If you are looking for a fork for "your Hampsten" then ... you are in luck: there is no way to find out what tubes it was made of (for pro frames a fork made of other tubes - more durable - was often added)
What remains to be established is what kind of fork crown was used at the time - you could choose between the classic "slope" or the no less classic "flat"; the "slope" did not change, the "flat" did - you would need one with the EM logo with small reinforcements... but you have a photo and with a bit of luck you will see the fork crown there....
And now the most important - forkouts !
....a actually the inscription on the forkouts - if on the dropouts you have BREV. CAMPAGNOLO then on a matched fork you should have the same...
( if you have EDDY MERCKX then analogically)
Good luck!

Thank you! It was hard enough determining if the bike was supposed to have the shouldered or flat top fork as he swapped between the two between 91 and 93 I would assume because the flat top may have been lighter. (Same goes for his shifter arrangement being he was known to have a brifter for rear & a down tube for front, or two brifters... and there are even pics with bar end shifters!)
Now to find a fork. Despite it having a 55.5 C to C ST, it has a 58.5 TT and a head tube that's more than 10mm taller than a standard 56cm bike.
​​​

CylesMakaron,

A quick question -- I have an early EMC in the Cannibal's Team Molteni livery.

It is DeRosa-esque in appearance, with flat fork lugs inscribed "Eddy" and "Merckx", EMC logo on top of SS, 3x TT rear brake cable guides brazed on, and a chain stay bridge...

From the BB serial number (reading clockwise, from the 7 o'clock to the 3 o'clock positions) -- A-7-Z-490

Can you confirm model & year?

Cheers, and thanks in advance!

V/r,

Ian Kersey

Ooooh, can I try?
57 cm, built mid-1984, likely SL tubing, Professional.

Thanks, rccardr -- appreciate the input!

No comment :)

You are The Master, I am but a Humble Student...

Hello,
First of all congratulation for the fantastic job you are doing. I own a signature Merckx bike with the following markings on the BB Left : 50. Right : E272
Please can you tell me the production year of this bike. Sorry as new participant on the forum I can't join pictures.Thanks and best regards.

The indications are B50. and E272

Hey, I'm hoping someone can give me insight into whether a Merckx on eBay is legit. I've been googling a little and have no reason to question its authenticity, but I don't know much/anything at all! There's no photo of the bb shell so I can't compare it against the tables I've found online. I've messaged the seller and am waiting to hear back if they can send me a photo.

I can't post a link yet, but it's ebay dot com /itm/Eddy-Merckx-Corsa-Extra-SLX-Campagnolo-Chorus-Triple/284144951763

And yes, I know the price is high for what it is, but it's for charity, which seems like a win/win: get cute bike, support kids. Thanks in advance!

Ah, heard back from the seller. Can't post the photo but the info is:

left side:
P
9 X

right side:
D
5868

B50. E272 - frame from early 1981, mistake in seat tube height marking - should be only 0 (employee B had a birthday the day before - unconfirmed theory)
P9X D5868 - Corsa Extra (road racing geometry) from early 1993

Many thanks. Hope that happy evening the day before didn't affect the quality of his work :-)

Need help decoding EM frame
 

Hi
Ive found EM Corsa Extra frame at ebay. Need help to decode the frame number.

Right - P
Left - F4358

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you very much.

P F4358
Frame built late 1994
For a Corsa Extra it has little markings - can you add a link ? i need to see it :)

Two Decals, Interpretation
 

Hello- there is a decal/transfer/sticker on the seat tube of my EM Corsa Extra that reads "fietsen erleyses terafene." I ran it through a translator, but that wasn't a ton of help- "cycling erleyses terafene." Can you please tell me its significance? Could it be a local bike shop?

The second one says "Original Painting, Eddy Merck, Zinc Phosphate, Anti Corrosion Treatment." Would this have been an extra cost / an extra option, or was this decal applied to all EM's made around 1998? I've not seen either decal before this frame. Side note, I bought the frame from a seller in Italy. Thank you.

If you change "terafene" to "teralfene" you give me some chance - it's a town close to the Brussels - Ghent route.
The sticker "Original Painting..." was introduced in 1996 and used until the end of steel frame production (sometimes a shortened version was used when repainting the frames).

Yes, you are correct (as always). See pic.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...496cddac1.jpeg

Fietsen Verleysen Teralfene - the company still exists

Another one..."A" (only) stamped on the drive side, Campagnolo dropouts, repaint. Based on my education from this site, somewhat early in the Z production group, so 1985? Thank you!

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5a425743d4.png

A Z1154 End of 1984
Warning! not sure what it is: late Professional or Pro (753 or SLX) !
Precise research advisable...
...i.e. examination of the inside of the tubes visible through the BB cover and steering tube
...and more photos in general :)

Hello- No internal ribs, and 2 more photo's. And another question. Would a 753 Pro be more valuable or sought after than a SLX "Professional?" This is a repainted frame BTW.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1390b02dc6.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4c9af9f989.png

Pro 753 is rare, lightweight and unique :)
Be sure to check out the markings on the steering tube....

