# molteni corsa extra & arcobaleno stolen



## cannibal

hello merckx fans,
unfortunately, i had 2 merckx rigs stolen out of my garage on 11/8
#1 62 cm molteni orange corsa extra TSX ~ serial # C9334
equipped with 6600 10 spd. ultegra
shimano rs 20 wheels

#2 60 cm Arcobaleno blue NEURON ~ serial # H1265
equipped with 6600 10 spd. ultegra
mavic open pro wheels

Needless to say i'm heart broken and pissed off. 

additionally, to add injury to insult, on 10/27, i hit the pavement @ 45 mph on a descent in the mt. baldy area, rear wheel blew. i was airlifted to trauma hospital, resulting in fracured clavicle, multiple ribs and wrist, which required hardware to repair.

i've known many of the members of the panel for several years. i'm requesting your help to keep your eyes and ears open to help me recover these gems.
please contact me via private message if you see my rigs for sale on the internet.
i'm surmising they will piece them out.
many thanks,
john


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## redtecnos

That really sucks. Do you have homeowner's insurance? The theft might be covered under that. Hope you get better soon.


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## samh

how did your (clincher?) rear tire blow, from debris, or internally?


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## cannibal

redtecnos said:


> That really sucks. Do you have homeowner's insurance? The theft might be covered under that. Hope you get better soon.


yep,
but, i'm projecting pennies on the dollar in return plus $250 deductible.
3-4 months recovery time according to doc.


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## cannibal

samh said:


> how did your (clincher?) rear tire blow, from debris, or internally?


it blew internally.
i was running mavic r sys slr wheelset.
i have had multiple issues with these wheels, e.g., spokes out of true multiple times, broken spoke, brake pad ($50) and rear tire replacement with < than 1000 miles.
i didn't replace the rear tire with the mavic r sys model. however, i had a high quality on it.
with all that said, i pumped up the tires to max pressure b4 ride and it was a very hot day with dramatic elevation changes. i believe tire pressure is affected by these factors.
i barely hit the brakes on the descent so the rim heating up from the pads wasn't a factor.


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## Maverick

Sorry to hear about the mishape. 
Will keep an eye for your rigs.

Have a fast recovery!


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## aptivaboy

What part of the state are you from? I'm a regular Ebay/Craigslist watcher here in SoCal/Orange County, and I'll keep a watch. 

You may also want to occasionally check the nationwide Craigslist search function over at Steel Renaissance (Steel Renaissance) in case the douchebag thief puts them on there in some other locale. 

Sorry for your losses. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. 

Robert


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## HigherGround

John, I'm really sorry to hear about your crash and the theft. That really is kicking someone when he's down! This may sound odd, but I feel like there's a fraternity of sorts among Merckx owners - you simply don't see too many of them out on the road these days, especially the older steel models. It sucks that your bikes were stolen, and as another Merckx owner it makes me feel bad too. Hopefully we can collectively keep an eye out for them, and catch the bastar... person(s) *cough* who stole your bikes. Afterward we can take them down to the Molteni factory, get medieval on them, and grind them up in to sausages!

On a more serious note, as bad as your accident was, I am glad it wasn't worse. I hope you have a complete recovery, and that you're back in the saddle again as soon as can be reasonably expected. As you recover, try to focus on the things that you become able to do, that you couldn't do right after the accident. I had a crash at 35 mph many years ago, and I landed on my left knee. I still remember how happy I was to be able to walk to the end of my parents' driveway, just to be able to bring down the garbage can for them!

Get well soon, and I'll let you know if I see anything.

PS - At least the unusual seat binder bolt system on the Arcobaleno will make it stand out even more.


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## cannibal

HigherGround said:


> John, I'm really sorry to hear about your crash and the theft. That really is kicking someone when he's down! This may sound odd, but I feel like there's a fraternity of sorts among Merckx owners - you simply don't see too many of them out on the road these days, especially the older steel models. It sucks that your bikes were stolen, and as another Merckx owner it makes me feel bad too. Hopefully we can collectively keep an eye out for them, and catch the bastar... person(s) *cough* who stole your bikes. Afterward we can take them down to the Molteni factory, get medieval on them, and grind them up in to sausages!
> 
> On a more serious note, as bad as your accident was, I am glad it wasn't worse. I hope you have a complete recovery, and that you're back in the saddle again as soon as can be reasonably expected. As you recover, try to focus on the things that you become able to do, that you couldn't do right after the accident. I had a crash at 35 mph many years ago, and I landed on my left knee. I still remember how happy I was to be able to walk to the end of my parents' driveway, just to be able to bring down the garbage can for them!
> 
> Get well soon, and I'll let you know if I see anything.
> 
> PS - At least the unusual seat binder bolt system on the Arcobaleno will make it stand out even more.


thanx for your response.
i'm in a bad space (injured and pissed off) right now for obvious reasons.
words cannot describe my grief over the loss of my 2 merckx. bikes.
the blood, sweat and tears i put into those rigs in terms of acquisition, shipping, build and maintenance have made the loss a life altering event.
thanks for your support,
john


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## cannibal

robert,
long beach, ca.
thnx for the steel renaissance tip.
rergards,
john


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## aptivaboy

I hope you have a police report with their serial numbers on file, too. That will make getting them back much easier if they ever turn up, especially of the new owners are reluctant to part with what to them are "bought in good faith" bikes. As someone who buys vintage steel frames on the 'bay, I've often wondered if any of mine were/are stolen. I check the stolen bike databases for serial number matches and have so far come out clean, but the thought is still there. 

