# My new-to-me Merckx



## clalor (May 29, 2010)

I haven't taken the time to date it, but I don't think it can be considered vintage. However, with the exception of the brifters and maybe the triple crank, it's steel, lugged, and Merckx, so I'm posting.

My last road bike was an early '90s Basso Gap, which I loved, but I was still dumb enough to sell about 15 years ago. Lately, I'd been casually shopping around to see what the big brands were offering and I can't say I was all that excited about anything from them with the exception of the Allez Steel. The Salsa Casseroll and Soma Stanyan frames were also interesting, but I wasn't quite sold on what I'd end up with in the $1000-$1400 range. I'd also been scanning CL and another local classified ad site to see what was around on the used market. The interesting stuff was almost always too small for me until I came across this thing today.

I don't have a white garage door, so a tan wall will have to do.










Since it's only been in my possession for a couple of hours, I haven't had the time yet to determine what's what, other than it's 8-speed, all Campy, and needs a good cleaning. I was told it's a Columbus SL/SP tubeset, but there are no stickers on the frame. The pedals are Nashbar SPD pedals, which is fine because all I have anymore are SPD mountain shoes. The red Mavic rims look a little ridiculous, but they ride just fine. I'm undecided about the brifters. I'll give them a go since my disposable income has been greatly diminished by this purchase. I think bar-end shifters are my ultimate destiny. I don't like triple cranks on road bikes, but my fitness level will make good use of them.

I'm excited.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Well, I may be wrong about it not being vintage. It appears as though I found myself a 1985 Professional.


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## onlineflyer (Aug 8, 2005)

Nice find.


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## space49 (Apr 26, 2010)

Good catch, look forward to seeing it finished.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

perhaps fix the horrible lever position and please stop calling them the b word. 8 speed campy stuff may be the best of the lot. that's a very nice bike including the rims.


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## brewster (Jun 15, 2004)

That bike holds much promise. I'm not sure what somebody was thinking to have those rims built for that color frame. I'd consider starting over with a rebuild with something more classic and fitting like some Mavic OPs or similar black rims. It would give the tired old horse some new life. I'd put on some skinwall tires. They'd look pretty smashing with that frame color. The group has to be from 93 or after as that is when they went to Ergo levers. Be sure to post some pics when it's all fixed up.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Thanks guys. 

Fair enough, I'll stop using the b word. I was actually pretty impressed with the shifting on the test ride. It hit every shift perfectly throughout the range.

I took a closer look at the rims and they have a hand-built by Colorado Cyclist sticker on each, so I think I'll keep them around for a while. But I agree, a set of black Open Pros would look great.

For now, I'm not going to go all period-correct crazy on it. I'm going to clean it, get some new bar tape (black cork), new bottle cages, possibly a new saddle (it's hard as a rock), and just ride it. :thumbsup:


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## Quattro_Assi_07 (Jan 13, 2006)

Love it! I remember 1985 as if it were yesterday. That purple color looks very '80s. I remember lusting after a Picchio Special with full Campy SR in 1985 almost that same color. I passed and bought a Univega with Superbe Pro instead, still have it by the way. Since I was a relatively poor senior in high school, I couldn't afford the Picchio and I most certainly couldn't afford a Merckx.

By the way, I have a set of those same exact red CXP33 rims on my '95 QA Elite laced to Ultegra 9 sp hubs. Excellent rims. In fact I have another pair NOS hanging in the garage. I use the CXP33 on just about all of my modern and retro builds. Very strong rims and once the decals are removed, very nice looking. Not a fan of the over use in rim decals nowadays.

Enjoy your ride in good health!

James


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## onlineflyer (Aug 8, 2005)

clalor said:


> I'm going to clean it, get some new bar tape (black cork), new bottle cages, *possibly a new saddle (it's hard as a rock)*, and just ride it. :thumbsup:


That saddle looks to me like a Selle San Marco Rolls. They are great saddles, especially for long rides. I'd suggest you give it a longer test before replacing it.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

The more I look at this thing the more I like it. It just has this really understated elegance that I think a lot of the more modern bikes are missing.



onlineflyer said:


> That saddle looks to me like a Selle San Marco Rolls. They are great saddles, especially for long rides. I'd suggest you give it a longer test before replacing it.


