Professional 1983 most likely Columbus SL tubes. This does not look like a factory paint job, the decals are incorrect.
If the frame belonged to me I would immediately remove all the paint, clean off the rust and have it professionally painted.
Stickers matching the 1983 can be purchased without any problem. This could be a beautiful bike!

J'ai trouvé vos photos sur "velo vintage a go go" - C'est moi, Emerxil :)

Here's an interesting one.

Serial number: A on the left, Z 2448 on the right side. The frame seems to be custom size between sizes 57 and 58. It is stripped of paint and the seller claims it weighs 1872g for frame and 761g for fork. It is advertised as Columbus SLX (Pro). Due to frame weight, could this actually be a 753 frame? The seat stay cluster is narrow like on Grand Prix and (standard) Strada. Pictures below.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9ddb702447.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bd63f0ca2.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...18ebad3806.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...42a62bc008.jpg

Appears to be SLX to me. Looking at the picture in through the bottom bracket shell, the chainstays and seat tube have the Columbus internal ribs, and the downtube appears to have also (though hard to see).

This is awesome! I now recall where I've seen this frame recently, the seller knows what he's talking about. I'm sure that in this case CyclesMakaron will agree exactly with everything the seller has said ;)

The seller's name is Jacek, it could be CyclesMakaron himself :)
It's a nice project to have the frame repainted and the price is OK too, just a bit small for me.

Deciphered without mercy :)

Was just browsing thro Pedalroom, and seems nenad has joined the MX Leader club:). Love the color:love:, tell us more...

Here's mine, I believe a '91 Century TSX

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...84c3989bf8.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7d1d314d41.jpg

Here's another one, MX Leader in size 59 and FNP (Collstrop) paint, serial H F7561.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ea19703ffb.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cdb044af3f.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dab7523580.jpg

Based on documentation I would say this is:

- MX Leader v. 4
- Built in (mid?) 1995

Is there any other significance to this frame? I ask because in your list you have F7651. Also, there is a name on the frame however I have been unable to attach it to any former racer.
On a side note, I bought this frame for a friend and now I want it for myself. So, I am in search for another MX Leader in size 59 (hint Jacek).

Edit 1: I have disassembled the fork, there's a card on it:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...11237ece11.jpg

And the more I looked at it the more I discerned:

F7561
MX 60

I couldn't see any other info. So, I take it this is size 60 after all...

Edit 2: Modern cameras and graphics software are amazing, I have found the color code (FNP):


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9496e8faf2.jpg

No surprises.

Beauty. I love the lugged MX Leader frames.

Ah so its not yours (see my post a few posts up:))

Its a great color. I guess in the absence of finding info on the rider online, the name is probably just the name of the person that ordered the frame from EM. Both my MX Leaders have names on the top tube like yours, both names reveal nothing about them being racers, so I guess they were just the customer.

And good luck finding one for you, they are great riding frames, peak steel bikes in my opinion. You won't regret the purchase once you eventually find one.:thumb:

Well, I am very stoked about it. I spoke to my friend (responding to the other message in the thread), he's OK that I keep it; he understands the madness. So, I need to find another MX Leader for him :)
Some pictures in Pedalroom and I will add more:
https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/1995-...x-leader-50034

This one will be built more as a classic bike of that era. The original fork really needs to stay where it is, carbon will not do.

So the question is, which quill stem and which handlebar - suggestions most welcome.

nenad hell yeah nice score bagging that for yourself after all:)

You've gotta keep the fork, Max forks are THE BEST, and look sooooo much better than a generic carbon thing up front.

I've mostly got 3t Record stems and 3t Competitzione Merckx bend bars on my Eddy's, tho also have a Cinelli XA stem and another one.

