As always, thank you, very interesting as usual.

So the super expensive Belgian Merckx is not what it says it is, that's a bit cheeky for that kind of money.

Funny what you say about the R653, so it possibly had no virtually no 653 in it

If it was only used for a year compared to 10 years for 753, I guess 653 Merckx' are rarer than the 753 ones. I'd always assumed the 753's were rarer, but I assume the 753 Reynolds was more expensive, and sold in lower numbers in any given year than the cheaper alternatives.

I have read somewhere online that if 753 was chromed there were fears it could rust unseen from the inside out, but I've not seen any evidence of this. And people that I know who have ridden 753 have loved it, and if Eddy used it for 10 years he must have thought it pretty good.

Anyway thanks again for sharing your detailed knowledge, good luck with your research, and I look forward to your titanium Merckx update

regards
Dan