It occurred to me last night that the saddle is too far back for me right now, which might be part of the problem. I'll get the bike adjusted for myself and give it a few rides first. The saddle is actually a Selle Italia Turbo, but it's funny you should mention the Rolls. I had one on the Basso when I sold it. It might be my first option should I decide to replace it.

New tape, cages, and a spare chain (just in case) have been ordered. I'm hoping to have this thing out for a ride Friday morning.


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## latman (Apr 24, 2004)

onlineflyer said:


> That saddle looks to me like a Selle San Marco Rolls. They are great saddles, especially for long rides. I'd suggest you give it a longer test before replacing it.


 isnt that a super turbo ? as opposed to regular turbo or bioturbo or perforated turbo or turbomatic 2,3 or 4 (don't let a good thing pass !)
http://velobase.com/ViewBrand.aspx?BrandID=1800d62e-41ad-41b9-a5ea-086fd27934d2


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## early one (Jul 20, 2010)

Now all you need is a Brooklyn jersey.


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

I see a ton of potential with this bike. A great frame to start with. As someone else wrote, not a big fan of the red rims. I like CXP33s and have them on a 1998 Cannondale of mine, but for a bike like this, I think lower profile rims, like the Open Pros look best.

That's just me though, and it ain't my bike. And I'd love to own a Merckx.

Enjoy the new bike and most importantly, enjoy riding it!


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

It is a Super Turbo, which I just noticed a couple of days ago.










Since I'm still working out some fitment issues, I've only spent time on the bike on a trainer. However, I was surprised how quickly my body adjusted to the saddle. The first ride felt like I was going to be split apart. The second ride was much, much better. Even with that said, I have a Rolls Titanium saddle and a Thomson Elite seatpost on the way. The Turbo is pushed all the way forward and I still need to go forward another half to one inch.

Those Brooklyn jerseys are pretty cool! I might have to buy one when my stomach stops hiding my belt.

Ugh. The CXPs are ugly and they seem to be getting uglier by the day. I bought a set of used Campy 8-speed 36-hole hubs recently, which will probably be used to build up a set of Open Pros with DB spokes when my savings account rebounds from this purchase. Although, it turns out that the wheels were built with C-Record hubs, so I might just tear this set apart and use these hubs. It would be a shame to leave such lovely hubs with such ugly rims. :wink5: 

Going has been slow with this thing, but I'm at least making progress. I caught the old chain at just under the wear limit and replaced it with an SRAM 870. The bars have been wrapped, only to discover that the existing cables are too short to allow any sort of stem adjustment. They'll get rewrapped after my new cable kit shows up. The water bottle boss threads have been chased and they cleaned up nicely. Tubes have been talced.

Even though I've only been on the trainer with this, it feels so good to be on a road bike again. I can't wait to get it all setup. :thumbsup:


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## jan_nikolajsen (Dec 25, 2009)

Can we see some more pics of this lovely bike?
.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

jan_nikolajsen said:


> Can we see some more pics of this lovely bike?
> .


Of course. I plan on posting more pictures soon-ish.


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## sewup dude (Aug 31, 2009)

Very nice find. What size is it? Did you look the serial number up to find out that it is an 85? I have an 85 Corsa Extra that I've been riding since 89. It has a Turbo on it as well. Tubes are probably SLX in 85. Is the rear brake cable internal routing on the top tube? Mine is external. I've never seen that paint scheme with the white head tube on a Merckx. Was it re-painted?


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

It's 61 cm C-C, which is one reason I jumped on it so fast, and I've verified it that it's an '85 Professional (via the Merckx serial number page, not Gita yet). The rear brake cable is internally routed, which I actually don't care for, but it is what it is. All the pictures I've seen of Merckx of this vintage have much different paint schemes, so I've been wondering myself if it was a respray or not. If it is, it appears to have been well done.

