# More SA Merckx arrivals



## KayTee (Jun 24, 2006)

Good news - my 52 cm Arcobaleno and Mr. Tee/Bike Boy's 56 cm Corsa.01 arrived today from Pretoria after a 6-day trip. They had been extremely well packed together in one box. Each is in very good condition with a few insignificant paint dings. The C.01 had been built up as a shop model (as had Innergel's MXL). Not the Arco, however, which appears never to have been built. Someone asked about the customs fee - it added a whopping $9.00 USD to the tab. :wink: 

The hitch - The C.01 arrived with a non-Merckx aluminum fork. I'm not sure how BB plans to address this, but he's quite happy with the frame itself. My Arco's fork looks to fit a 55 cm frame, i.e. it's too big for the 52 but BB will cut and rethread it for me. It'll take a while for him to build these, as we need to cannibalize a few parts off my Moser Evo Pro for the Arco and collect all the rest of the bits. 

Overall we're pleased with the frames but wish we'd have asked Rashid more specific questions about the forks (is it the original pantographed Merckx chrome fork? Is it the correct size for the frame?) We'll post pix of the builds eventually, but for now, here are the new arrivals.


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

THere seems to have been several issues with forks. Either Rashid is just terrible with organization, or he is not telling the whole story IMO. Too big is better than too small tho. Out of curiousity, any one else get a fork that did not fit the frame? Maybe they got switched and it can be straightened out.....

b21


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## r_mutt (Aug 8, 2007)

how does one know if the fork is the correct fork?


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## Guest (May 3, 2008)

I had been corresonding with the shop in SA for a while, even before Innergel's trip.

I wanted one of those Arcobaleno's.

Can't believe I couldn't get one in my size, looking at all these pictures of them makes me sad.


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## KayTee (Jun 24, 2006)

*What is it with Rashid and forks?*



barry1021 said:


> THere seems to have been several issues with forks. Either Rashid is just terrible with organization, or he is not telling the whole story IMO. Too big is better than too small tho. Out of curiousity, any one else get a fork that did not fit the frame? Maybe they got switched and it can be straightened out.....


You said it. PMing now with one forum member to see if trading Arco forks might work - will advise if it doesn't. The Corsa 0.1 fork deal is more problematical if Rashid has no more socked away in his attic. If anyone knows of a Merckx Corsa-type fork lying around (14.7 cm HT measuremt, 56 cm or larger frame) that they might want to get rid of (yeah right), give us a holler....stripping and chroming the right previously painted fork is easy.


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## KayTee (Jun 24, 2006)

In my earlier e-mail I omitted acknowledgment and thanks to Innergel for all the spadework he put in to assist and/or galvanize the rest of us acquire these Belgian beauties...

[hoisting Belgian beverage in tribute :thumbsup: ]


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

r_mutt said:


> how does one know if the fork is the correct fork?


Two ways: THe fork may have a number on it corresponding to the size of the frame. May not. Also look at the pix of Kay Tee's Arco; the fork extends well beyond the head tube-remember these are threaded forks so fit is more crucial. Kay Tee would be able to cut the fork down, there appears to be enough thread to do that. THe question of ride with an oversized fork I will leave for the experts, which I am not; probably the only difference is in the steerer length. Now if you happen to go the other way, and get a fork too SMALL for the frame, it won't extend far enough to engage the threads of the headset and that is a real problem.......I didn't participate, but I am pretty bugged by all this fork stuff. There is at least one other buyer who is in the second situation, and it stinks.

b21


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

toomanybikes said:


> I had been corresonding with the shop in SA for a while, even before Innergel's trip.
> 
> I wanted one of those Arcobaleno's.
> 
> Can't believe I couldn't get one in my size, looking at all these pictures of them makes me sad.


I like the older models that were posted in the original SA thread much better. Never saw one for sale tho.....

b21


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

I'm glad I opted out of the process, as much as I would have liked to try an Arcobaleno. Just as b21 has pointed out, there is at least one other forum member who is left with a pile of screw ups to deal with.

I'm not sure on the Arco, but on the vintage Merckx's I have, (I own a number of Professionals) the forks are not the same for different sized bikes. The fork on my wife's 49 differs more than just steerer length with my 54, for example.

Once again, thanks to Innergel for lighting the fire, and I sincerely hope everyone's SA bike gets sorted out.


