# Eddy Merckx Factory visit successful and bittersweet!



## cannibal

My wife and I just returned from Europe. We were in Belgium for a total of five days. My mother is Belgian and we stayed at her condo. Anyway, the Friday prior to New Year's eve we drove to the Merckx factory. My expectations were low because in Europe the Europeans take their vacation time seriously. It is not uncommon for businesses to close for two weeks over Christmas and New Years. 
In terms of the Merckx factory, this was not the case. We rang the door bell and the door automatically opened. We went inside the entrance/showroom. It was in the afternoon and there appeared to be a party of some sort underway in the main room. I snapped some photos of the showroom. I noticed Eddy was in the room. He came over to us and we shook hands. We exchanged a few pleasantries. He told us that one of his employees of 27 years was retiring today and they were throwing a retirement party for him. I told Eddy we didn't want to intrude and our visit would be brief. I asked him if he had any MX Leaders in the 59-62 cm range for sale. He told me he would look. Eddy did not task one of his employees to check the inventory. He did it himself. Eddy returned shortly thereafter. He said he had a 61 cm available. My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. From a dollar standpoint, I told Eddy it probably was not a good moment to buy a bike in Belgium due to the Euro/Dollar exchange rate. Eddy said he would give me a special price on the frame. Due to the retirement party situation going on inside, I told Eddy I would return on Tuesday to purchase the frame even though he did not mention a specific price. We took a quick photo together and we left. 
I just want to say that at the moment I wasn't thinking too clearly because on the following Tuesday my wife and I were in Switzerland as planned. We were not coming back to Belgium until the following Saturday. Out of desperation, I called the Merckx factory from Switzerland. I told Eddy's rep. I was there earlier that week, and had made an arrangement with Eddy to buy a 61cm MX Leader. The rep. told me to hold. About a minute later he came back on line and said the frame was still available. I said excellent and I would pick up the frame on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Merckx factory is closed on the weekends. We were leaving back to Calif. on Sunday morning. MX leader opportunity missed! BTW, When I was at the factory, Eddy was a true gentleman. He was modest, courteous, cordial and professional. I will post photos of the visit this afternoon when time permits


----------



## Kenacycle

What color was this MX Leader?


----------



## kjmunc

Cannibal, that is an incredible story. It just reminds me that I need to get there in the next year or two while he's still there on a daily basis. 

Thanks for the post and details!


----------



## cannibal

*Unknown*



kdub said:


> What color was this MX Leader?


We didn't cover that ground during our brief discussion. At the time, color was secondary on my priority list. When we left the factory, my mind was like a broken record: "special price and come back Tuesday."


----------



## Kenacycle

Should have just bought it then and there.. but I can understand you didn't want to intrude the party because maybe it will take Eddy a little while to dig the frame out and then write up the sale.

So did you contact Eddy again to explain why you haven't come back despite promising to come back for the frame twice?
Will you look into having him ship the frame to you now?


----------



## Len J

*I have a riding bud......*



kdub said:


> Should have just bought it then and there.. but I can understand you didn't want to intrude the party because maybe it will take Eddy a little while to dig the frame out and then write up the sale.
> 
> So did you contact Eddy again to explain why you haven't come back despite promising to come back for the frame twice?
> Will you look into having him ship the frame to you now?


whose wife is also a rider. They were on vacation in Belgium & found themselves driving thru the town where the factory is around Dinner time. Husband wants to go to the plant...wife wants to eat.....

They stop to eat.

Husband asks waiter how late the plant is open. Waiter says hold on.....comes back a few minutes later and hands them a hand drawn map and tells them that Eddy is waiting to meet them at his house.....as soon as they finish their meal (Turns out the chef is an old school friend). 

They sheepishly follow the map and knock on the door...Eddy answers, and entertains them with Wine and stories for about 2 hours. They brought back pictures or I never would have believed it.

I wonder if Lance would do that?:ciappa: 

Len


----------



## cannibal

kdub said:


> Should have just bought it then and there.. but I can understand you didn't want to intrude the party because maybe it will take Eddy a little while to dig the frame out and then write up the sale.
> 
> So did you contact Eddy again to explain why you haven't come back despite promising to come back for the frame twice?
> Will you look into having him ship the frame to you now?


Believe me you I would have bought the frame right then and there in a heartbeat, but I didn't want to impose, especially considering the retirement party was in progress. 

When I spoke to the Merckx rep. from Switzerland, I told him I wasn't going to be back in Belgium until the weekend. He told me the factory was closed. I advised I was leaving on Sun., subsequently, unable to purchase the frame.