So, besides the used set of Campy mystery hubs that I mentioned buying earlier (didn't expect to win that auction), I bought a NOS set of 8-speed Record hubs (36-hole) last night. I'm amazed at how good of a value some of the older Campy gear can be. The set only cost me slightly more that a new set of Ultegra hubs. And the savings account screams a little bit more...


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

It's three plus weeks late, but I was finally able to get out for my first ride this morning and clocked in 22 miles. I _really_ like this bike. All the thoughts of what I paid for it (too much) just went away.

Since there's been lots of fiddling with this thing since I bought it, I'll summarize it all here:


New Campagnolo brake and shift cables and housings
Thompson Elite seat post to gain a bit of forward adjustability
Selle San Marcos Rolls titanium saddle (demo unit, priced the same as a new non-Ti)
SRAM PC-870 chain
Chased and cleaned water bottle boss threads and sourced new stainless button head hardware
Andrew's King stainless bottle cages
Adjusted brake lever position and rewrapped bars with Cinelli cork
Removed the Cateye Vectra (giving to girlfriend) and replaced it with a Specialized mount and transmitter so I can use the same computer on both bikes
Replaced the Super Record brakes with a new set of Athena Monoplaners (totally cosmetic, love the monoplaners)

It just felt amazing this morning. I'd forgotten how much I like the feeling of having a road bike underneath me. However, the stem is too long (currently 130mm) and I'm starting to think that the Rolls might not be around too long. I'm finding that I'm perching myself at the very end of the saddle and there's a bit of pressure on my perineum area when I'm in the drops. Before the Rolls came around, I found myself liking the shape of the Super Turbo, but the leather is so hard and slippery that it's difficult to stay in one place. I'll have to do some research and see if I can't get the leather into better shape.

In the course of fiddling, I found a couple of spots of rust that will need some attention, including a super obvious one underneath the top top a few inches back from the head tube. I can't believe I missed that before I bought.

The parts pile for a new set of wheels is also coming along. The hubs have already been mentioned and I have one 36-hole Open Pro, in the hard anodized finish, in my possession and another on the way.

Apologies for the cell phone pictures, I'll get some better pictures soon.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

clalor said:


> All the pictures I've seen of Merckx of this vintage have much different paint schemes, so I've been wondering myself if it was a respray or not. If it is, it appears to have been well done.


So, I believe I can answer this question definitively now:










This may also explain why there's no tube set sticker and why the rear dropouts measure 130mm. I noticed that logo the first time I inspected the bike, but never made the connection. We'll just file this under duh. :blush2:


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## aptivaboy (Nov 21, 2009)

I made the same discovery the other day on my new to me Merckx. The frame is all thrashed, but it was clear that the paintwork was excellent, in places. Out of the corner of my eye there it was, the "JB" decal on the right chainstay, right where your's is. Its a shame that someone paid good money for a Joe Bell paint job and then mistreated the frame. 

Your's looks wonderful. That metallic burgundy color is striking. What kind of tubing is it?


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Beautiful Merckx. I love the paint job, even though it's not original and I generally don't like purple. Panels and painted head tubes have a way of making any bike look classy.


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

^ I love the paint job too...though I love purple! I have a purple bike myself and share a birth date with the Purple Rain...Prince!

I'm really digging the photos of the evolution of this bike.

I don't love them, but I actually don't even mind the red rims!

Keep going though! (with the updates...and the riding)


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Thanks guys. I definitely wasn't digging the paint scheme when I first saw it, but it continues to grow on me. The panel and head tube add a nice bit of old school charm to it all.



aptivaboy said:


> What kind of tubing is it?


I'd guess that it's SL (or maybe SL/SP for this size). A quick peak down the seat tube didn't reveal any rifling, and thankfully no rust either! Although, from researching these frames, they appear to have used other tubing for the Professionals of this era (Reynolds being one, not sure of the number), so I'm not positive about it yet.



nayr497 said:


> I don't love them, but I actually don't even mind the red rims!


The ride was so good yesterday that I didn't even think about the red rims once.


