



## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I'm thinking of buying a late 1990's (maybe 1996) Strada frame. It's made of Columbus Brain tubing. It would be for my wife. I have a Corsa 01 from the same year and absolutely love it. The original paint is immaculate, and the bike has all the fancy features that the Corsa has (chrome stay and fork, stamped drop outs, fancy paint job, internal cable routing, etc). Anyone know much about these frames or the tubes?

1. Is Brain OS substantially lower end than the Deda zerouno tubes my bike was made from? Will the ride be similar?

2. The geometry seems strange. The seat tube c-c is 50 cm, the top tube c-c is 53 cm. Seems like a long top tube. 

3. Where did this bike fall in the line up? Kind of middle range as far as I can tell.


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

Had one previously. 

i would say the model falls between the beginner to mid level. 
Columbus Brain OS is pretty stout, double butted tube. 
It's a tad on the heavier side. 
For a given size, I presume it is as heavy if not heavier than the MX Leader. 

the tubes are chrome underneath and has quite a number of Merckx pantographs. 
has a very smooth ride (typical of all steel Merckx frameset), great for long touring. 

1. Is Brain OS substantially lower end than the Deda zerouno tubes my bike was made from? Will the ride be similar?
>>No experience on Deda Zero Uno but it's Brain is amongst the heaviest of Columbus tubes in the late 90s. however it yields a smooth and assuring ride. 

2. The geometry seems strange. The seat tube c-c is 50 cm, the top tube c-c is 53 cm. Seems like a long top tube. 
>> Yes, mine has equally long top tube as well.

3. Where did this bike fall in the line up? Kind of middle range as far as I can tell
>>Low to mid range.


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## minneso (Nov 25, 2001)

I also had a Merckx Strada, beautiful bike with excellent paint and details. Comparing with my MX Leader, the Strada seemed to have more aggressive geometry and would encourage standing when sprinting or climbing. The MXL is more of a seated all day ride over anything type of bike.

My Strada was actually lighter than the MXL *but had dura ace vs ultegra 9 speed. It was also stolen last year, so this is from memory.

I posted an old thread escape from sa if you are interested in picshttp://forums.roadbikereview.com/merckx/escape-sa-130518.html

Good luck and cheers! Eric


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

here are some pics of my Strada OS, 53cm toptube.
the bike has since been sold and is no longer with me.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

I have both a Strada OS and an MXL. I love riding them both, but I'm thinking of selling my MXL as it's too small. I can say that the Strada OS rides "lighter" than the MXL. The MXL is a tank, which is not a bad thing. I don't know what to attribute this difference too, but you will not be disappointed in a Strada if you purchase it. It is a fine frame and will serve you and your wife well for many many years. 

Lastly, never worry about buying a Merckx steel frame, regardless of where it is in the lineup. They are all expertly crafted and ride like a dream. If there was not tubing sticker, you'd be hard pressed to tell the top of the line from the "beginner" frame set.


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## fusiongary (Aug 22, 2012)

innergel said:


> I have both a Strada OS and an MXL. I love riding them both, but I'm thinking of selling my MXL as it's too small. I can say that the Strada OS rides "lighter" than the MXL. The MXL is a tank, which is not a bad thing. I don't know what to attribute this difference too, but you will not be disappointed in a Strada if you purchase it. It is a fine frame and will serve you and your wife well for many many years.
> 
> Lastly, never worry about buying a Merckx steel frame, regardless of where it is in the lineup. They are all expertly crafted and ride like a dream. If there was not tubing sticker, you'd be hard pressed to tell the top of the line from the "beginner" frame set.


Well said. The EM line is quality throughout. I've never ridden one that I didn't like.


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## latman (Apr 24, 2004)

Mine rides nice but it is heavier than my SLX , but it does have 36spoke wheels and wire bead tyres !


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## Marz (May 14, 2006)

Find another Corsa 01. Not much extra than Strada but infinitely better bike.

Best steel Merckx eva.

Had one but small, sold it to a friend who lives in the next street. He built it up with Athena. Deep cadmium red paint, beautiful.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I went ahead and got it. I troll ebay for Merckx frames for fun. I really like my Corsa 01 and was looking for one for my wife. I found this frame and couldn't resist. There's not many small enough for her, and in this nice of condition. I built it up with 11-speed Athena (with Chorus shifters) and a Cinelli stem and Giro d'Italia Cinelli bars. It turned out really nice. I still stop and look at it when I walk by. Yes, it is a bit heavy. She mentions that when she rides it (her other bikes are a Colnago C-40 and a Litespeed Tuscany).

View attachment 272539
View attachment 272540
View attachment 272541


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## HigherGround (Mar 3, 2005)

Nice job pmf! That's a beauty!


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## Marz (May 14, 2006)

Gorgeous. Beautiful build, congrats.


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## cannibal (Dec 3, 2004)

love that yellow paint scheme, imho, the strada OS "brain" was my least favorite in terms of ride quality. there was something special about columbus nivacrom pipes, whether it was the mxl or arcobaleno based on my experience. additionally, my tsx corsa extra had a buttery smooth ride as well. the corsa 01, which i never owned, has received excellent reviews from multiple forum members. surely, merckx geometry complimented all models despite their pipes type.


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