Robert


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## cannibal

aptivaboy said:


> I hope you have a police report with their serial numbers on file, too. That will make getting them back much easier if they ever turn up, especially of the new owners are reluctant to part with what to them are "bought in good faith" bikes. As someone who buys vintage steel frames on the 'bay, I've often wondered if any of mine were/are stolen. I check the stolen bike databases for serial number matches and have so far come out clean, but the thought is still there.
> 
> Robert


affirm on police report and serial #s,
appreciate your input.


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## redtecnos

Don't r-sys wheels have a reputation for failing? I'm not a fan of frivolous litigation, but if your accident was caused by a poorly designed wheel and not human error, maybe you should consult a lawyer. Do some internet reasearch on r-sys failure.


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## Squenchy

Beautiful bikes - I hope you get them back, and get healed up from your spill.


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## HigherGround

John, I was thinking about this thread recently, and I hope things are getting better for you. I've been checking my local Craigslist ads periodically.


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## cannibal

HigherGround said:


> John, I was thinking about this thread recently, and I hope things are getting better for you. I've been checking my local Craigslist ads periodically.


thanks and i appreciate your support.
ribs are healing well.
wrist and clavicle are still swollen, deformed and painful.
no luck on my end as well on the stolen rigs.
to ease the pain of the loss, i pulled the trigger on 2 nos merckx's, axm and 3xm.
paid $4000 for both framesets, including shipping from south africa.
wife blew a gasket, claimed the purchase was based on emotions, not intellect!


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## HigherGround

cannibal said:


> thanks and i appreciate your support.
> ribs are healing well.
> wrist and clavicle are still swollen, deformed and painful.
> no luck on my end as well on the stolen rigs.
> to ease the pain of the loss, i pulled the trigger on 2 nos merckx's, axm and 3xm.
> paid $4000 for both framesets, including shipping from south africa.
> wife blew a gasket, claimed the purchase was based on emotions, not intellect!


From Rashid, I assume? They will give you something to look forward to getting back on the road with.

Good luck with the wrist and collarbone.


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## aptivaboy

Wifey was probably right. Having said that, if I had the money I would have done the exact same thing!! 

Congrats! Hope you and your new mounts are back on the road soon!

Robert


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## cannibal

*how do you like them apples?*

new arrivals from south africa.
picked them up last night from LAX.
$40 total for all U.S. Custom and freight fees.
i'll take some heat from the panel for the lack of alloy in these framesets, but they sure are stunning in quality, craftsmanship, and paint work. Framesets originate from Europe.
i've got a Visa credit card hitman looking for me!


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## Maverick

looks great :thumbsup:. 

any plans to build them up?

the AXM and 3XM are the last few Merckx frames to be made in Europe - in Italy (they were made by ZMM Compositi in Italy, the same factory that manufactures MCipollini frameset). 

Cheers!


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## aptivaboy

Any updates on the stolen bikes?


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## cannibal

aptivaboy said:


> Any updates on the stolen bikes?


negative, however, i just received 2 insurance checks in the amount of $6000 for both steel rigs.
3xm equipped with ultegra 6700 and DT Swiss RR465 w/ ultegra hubs.
axm pending with ultegra 6700, mavic open pro w/ CK hubs.
the stolen rigs haven't emerged on the internet to my knowledge.
happy new year and i should be back in action in the next 3 weeks.


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## fusiongary

Sorry to hear about your accident and the theft. I will of course keep my eyes open for your frames.


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## atpjunkie

Will keep my eyes open as well
if I see them at the SD Swap I'll get the police


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## cannibal

possible sighting of my stolen Molteni Corsa Extra on Ebay, red flags everywhere imho, the Columbus decal is missing; on mine, the TSX decal was slightly torn. Size is a 63 according to seller; however, I bet you dollars to donuts it's a 62. Campy Record headset just like mine. Seller doesn't provide pic of bottom bracket with serial #. Seller is unavailable to answer questions of any kind according to Ebay. I may be wrong, but there aren't too many Molteni framesets in that size, color and condition in CA. The Merckx original paintwork decal is placed near the bottom bracket, so it's no respray. I hope I'm incorrect with my initial assessment. The bike is equipped with a completely different group set on it. Police contacted to investigate. Only 2 things are certain: death and taxes, just working on a hunch and visual cues. My apologies in advance if my observations are erroneous.


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## boneman

Mav said there was an update. Hope it works out cannibal. EBay have not been leaders in integrity in the past from my personal experience but good luck. Hope you get your bikes back.


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## Cinelli 82220

Pretty odd that a seller is unavailable.

Can't find the frame, maybe EBay took it down or seller ended the listing?


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## cannibal

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Pretty odd that a seller is unavailable.
> 
> Can't find the frame, maybe EBay took it down or seller ended the listing?


Just checked ebay and the listing is gone like a fart in the wind despite 7 bidders on it, was I correct or was it removed temporarily for further investigation? Couldn't agree with you more in terms of unusual a seller is unavailable for questions on such a rare rig. At the very least, I'd like to ask what kind of tubeset since the decal is missing and what is the seriel # to determine the birth date of the frame?? Who knows, maybe he was fortunate enough like me to pick up the frameset @ the factory in Meise, Belgium . It happens everyday you know!!! Regardless, I'm speculating based on observations and hunches only.


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