I just got home yesterday and I have not followed up on it. I felt I missed the window of opportunity when I was in Belgium. I think an email is in order as you suggested.


----------



## barry1021

Those stories make me love my MX L all the more.....
b21


----------



## CLudlow

*Email him John,*

He probably set it aside for you. Heck a special deal from Eddy himself. Can't pass that up. Especially after the wife gave you the go-ahead for another one!


----------



## physasst

*Omg*

with spousal permission AND a special price from GOD himself......OH JESUS, if you aren't emailing them within the next hour......OMG........YOU cannot pass on that....


----------



## Kenacycle

cannibal said:


> Believe me you I would have bought the frame right then and there in a heartbeat, but I didn't want to impose, especially considering the retirement party was in progress.



Should have joined the party, and buy the frame later  
Maybe the guy retiring was the guy who welded your MXL :idea: If it was that would be so super special.


----------



## Kenacycle

Cannibal looks like Dag Otto Lauritzen


----------



## eddy_mxl

*retirement party*

The retirement party was for Jos Huysmans who has been with EM for 36 years, including 9 years as pro (70-79). Article here in Flemish but you may get the gist.

http://www.sportwereld.be/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleID=GSM16C97V


----------



## kjmunc

Heck, ol' Jos won the Kampionschap van Vlaanderen - 1.1 in 1975 and 1968 (ahead of Rik Van Looy!), was 2nd in the Amstel Gold in '69 (ahead of Mr. Merckx himself!!), and won the friggin Fleche-Walloone in '69 too. 

Not a bad career as a framebuilder, and it sounds like he was a pretty good racer too ;-)


----------



## cannibal

kdub said:


> Cannibal looks like Dag Otto Lauritzen


Does Dag Otto Lauritzen look like Roger Moore or Wierd Al Yankivich?


----------



## Kenacycle

You don't know who Dag was? He was on the 7-Eleven Team as well as Motorola
He's the ex Norwegian paratrooper who got into cycling as rehab after breaking his leg during a parachute accident


----------



## Kenacycle

Oops.. posted an extra reply.


----------



## cannibal

heck, if I looked like that, I would be up to my ears in T & A, I wish! ...Party like a rock star, fornicate like a porn star, and play like an all star. Maybe, I could measure up twenty years ago, but not now, too much mileage.


----------



## Kenacycle

cannibal said:


> heck, fornicate like a porn star,



The word fornicate reminds me of Mike Tyson who love to use that word and used it extensively in the media


----------



## cannibal

speaking of Mike Tyson, I know a great MT joke. Here's the punchline: That tattoo doesn't remind me of Mike Tyson, but that one in the middle sure puts me in mind of Don King." (circa 1980's).


----------



## cannibal

CLudlow said:


> He probably set it aside for you. Heck a special deal from Eddy himself. Can't pass that up. Especially after the wife gave you the go-ahead for another one!


Sent Eddy an email today, hope he reads it or a rep. relays message/request, expectations low.


----------



## Kenacycle

Call him directly. He'll appreciate your sincerity and maybe invite you for dinner next time you are in Belgium


----------



## cannibal

kdub,
that email I sent earlier was already sent back to me as a generic response to contact Gita to purchase frames. Obviously, it was not read by Eddy. I'll lob a phone call tomorrow to the factory, but I'm confident I'll be stonewalled by one of his reps; nonetheless, it is worth an attempt.


----------



## tarwheel2

What a story! You should contact Eddy for no other reason than he might wonder why you never came back to get the frame. I bet he will work something out for you.


----------



## Fivethumbs

Right now he probably thinks you were just some flake. I wouldn't give up though. Call on the phone and if you have to, send a hand written letter in the mail. He's more likely to read it himself.


----------



## edmundjaques

A couple of years ago my children bought me some of the L'Equipe photos of various stages of the TDF of varying years ago. Two were of Eddy. Taking a chance, I sent the Eddy's off to Belgium with a request for autographing. Nothing happened! After ages..... many months anyway.... out of the blue, two returned photo, signed by the man himself.
It is ( i think) just that he is a very busy man. Correction, Very busy GREAT man.


----------



## cannibal

agreed and concise, "very busy great man" .


----------



## leesub

*Will be there next month*

Cannibal,
Am heading to BEL for 10 days next month. Will be about 30 minutes from Brussels (near Mons). How far away is the factory? Any other info you could provide? Do I need to call ahead? Thanks.

