# Need Motorola Eddy M Historian Help



## cedarburgcyclist (May 22, 2007)

I have what I am hearing is a team issue EM for Motorola, where the frame is titanium and supposedly built by DeRosa for EM. The frame was unused and aquired through The North Club when Motorola pulled sponsorship.

Can anyone provide any info supporting this and if so, any further details?

By the way, it is built up, still unused, and for sale:

Eddy M Titanium 55.2 ctc: Motorola Team / Caloi decals on fork (European squad); built for Andy Hampsten never raced. Although not team issue components, built with Campy 9 speed Chorus, Cinelli bar/stem, Ferrari Saddle, Look pedals, Velocity rims, Continental tires. Pics available as well as original build tag and team stickers. CONUS only. Contact me for additional pics if interested.


----------



## tv_vt (Aug 30, 2007)

*what size? photos?*

would be helpful.

Thx


----------



## ElvisMerckx (Oct 11, 2002)

cedarburgcyclist said:


> ... the frame is titanium and supposedly built by DeRosa for EM. ...aquired ... when Motorola pulled sponsorship.


What you've got there is a painted, rebadged Litespeed with an unusually long toptube.

If you acquired it in '96 when Motorola folded, it should be a Litespeed, not a DeRosa. I'm fairly certain DeRosa hasn't built anything badged "Merckx" since Eddy himself was still racing.

Regardless, if it was built for Andy Hampsten, it's got a very un-Merckx geometry to it. Andy's bikes had looooong toptubes (relative to seattube length, that is).


----------



## cedarburgcyclist (May 22, 2007)

From what others have noted, the Litespeed frames had a very different look, and one of the most obvious differences was that they had an integrated seatpost binder bolt as seen in the Andreu photo.


----------



## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Is the top tube on that 56.5? Wow.


----------



## cedarburgcyclist (May 22, 2007)

*Litespeed Ti Eddy M Motorola*

Note difference in Litespeed frame details...


----------



## ElvisMerckx (Oct 11, 2002)

cedarburgcyclist said:


> From what others have noted, the Litespeed frames had a very different look, and one of the most obvious differences was that they had an integrated seatpost binder bolt as seen in the Andreu photo.


What makes you certain the Andreu bike is a Litespeed (or even Ti)? Most Litespeeds (that I'm aware of) do not have integrated seatpost binders. Besides, Merckx/Caloi sponsored Motorola for 5 or 6 years -- that's a big timeframe with lots of variables of riders/suppliers/frame materials/builders/etc..


----------



## Kenacycle (May 28, 2006)

That frame has no braze on number hanger.

And since when did they have blue Motorola top tube sticker?

what you need is this


----------



## texbike (Oct 21, 2004)

*Interesting tidbits on this one...*

Here is a link with more pics of Frankie's team bike that sold earlier this year:

http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23750&highlight=motorola

This makes for an interesting bike: Caloi made by Eddie Merckx made by Litespeed! 

Notice that it has the Motorola decals, Frankie's name sticker, hanger for the number plate, etc. Definitely a team bike.

My guess on the bike in this thread is that it was a Team bike from 1993 or 1994 that was never used (when did Hampsten leave the Motorola squad?). It seems strange that it has a Caloi-decaled fork. Maybe when the equipment was being closed out after the team folded, someone grabbed a fork and put it with the frame. If the bike was a 1995 or 1996, the entire bike would have been badged as a Caloi (since they were the 95/96 sponsor), correct? It probably sold as a frame and fork only which would explain why it was built up with a Campy groupset instead of the DA kit that was supplied on the team bikes.

That is a long top tube, but I'm beginning to detect a trend of longer top tubes on Merckx team bikes. I have two MX Leader team bikes (Gord Fraser's Motorola Caloi and an earlier Telekom team bike). Both have a top tube that is 2 cm longer than the seat tube. I know of another Motorola team bike here in Austin that has a top tube that is 1.75 cm longer than the seat tube. Frankie's Caloi in the link above has a longer top tube as well. Could this be a characteristic of Merckx's team machines?

Anyway, nice bike. Good luck with your sale!

Texbike


----------



## Guest (Oct 24, 2007)

My Litespeed built Merckx Titanium AX has an integrated seatport binder bolt, circa 1998 - 2000.





ElvisMerckx said:


> What makes you certain the Andreu bike is a Litespeed (or even Ti)? Most Litespeeds (that I'm aware of) do not have integrated seatpost binders. Besides, Merckx/Caloi sponsored Motorola for 5 or 6 years -- that's a big timeframe with lots of variables of riders/suppliers/frame materials/builders/etc..


----------



## t. swartz (Mar 15, 2007)

*franike a.'s caloi paris roubaix bike*

i acquired the bike last spring from tcrush-the tt and st's the same (60). my '93 em century team kelme, by contrast, got a 59 tt and 60 st (pictured on "multi-use merckx"). maybe it was rider preference?


----------



## backinthesaddle (Nov 22, 2006)

ElvisMerckx said:


> What you've got there is a painted, rebadged Litespeed with an unusually long toptube.
> 
> If you acquired it in '96 when Motorola folded, it should be a Litespeed, not a DeRosa. I'm fairly certain DeRosa hasn't built anything badged "Merckx" since Eddy himself was still racing.
> 
> Regardless, if it was built for Andy Hampsten, it's got a very un-Merckx geometry to it. Andy's bikes had looooong toptubes (relative to seattube length, that is).



Bzzzt...

The painted, Motorola Ti bikes were, indeed, built by DeRosa. When I lived in Jacksonviile, the shop I worked in had Bauer's old Motorola Ti frameset and the drops were stamped DeRosa. According to Caloi, based in Jax, all of the custom team Ti bikes were DeRosa built.


----------



## totally_fixxated (Feb 6, 2007)

*Ti Motorola*



t. swartz said:


> I acquired the bike last spring from tcrush


Any pictures of this bike?


----------

