# Presenting: My SA Merckx MXL - Finally done



## ECF (Aug 19, 2003)

Hi all,

I've been around here off and on since last November when I bought this frame from ctam on eBay. It traveled from South Africa to Calgary and back to me in Philadelphia so its been in a long trip before it was built. I spent most of the winter planning its build. I ended up going with 2009 Centaur 10speed in alloy. Since I'm a big guy and don't climb well I went with the comp triple front crank and derailler. Parts include Nitto Technomic stem, record 1" threaded headset, deda 215 deep drop silver bars in 46cm, Selle Italia Flite gel saddle in yellow, thomson elite silver seatpost, and elite ciussi bottle cages in yellow. The wheels are not the ones I really want but will do for now. They are Centaur 32 hole hubs with Mavic cxp33 rims in silver. The bartape was the last thing to go on and its deda tape in the "Intense Ochre" color.

Thanks to everyone who's helped me with decisions on parts/sizes/colors etc. I will go on my first group ride with her tomorrow night so I'm glad to be finished with it.

P.S. The last pic is of how little brake clearance I've got on my rear wheel with only 25mm tires on. Wheel is as close to the seat tube as possible to get max clearance.

Eric


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## cannibal (Dec 3, 2004)

great score and unique color scheme on the frameset! 

I'm not feeling the complete love on the yellow saddle, bar tape & bottle cages. In time, I'm sure I will develop a deeper appreciation.

I noticed you've your stem height equal to your saddle height, is this due to back issues or just personal preference?

Enjoy the ride...


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## HigherGround (Mar 3, 2005)

Nice job, I hope that you enjoy it! :thumbsup:


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

smokin' hot! 

And I like the yellow


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## ECF (Aug 19, 2003)

innergel said:


> smokin' hot!
> 
> And I like the yellow


Thanks, I'm liking the yellow as well. I took it on a nice local group ride last night and it was probably the placebo effect but I was faster than I recall. Its just such a smooth buttery ride on steel. We had some rough roads and it was so much nicer than my old aluminum framed specialized.

Only had one problem though. The rear tire rubbed most of the time on the rear brake. When applying the brakes it made a kind of turbine sound so I joked that it was the turbo for my diesel.  

Seriously though I think I need to do something about the clearance. I've contacted Tom Kellogg about getting the brake bridge raised to increase clearance (I'm only 45 minutes from his shop.) My only concern, and his as well, is what will happen with the great airbrushed graphics on the side of the seat stays. Any thoughts on how to fix the graphics if they are affected? Its not like I'm concerned with resale value as I plan to ride this bike, not admire it. 

Thanks,
Eric


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## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

Why not use a smaller tire? Does not seem necessary to go through TK and change the frame. It must have been ridden back in the day without issue.


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## ECF (Aug 19, 2003)

Bee-an-key said:


> Why not use a smaller tire? Does not seem necessary to go through TK and change the frame. It must have been ridden back in the day without issue.


In short, b/c I'm 255 lbs and need a 25 to be sure I don't pinch flat. This was a NOS frame so I doubt its been ridden. From what TK said he's seen this quite often before so I'm going to guess its not uncommon.


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