Z 1701 info
 

Hello. I recently acquired “Z 1701” from the original owner. He raced it 9/84 at a sanctioned race here in CT. He knows he bought it before that race, he believes it was the spring of 1984.
The bike was purchased at Buzz Cycles in old Geenwich, CT.
Left side is “5 P”, right side “Z 1701”.
I know the dates the original owner mentioned don’t line up with other Z run dates mentioned here. I wonder if purchase dates on some “Z” frames are a good bit later than build dates.
My seller was the original owner and is pretty certain he bought it in the spring of 1984 because he has the flyer from that race and he was in that race with his Merckx only one year.
It has under bb cables, sloping crown and 84 stamped cranks and rd.
He and his brother both bought Merckx’s and groupsets at the same time from Buzz’s.
The bike sat for the last 35+ years, I restored it.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cd63a25a9.jpeg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...955536705.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ef43147cb.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...db9fef8e4.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...22ee70166.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...986d4d89f.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5d16f2db.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f8f58d6782.png

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...efbba4d67.jpeg

This is a sensational surprise to me, but... a few small details need to be clarified.
If the Z1701 was bought in the US Spring 1984 then it must have been built at least 2 months earlier - this means a production date of March 1984 at best.
The frames built for Team Panasonic for the 1986 season are known to be Z45xx - they could have been built as early as September 1985.
This means that in a period of 1,5 years about 2800 frames were built, so the average capacity in this period is less than 1900 frames per year.
In his statements in 1989 Merckx emphasized that from 1982 onwards the number of frames built increased steadily (year on year).
By the time the Z1710 was built, about 13500 frames had left the EMC factory - if it had been built in spring 1984, the average throughput over the 4 years of production (from spring 1980 to spring 1984) would have been about 3400 units per year.
A drop from 3400 to 1900 would have been an easily seen disaster.
If the Z1701 had been built in the spring, the pro teams would have used the Pro SLX or Pro 753 (and they were already in production, their designations are often earlier than the Z1701) as early as the 1984 season - yet they were not used until the middle of the 1985 season (a year later)
The only thing that would help is a proof of purchase with date and serial number.
Starting in September 1984 on this bike (if it was bought "the day before" it would have been built in July 1984 at the latest anyway) changes our numbers to 3000 and 2400 - still doesn't look good and doesn't solve the Team Pro SLX/753 problem.
My dating (would be December 1984) gives numbers 2800 and 3600 and fits the Pro SLX/753 problem - but is not supported by any document....
Dating 1980-1984 is a nightmare :)

Z566 (see pic below) has been determined to be Pro SLX. Originally thought to have been born in Q3 1984, it will be interesting to see if that date gets pushed back somewhat...

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b30afcaceb.jpg

Cyclesmakaron aka Jacek - I am so appreciative of the work you have done. I reached out again the the recent seller of Z 1701 for more definitive information.
He is in the process of scanning boxes of photos and hopes one will be in there of the bike with a date on it.
He was once again (third time on this now) quite certain he rode the bike in the scanned photo of that race in 9/84. He kept the flyer all these years and while we all know memories can fade, it is clearly his strong belief he rode the Merckx at that race.
He also told me he was going to call his brother this weekend who bought a matching Merckx from the same shop. They ordered the frames and group sets together from Buzz’s. It has been some time since they spoke. He hopes his brother can provide more information.
I’m hoping his brother might sell me that bike too.
I know your research has been very exacting. I only offer what I know and hope to provide more.

I'm very interested in more information and don't mind a little revolution in EMC dating :)
Assuming that Z1701 was built in March 1984 the construction of Z566 would have to be postponed to the end of 1983... that is before SLX went into production.
In this situation introduction of SLX to team frames only in mid 1985 would be completely incomprehensible...

The original owner of Z 1701 sent me a photo he has kept of himself on the bike at the 9/84 race. The kicker is, it’s not dated. He says it is that race and he only rode that race once.
he is checking with his brother for more supporting info this weekend.
Just remember, I have no opinion on this. If it’s and 84 or 85 it’s a cool bike.
I’m passing along what I learn.
He even remembers the announcer of the race that day. The gent was well know but that seems to me to be a lot of recall.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...efdd9f26a.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae5f25b45a.png
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5de648a1c.jpeg

Awesome ! I look forward to the rest of the information !
The bike is definitely cool, but I have quite a puzzle to solve :)
Reconciling SLX Z566 from 1983 with Z1701 from spring 1984 and Panasonic Z45xx from fall 1985 is impossible.... I have to look somewhere else :)
...and it promised to be a quiet weekend...