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## aptivaboy (Nov 21, 2009)

Mine is a Reynolds 753 Professional model. Have you taken a look at the Cadre/Merckx site to research the frame?


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Yep, I found the Cadre page shortly after my first post. Going from memory, the serial number is P1-xxxx-Z. I should get in touch with both Gita and CyclArt to see what sort of info I can dig up on this frame.

Editing to ask: What year is your frame?


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I just bought a Merckx frame with exactly the same paint job. It is a 1994 Corsa 0.1 that's been repainted. I can't wait to build it up and ride it. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330457573445&ssPageName=ADME:L:PMR:US:1123


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Way too windy to ride this morning, so specs and more photos!










Frame and fork: 1985 Eddy Merckx Professional, 61 cm C-C, S/N 1P-3238-P, resprayed by CyclArt
Crank: Campy Racing Triple, 52-42-30
BB: Campy Athena
Pedals: VP-101 SPD (filling in for better pedals)
FD: Campy Racing Triple
RD: Campy Racing Triple 8-speed
Chain: SRAM PC-870
Shifters: Campy Chorus 8-speed Ergo
Cables: Campy
Hubs: Campy C-Record 8-speed, 32 hole
Cassette: Campy 8-speed, 13-26
Spokes: DT?
Rims: Mavic CXP-33
Tires: Specialized Mondo 23c
Brake calipers: Campy Athena Monoplaner
Stem: 3ttt 130mm
Bars: Unknown, don't recognize markings
Bartape: Cinelli cork
Headset: Campy, unknown model
Seatpost: Thomson Elite 27.2mm
Saddle: 2009 Selle San Marco Rolls Titanium

The NOS Athena monoplaners I found on eBay. Besides being more pretty than the Super Records that came with the bike, they also have a much lower spring tension which I like. The pads are ridiculously hard.














































A bit of rust underneath the top tube










There are many signs that this bike was cared for, then there are things like this headset damage that make me wonder. I noticed this before buying it, but thought it was just dirt that had accumulated. Nope, the forward section of the locknut around the stem is damaged.










15 year old SPD pedals replaced the Nashbar SPDs in an effort to track down some drivetrain noise (still there). I have a set of Shimano 105 6700 pedals on the way.










C-Record hubs


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## GirchyGirchy (Feb 12, 2004)

Very pretty. But please don't go with black rims if you change wheels - you gotta go silver!

Might want to have an auto body shop fix that rust spot, too. I can visualize that thing eating a hole in the frame very quickly.


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## Nessism (Feb 6, 2004)

Awesome bike! Rims are red, so what? Ride it! Agree about fixing those rust spots - carefully sand off the rust and then touch up.

Enjoy!


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

And riding it I am. :thumbsup: I was able to get in a nice 20-miler this morning before the winds kicked up.

There's an auto body supply shop pretty close to my office. My plan is to pick up some rust converter and other supplies and go at it. As long as the rust hasn't migrated too far under the paint, I'm hoping the fix will be mostly unnoticeable. There's a couple of other smaller spots that could use the attention too (not anywhere as nasty looking as that one).


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

If you just had to have silver, I bet you could sell those wheels and get enough cash for a set of Open Pro/Chorus wheels with little to nothing out of pocket. 

That bike is fantastic, btw. Great frame, paint and build all the way around. Of course I've got a soft spot for Merckx frames.


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Thanks. I've gone back and forth on if I want to do anything with these wheels. I've thought about tearing them down to reuse the hubs on a new set of rims, selling them, etc, but the only time they bother me is when I'm looking at the bike in my office. Tearing them down seems like such a waste anyway. The second of my hard anodized Open Pros arrived a few days ago, so the only thing I'm missing to build a new set of wheel are spokes and nipples. I can't say I've ever been much of a fan of silver rims...


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

*the red rims...*

are bling!
keep them  

i have a pair of Ambrosio Excellence in red on its way to Japan.
will pair it with the MXL.
hopefully it adds more 'color' to my otherwise dull looking Merckx MXL

cheers!