Lee


----------



## cannibal

*Hope this helps......*



leesub said:


> Cannibal,
> Am heading to BEL for 10 days next month. Will be about 30 minutes from Brussels (near Mons). How far away is the factory? Any other info you could provide? Do I need to call ahead? Thanks.
> 
> Lee[/QUOTE
> 
> Lee,
> The factory is located in Meise, approx. 15-20 min. North of Brussels. Meise is sprawled out, rural countryside and the factory is difficult to find due to its remote location. It's not located in the Meise town center. Wemmel and Grimbergen are two towns nearby you can use as a reference. My advice is to call the factory for specific instructions when you're in Belgium. Eddy's reps. speak excellent English. The factory is closed on the weekends. When you are in Meise, I guarantee you will get lost, don't despair. Pull over and ask a local for directions. Hopefully, he/she will speak adequate English to point you in the right direction. The local I asked drew me a rudimentary map to the factory. Good luck and enjoy Belgium, emphasis on beer and chocolate. Regards, John


----------



## atpjunkie

*great story but what were you thinking?*

buy it then and there and have him sign it. "Yeah I got this MXL at the Merckx Factory"
"really who sold it to you"
"eddy"
worth whatver extra$$$ it would have cost ya. I undertsand noit wanting to intrude. I'm just upset that it is in my size. I want ot too.


----------



## cannibal

atpjunkie said:


> buy it then and there and have him sign it. "Yeah I got this MXL at the Merckx Factory"
> "really who sold it to you"
> "eddy"
> worth whatver extra$$$ it would have cost ya. I undertsand noit wanting to intrude. I'm just upset that it is in my size. I want ot too.


Adenosine Triphosphate,
message received and understood, I'm still losing sleep over this experience!


----------



## atpjunkie

*I wish you luck*



cannibal said:


> Adenosine Triphosphate,
> message received and understood, I'm still losing sleep over this experience!


big MXLs are hard to come by

there's an older 62 on ebay. 61's are my best fit.


----------



## biker_boy

This is the second story about Merckx being an awesome guy that I've heard.

First one was from a guy in my hometown, former pro rider who was in Europe and stopped by the factory. He inquired about a frame in his size, and Eddy comes out of the store room with one of Axel's frames -- number mounting braze-on, team colors, the whole shebang. Turns out this guy and Axel are pretty much identical as far as dimensions go, and he picked up the frame for an absolute song.

I'd love to meet Eddy Merckx. From what I've read, if you invite him to a charity ride, be prepared to have him rip the legs off the group -- he's still got it.


----------



## cannibal

*similar story, different circumstances*



biker_boy said:


> This is the second story about Merckx being an awesome guy that I've heard.
> 
> First one was from a guy in my hometown, former pro rider who was in Europe and stopped by the factory. He inquired about a frame in his size, and Eddy comes out of the store room with one of Axel's frames -- number mounting braze-on, team colors, the whole shebang. Turns out this guy and Axel are pretty much identical as far as dimensions go, and he picked up the frame for an absolute song.
> 
> I'd love to meet Eddy Merckx. From what I've read, if you invite him to a charity ride, be prepared to have him rip the legs off the group -- he's still got it.


In 2003, I was at the factory. Eddy was not there, but his rep sold me a used Axel Merckx time trial machine. Frame and fork were in mint condition, only 100 km of use according to the rep, team colors and decals, no number braze-on, sold it to me for 1500 Euros. Back then, the Euro was on Par with the dollar, so approx. 1500 dollars. At 6'3", I believe I,m a tad shorter than Axel, but the frame fits well. The hospitality at the Merckx factory is impeccable. Here's a photo of the frame/fork receipt with dimensions.


----------



## HigherGround

I was doing a search for information on the MX Leader, when I rediscovered this thread. I had read it several years ago when I was doing research for buying my Merckx. I honestly think that some of the stories in this thread helped to reinforce my decision to buy one of his bikes. I've heard multiple stories about him being humble and down to earth, despite being such a monster (in a good way!) on the bike.

Many years ago there was a short story by Maynard Hershon. It told of how Eddy took the time to go to Interbike to help promote his brand in the US. Any way, to make a long story short, after the show was over and all the grunt work of tearing down the booths and packing up the displays was being done, Maynard took a short break to head over to the bathroom. And what did he see? Eddy, helping to tear down the Gita display, sweating and working his butt off, just like he did on the bike. Eddy is a star, and no one would have faulted him for heading right back to the hotel or directly to Belgium with his feet up in first class, but there he was. Pure class. If you get a chance to read the full story, check it out. I believe it was simply titled "Eddy", and in the book _Tales from the Bike Shop_. (If not, it was in _Half Wheel Hell_.)


----------

