# Are these steel Merckxs with the chrome forks still available in the US?



## rkdvsm (Jul 15, 2006)

Is it possible to get these Merckx (as seen on the website linked below)?

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article.asp?sp=342860474357608891536&v=1&uan=2246

I'm particularly interested in the ones with the chrome forks and stays.

If not then is there any way to get a Merckx Corsa with the chrome fork and stays?

They are beautiful. Thanks.

edit: I put the images up here as well in case you didn't want to click on the link

I'm looking at the ones in the back (the red and blue frames) with the chrome forks.


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## orbeamike (Nov 20, 2004)

Merckx stopped chroming frames and forks many many years ago due to EU regulations. You may still find some older frames with chromed forks and rear triangle from left over inventory in independent shops but you can't order one from the factory new with chrome. 
I think Merckx stopped production on all steel frames last year or two years ago.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2008)

The OP has found an older thread ( about a year ago) from Bike Radar - a UK web - site.

There was a shop in the uk had found out that ( I Believe) Merckx still has an inventory of these older frames.

They were looking for confirmed orders on a minimum number of the frames ( many of which were chromed) so that they could place the order with the Merckx factory to have them painted and shipped out.

I corresponded with the people in the UK about it and they sent me an inventory of what was available, in my size all they had was the Corsa 01, so I did not follow it up.

I probably still have the emails in my inbox at home though, if anyone is interested.

It was a real deal, they just needed a minimum order to justify the costs.


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## dmar836 (Nov 17, 2007)

I'd be interested. What's "your size" BTW?


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## Guest (Feb 26, 2008)

This a copy and paste of the email I received from the UK importer.

I have further contact info for them if needed.

I seem to recall there was some way around the UK retailer thing - I will look some more.

____________________________________________

Hi Jim

You do indeed read right - please see the notes below & see the images
attached:

All the best
Graeme
fk:marketing

Please excuse this "one size fits all" email, but we have had huge response
to the articles with regard to steel Eddy Merckx frames, and it's rapidly
become clear that unless we adopt an approach like this, we just won't be
able to answer everyone.

What we've tried to do below is distil out all the answers to all of the
questions we have been asked so far. If you have a question not covered in
the notes below, then please drop us another mail. We read all the mails
that come in, so we'll be able to see that you've mailed before, and will be
able to be a little more specific in the info we send you.

General
*******
The frames are all from "legacy" Eddy Merckx production, and are the
remaining stock from their various production years. Therefore, once they
are gone, they are gone - that's it, there will be no more unless Merckx
decide to build some steel frames more in the modern style, using current
materials.

All frames will come with the same steel fork that they were originally
supplied with - so the MXLs will come with the MXL fork, the SLX with the
SLX Oval bladed fork & a semi-sloping cap-type crown and so on.

All frames are currently in the raw and so can be painted according to
customer order.

We do not anticipate placing a stock order - each frame that we order will
be for a specific customer, so paint finishes can be specified & we will
quote on a frame-by-frame basis for retail costs of the finished frame. See
notes on "paint" below.

For fk:marketing to be able to place an order we need a total of 20 frames
ordered and secured by a deposit at one of our UK retailers. If you are from
outside the UK, you will need to place your order via a UK retailer. These
shops can be found at www.fk-marketing.co.uk, please click on the "dealers"
link.

We need a minimum 20 frames as prior to painting, the frames need to be
phosphorelated, and the minimum number the plant that does this work will do
in a batch is 20 pieces.

Lead times are likely to be of the order of 10 weeks from now to give time
to accumulate the orders.

Geometry
********
We are currently awaiting geometries from Eddy Merckx.

We have five sizes available - 51, 52, 53, 54 and 62.

Materials / models
******************

All the 51s (except one in SLX) are MXL.
All the 52s are Strada OS
All the 53s are MXL
All the 54s are Strada OS
The 62s are mixed MXL, Strada OS, SLX and TSX.

The tubes SLX were for many years the standard by which many other European
frame tubes were judged - single & double butted (as with all butted frame
tubes, the butt pattern is defined by where the tube is used in the frame)
with a unique helical rib pattern on the inside of the thicker (butted) part
of the tube. Merckx typically (but not always) built the "Corsa Extra" or
SLX model with a SPX downtube. These tubes had the helical reinforcement
along the whole length of the tube - a lot of extra durability with a small
weight gain.

TSX was like SPX, but in every tube, so was an ideal tubeset for heavier
riders, heavier use and / or bigger frames.

MXL or MX Leader was a variation on Columbus Max. The tubeset was double
butted and formed from one of Columbus' first "Nivacrom" steels, and the
tubes were profiled according to the direction of the predominant stress on
any part of the tube - so at the bottom bracket, all tubes were ovalised in
the lateral plane, at the headtube, top & downtubes were ovalised in the
vertical plane, and so on. Fork blades were deep and "Aero".

Strada OS used a double butted Nivacrom tubeset of round section, custom
made for Merckx by Columbus.

All the above frames were bronze brazed, lug built using microcast lugs,
forged fork ends and seatstay caps (all engraved "EM" or "Eddy Merckx") and
microcast, engraved fork crowns.

*There are no PISTA models available, and no CRONO models available - images
are attached ONLY for colour information*

Paint
*****
One of the unusual features of an Eddy Merckx is that very few, or in some
cases, no decals are used in the frame decoration - almost everything that
you see is hand-masked paint. This means that no two frames are exactly
alike, and also that any given frame may have 1,2,3,4 or more trips through
the paint shop. It follow then, that some finishes will be more expensive
than others.

Once a customer makes an initial choice of paintwork, we'll forward a quote
(which in general will probably conform reasonably closely to the prices
given in the articles - Corsa L585 and MXL L735) and we'll database the
customers contacts. Once we have 20 such orders, we will progress our orders
with Merckx.

All of the usual Eddy Merckx paintwork additions, such as the customer's
name on the frame can be provided, and colour choices are only restricted by
which masks will fit on the smaller tube sizes characteristic of steel
frames, rather than oversized alloy. In general, we expect that most
customers will probably select from the classic finishes - Moltini, Team
Motorola, 7-11, GAN, Panasonic, Hitachi, etc.

Chrome
******
We don't anticipate any chrome being available but we are checking and will
advise accordingly.

Non UK Sales
************
As UK agent, MIT Ltd can't sell outside the UK - we can only sell to UK
retailers. We can't control what happens to frames after we have made that
sale, so we would advise prospective customers outside the UK to approach on
of our dealers with experience in export sales.

Below you can find our contact details and attached the images that we have
of frame colours that you might like to consider - but there are others.
There isn't too much by way of legacy literature available to illustrate the
Merckx paint finishes from the various years, but as we unearth good images,
we'll mail them out to you.

Graeme
fk:marketing (Multimedia IT Ltd)
www.fk-marketing.co.uk


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## orbeamike (Nov 20, 2004)

well, just as well, none in my size......thanks for the info tho.


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## dmar836 (Nov 17, 2007)

That's really cool but none to fit me either. Thanks for posting this!


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