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

I took a picture of the bike today and figured I should update this thread. Lots of changes.

I took advantage of a number of sales and picked up '10 Centaur levers, derailleurs, crank, and Record BB cups. The wheels are a nice boring 32x3 set I originally built for my Ridley Compact last year: Ultegra 6600 hubs, DT RR465 rims, DT Comp spokes. The Record skewers were pulled from the old set of wheels. The cassette is a Shimano 105 5700, which works nicely with the Wippermann 10s8 chain. A Jtek Shiftmate makes it all work very well together. The drivetrain combination is quiet. The Nitto stem and Noodle bars have been on the bike for a while and help me deal with my short upper body (72" height, 37" cycling inseam). Tires are Specialized 25s that were on sale. They ride quite nicely, but I have to partially deflate the rear tire to remove the rear wheel. The saddle is a Romin. It feels nice and looks horrible. Lots of research on fit and saddle positioning lead me back to the Campy seatpost that came with the bike.

The weather has been really wet here lately, but I've managed to get a couple of rides on it so far. It's wonderful.


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## elrancho66 (Jul 29, 2010)

clalor said:


> I haven't taken the time to date it, but I don't think it can be considered vintage. However, with the exception of the brifters and maybe the triple crank, it's steel, lugged, and Merckx, so I'm posting.
> 
> My last road bike was an early '90s Basso Gap, which I loved, but I was still dumb enough to sell about 15 years ago. Lately, I'd been casually shopping around to see what the big brands were offering and I can't say I was all that excited about anything from them with the exception of the Allez Steel. The Salsa Casseroll and Soma Stanyan frames were also interesting, but I wasn't quite sold on what I'd end up with in the $1000-$1400 range. I'd also been scanning CL and another local classified ad site to see what was around on the used market. The interesting stuff was almost always too small for me until I came across this thing today.
> 
> ...


Nice score!:thumbsup:


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

That bike is so purty I almost can't stand it!


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## Peninsula Ryan (Aug 2, 2002)

Have you found the break lever mounted caliper quick release common to Campy levers to allow the calipers to open? Should allow you to remove the wheel without letting air out. And, nice bike!


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## theo3000 (Oct 5, 2010)

Nice. I have an 80's Merckx Professional in gunmetal gray. Not flashy, but ohhhhh is it a smooth ride.

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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Peninsula Ryan said:


> Have you found the break lever mounted caliper quick release common to Campy levers to allow the calipers to open? Should allow you to remove the wheel without letting air out. And, nice bike!


Thanks. There's actually plenty of clearance between the pads for the tires. It's the seat tube that gets in the way. 23s will slip right in, but the 25s (both the Specialized on it now and the ProRace 3s on it before) have to be partially deflated to get the wheel out.


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## smoothsteel (Jul 5, 2009)

SWEET ride. Jealous.


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## Cadore (Aug 13, 2009)

So much better without the red rims.


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## Maverick (Apr 29, 2004)

loving the Campagnolo components.

this is what i call a retro built 
i'm envious of your bike!


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## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

Nice bike, miss the old cranks on her though

Glad its being well taken care of:thumbsup:


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## clalor (May 29, 2010)

Thanks guys.

I had purchased two cranks for the Merckx: the Centaur compact crank that's on it now, and a NOS square taper Record crank that I found locally. The Centaur only ended up on it because I learned late one night that it's difficult to install an Italian threaded Phil Wood BB with only one tool. Whoops. I didn't feel like waiting to start riding.


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## fourring (Jul 23, 2011)

I like the paint..really gorgeous bike


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## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

clalor said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> I had purchased two cranks for the Merckx: the Centaur compact crank that's on it now, and a NOS square taper Record crank that I found locally. The Centaur only ended up on it because I learned late one night that it's difficult to install an Italian threaded Phil Wood BB with only one tool. Whoops. I didn't feel like waiting to start riding.


Hey if it lets you ride then I'm all for it But can't wait to see the Records on it! Not really sure it could look any better, but I'm sure they will help:thumbsup:


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