And I'm sure our eagle eyed Polish friend has already clapped his peepers on this, but for everyone else this has just popped up on UK eBay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285492169...Bk9SR5i_98LbYg
A claimed Merckx built, Caloi badged ex Sean Yates Team Motorola frame. Yates was a total horse of a man, and looking at those mahoosive stays and chunky frame main tubes it looks like its Columbus Max, which would figure for a beast like Yates. Also I note the Caloi bikes have different forks to any of the Merckx bikes of the era, what material do we think the fork is, is it even steel or possibly alu? Personally I'm not a fan on the looks of these forks and much prefer the Mercks ones, especially the Max ones on MX Leaders. Edit: it does look like a steel fork but there's no side on view of the forks so can't really tell if they are Max forks or not. I'd expect them to be, no?

But I am a little puzzled as the first pic Yates riding at speed (I don't think he had any other speed!):), the frame looks a few sizes bigger than the frame in the rest of the advert. I know Yates was a tall unit, but also know nowadays pro's are prone to riding frame that are a few sizes too small for them, but did they do that back in Yates's era too?

Anyway cool bit of history if its as claimed.

PS I've got too many Eddy bikes so though its in England and it piqued my interest, I'm not in the market for it.

Surely this is a time trial frame intended for bull horn handlebars with clip-ons?

I can’t recall ever seeing a photo of Yates riding such a frame as a road bicycle with drop handlebars, and as a follower of Freuler and Edwig van Hooydonck I paid attention to such things all those years ago.

Ah yes that makes sense. And on further reading in the advert it mentions Cinelli Lola bars, which I'd never heard of and just looked them up and they are indeed bullhorn type bars.

Ah and its got a 650c front and 700c rear then? Here's a pic online of a Caloi with TT bars, I just found pic of online, has a 700c rear and 650c front to give an idea of what that looks like built up.
https://velofinds.wordpress.com/2015...oi-bici-crono/

I would definitely look at the sticker on the fork steering tube

There was once a cyclocross rider from Luxembourg using Merckx bikes - his name was Lucien Zeimes. Could it be the next generation?

I saw it on FB, but without the manufacturer's markings I'm helpless

Well, it's possible, what I find encouraging is seller's comment at the end:

"Buyer is welcome to speak to my friend who was ex-BBC to help verify authenticity as he has provenance, proofs."

It'd be interesting to see what proofs he can show. For a start, it'd be nice to see what is underneath the bottom bracket.

Nenad

Frame on offer not the frame in pic, lugged for sale, not lugged and much bigger frame in pic with unibrow fork, it may be a team frame but way small for Yates no matter how you spin it, Yates sticker may be legit and # hanger present so......

Well, whatever it was, it was sold pretty quickly.

I have little doubt it is what it was claimed to be. There are other examples known of this frame style from the Caloi era, such as the Wiebren Veenstra one botty kayer linked earlier in this thread. This one pictured here is an ex Kevin Livingston example that is in one of the Merckx FB groups. If I recall correctly, the frameset was for sale on Yahoo auctions a while back now, and the current owner has built it as you see.

There is footage on Youtube of the 1995 TDF TTT that shows some of the Motorola riders on this exact style of frame.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...02c1fc4190.jpg

40 pages already!
I remember seeing the start of the topic, a while ago.
Besides an Axel track bike, I'm not in Merckx built bikes.
I prefer the earlier ones and own a Fiat team bike (team member passed away a year after selling me his frame)

Yesterday however, while hinting for another bike, I encountered a Merckx and despite knowing what it was, I took a picture of the bottom bracket

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ac609806_k.jpgMerckx frame by bagheerabe, on Flickr

So, If I understood the game, this frame was built by mister A, size 54 and it should be in early 1981, potentially the 1069th frame? (what a gigantic production)

Am I correct?

Almost perfectly
A - this is the guy who made the final adjustments and corrections
4. - most likely 54 cm (could be 64 cm - the dot sometimes indicated a non-standard frame size)
E070 - according to the latest findings, the frame may have been built in September/October 1980.
Before the E series was built:
- series without serial markings: number unknown, at least a few dozen units
- a series "without a letter": the highest known number was 1048
- V series: early designs - highest known number is 515
It is unknown how many of these frames were built during the "training at De Rosa" (probably the V series and perhaps the series without serial markings), and it is not known whether the numerical continuity of the markings was maintained.