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## r_mutt (Aug 8, 2007)

i just received my 52 corsa 01 on thursday. i'll post up some pics soon and maybe we can find out if my fork is indeed the correct one or one that might belong to another frame.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

Well done KayTee! They look fantastic! I'm happy you got them in. 

I'm not so happy about the issues with the forks everyone is having. 

As for thanks to me, everyone just have a nice Belgian beverage in my honor :thumbsup: And we can all have a big group hug when we have the inevitable SA Merckx gathering.


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## cannibal (Dec 3, 2004)

barry1021 said:


> Two ways: THe fork may have a number on it corresponding to the size of the frame. May not. Also look at the pix of Kay Tee's Arco; the fork extends well beyond the head tube-remember these are threaded forks so fit is more crucial. Kay Tee would be able to cut the fork down, there appears to be enough thread to do that. THe question of ride with an oversized fork I will leave for the experts, which I am not; probably the only difference is in the steerer length. Now if you happen to go the other way, and get a fork too SMALL for the frame, it won't extend far enough to engage the threads of the headset and that is a real problem.......I didn't participate, but I am pretty bugged by all this fork stuff. There is at least one other buyer who is in the second situation, and it stinks.
> 
> b21


I believe my Strada O.S. fork may be a tad short when comparing it to my other two frames and forks; all frames are the same size. Here are my arguements. 
When applicable, frame serial numbers don't exactly match the taped fork serial numbers as far as I can tell.
When I received the Strada O.S., I noticed the fork looked exactly like a MXL fork, which I thought was odd, but it's an O.S. so I didn't bat an eyelash. When I slipped the fork through the head tube, I noticed the fork column emerges above it approx. 2 cm versus 4.5cm. on my other two frames and forks.

Is 2 cm sufficient?


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## ctam (Apr 21, 2003)

*No, 2cm is not sufficient....*

To determine the length of fork you require you take the length of the head tube and add the stack height of the headset you plan to use. I think the shortest stack headset you can find readily available is the chris king grip nut (33.0mm). If you only have 20.0mm of fork remaining you won't be able to install a headset.

The same thing happened to my buddy who bought a NOS colnago frameset off ebay. About 3 months after receiving the frame he tried to build it up only to discover the fork was too short.

(I should add the above is for a threaded fork - if you're using threadless the fork has to be even longer to accomodate the stem and any spacers you plan on using)


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

These seems to be a common problem with the SA bikes. What a nightmare.


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## cannibal (Dec 3, 2004)

*bad news*



ctam said:


> To determine the length of fork you require you take the length of the head tube and add the stack height of the headset you plan to use. I think the shortest stack headset you can find readily available is the chris king grip nut (33.0mm). If you only have 20.0mm of fork remaining you won't be able to install a headset.
> 
> The same thing happened to my buddy who bought a NOS colnago frameset off ebay. About 3 months after receiving the frame he tried to build it up only to discover the fork was too short.
> 
> (I should add the above is for a threaded fork - if you're using threadless the fork has to be even longer to accomodate the stem and any spacers you plan on using)


Thanks for your input, what a disappointment. The fork color matches the frame perfectly too. 

I'll ask my LBS to take a gander at it as well for a second opinion. If I receive a double negative, I'll contact Rashid to see if we can remedy the problem. I won't hold my breath.


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## cannibal (Dec 3, 2004)

*Hey KayTEe, What is your assessment*



KayTee said:


> You said it. PMing now with one forum member to see if trading Arco forks might work - will advise if it doesn't. The Corsa 0.1 fork deal is more problematical if Rashid has no more socked away in his attic. If anyone knows of a Merckx Corsa-type fork lying around (14.7 cm HT measuremt, 56 cm or larger frame) that they might want to get rid of (yeah right), give us a holler....stripping and chroming the right previously painted fork is easy.


just an interesting observation based on my three frames and head tube lengths. All frames are 60 cm. All head tubes were measured from top of edge to bottom of edge. Here are the results: MXL = 17cm; Arco= 18.5cm; Strada O.S. = 18.75 cm.
No excuses for Rashid, all he had to do was put the fork through the headset and judge the approrpriate distance, despite all the color fork and frame matches. I just discovered it was curious the headset measurements differed by model despite the same size frames.


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## ctam (Apr 21, 2003)

Well, the head tube lengths will vary depending on the frame geometries and fork crown height. I know the fork crown on the MXL is a custom crown that only Merckx uses - the height of this crown might be different than the one used on the Arco or Strada. BB height will also affect HT length as will the seat tube angle. There are many factors at play here.


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