You sneaked in while I was typing.

Ok some pics of frame 1662. After your dating, I presume it's SL/SP as it's a size 60 c-c frame. I have been told that to get the chrome forks and rear it had to be a special factory order (but I'm just repeating that and have no real knowledge). Also if it is true that it was a special order, did the customer have to order it or did the shop generally order it and just have them on the floor at, I'm guessing, a premium.
All the transfers look original or at least have some age apart from the head tube one which looks like a replacement to me. No fame materials sticker, only two, hour record bands. The paint could possibly be original. I'm only saying that as it's quite sharp around the lugs (and lots of the ones I see that are repainted get what I would call thick around the lugs and they lose their sharp edges).

A very elegant Merckx.
Chrome plating - definitely custom order.
The paint looks original.
Stickers correct (original or well-matched) - only "Columbus" on the seat tube is missing.
Interesting fact: unusual brake bridge pads in the shape of diamonds.
If you feel like it, dismantle the fork and check the inscriptions on the piece of paper attached to the fork steering tube - you may find the customer's name (and other curiosities) there.

OK, as long as they're providing the info for people when needed, that's good enough. I didn't know if you were trying to maintain a database and wanted the Ti exemplars as reference points. Mine has the 1996 decals and the EM engraving on the rear dropouts. My mechanic says that the first batch of Ti bikes that Litespeed did for Merckx didn't have the dropout markings, but the 2nd batch did. If that's accurate, that'd date it to late 1996, which is more precise than I really need as being able to find other images from 1996 with the exact same decal set on the internet was enough for me.

Your guesstimate for the age sounds about right. I've got one of those ti EX frames.....

...like yours mine has the EM logo stamped on the stays, which I think are described as 'bullet' stays because of their shape. I love the deep 3d decals too on this model. Mine came as just a frame and fork and I built it up from there. It came with an old Kestral fork alu fork with a carbon wrap and a steel steerer, and so the fork you see above is a Columbus Max one I bought and added ay a later date.

Its been a few years since I contacted Litespeed to get it dated, so don't know if they still do it this way, but then the service was not free. I think I had to pay $10-15 for the info, but all that money went to some fund for injured cyclists or something I think, so it seemed a worthy cause so I stumped up the cash.

The serial numbers are printed very small on the BB shell. Mine is marked with what looks like 2760 2, and according to Litespeed this means it was built in November 1996.

Ok thanks and much appreciated. I will have a look. Not sure where it was sold but it now lives in Australia.

Cool, which part?

Mine appears to be your bike's sibling. At least as far as I can tell (printing is very light and incomplete), mine is 2760 8.


Apparently, this Litespeed-branded carbon fork (with steel steerer) by Look was an original option.

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer. Over in Perth WA

Nice one, I’m in Melbourne. I’m making my first trip to Perth this Christmas; sans bike unfortunately.

Anyway, back to Merckx decoding!

Photos for decoding please. Also, what is the script on top of the brake bridge?
Thanks.

A3331 Y9X
Corsa Extra 1987 (May/June)
Y - EMC employee
9 - 59 cm seat tube (c-c)
X - Columbus SLX/SPX tubes
Paint pattern: team Kelme (or TeVe Blad) 1986-1987
Brake bridge pattern: Silva 2, used exclusively in EMC 1986-1987
The inscription on the top of the bridge is MOD.DEP - probably an abbreviation for the French (!) "modele depose" (sorry, no accents) meaning more or less "reserved design".

Appreciate your work as always CyclesMakaron

Hi Jacek,

What is T 8 (left) 810 (right), please...?

Thank you very much in advance!

Cheers,
NR

Not enough information
Check carefully that these are definitely all the markings - there should be a letter around 810.
Photos would help a lot.

Thank you.
This bike is on offer on ebay (item 175469127711)

https://www.ebay.de/itm/175469127711...&segname=11010

It looks like BT8 E810
Professional Columbus SL/SP early 1981.

Thanks for taking a look at those ebay pictures!
1980/81 Professional "Signature" was my guess, too. The frame size would be 58 c/c, I think?

The marking indicates 58.
"Signature" is just one of the seatstay cap designs (this frame is extremely late for this design, the EM-logo design having already been introduced en masse earlier).

Thank you so much!

Hi Jacek,

this is coming my way.






Let me see if I can get this right:

G - EMC quality control man
8 - size 58
E 2022 - Professional from 1981

Other queues pointing to early model: seat stay caps, BB cable routing on top, derailleur hanger has holes in it, decals applied.
How did I do?
Also, based on serial number can you tell when exactly in 1981 it was made (as in month/season)?

Flawless description
Dating EMC E-series frames is getting more and more difficult
New information is coming out (most of it unconfirmed) that neatly blows away the dating I thought most likely.
This is a topic for a new update thread.
E 2022 is definitely 1981.
Earliest month is March, most likely April/May, latest is July.
Without new verified data I can't be more accurate

I have a U Scanini / Eric Van Der Aerden branded MX Leader frame.

The serial number is

L (employee I’m guessing)

D 9939

Has Merckx dropouts

Panto has been filled in I’m told by U Scanini to de identify the manufacturer.

Anything else I can learn from it?

Cant post photos sorry…

Hi Jacek,

Am looking at frame no.
P 0
Z 7300

The size should be 50 cm. The seller calls it a Corsa Extra but that would mean an "X" in the frame number, wouldn´t it?
What is it, really...?

Thank you very much in advance.

Cheers,
Nuovo

Pic assist (from this album):