ok, so this guy has TWO merckx 7-11 bikes for sale-you can check one out on ebay now(the one that comes with the signed white hampstem saddle). anyway, he told me he got these in the eighties at a bike show where merckx and hampsten were at endorsing them at the time. he believes these were the best at that time but.....both of them are corsa extra slx. my question is...were the corsa extra with slx the "team bike" at the time or, as i alway thought, the real "team bike" that is very sought after is the one with the team 7-11 decal on the top tuble and made of tsx tubing.

Considering Merckx's obsession with bike fit, and the wide variety of riders on the 7-Eleven squad, I doubt there was one generic team frame. I seem to recall one of the riders noting that they started the season on heavier frames for the spring classics, and had lighter ones for the stage races. I also recall reading that Merckx once built 20 custom frames in an attempt to dial in Hampsten's fit perfectly. So... the tubing choice probably varied from rider to rider, and depending upon the point in the season. Sorry, I doubt that's the answer you were looking for, but I don't think there was a single style of team issue frame.

There is no way this was a team bike that was ridden, way too clean.. I have 2 Motorola Team bikes, one using TSX and other using SLX.. They used different tubing depending on the rider..

https://cgi.ebay.com/rare-mint-EDDY-M...item20aec2c23b

Where does it say it was ever ridden?

well, the thing is, would this be the "team bike" replica? as opposed to simply the corsa extra with the seven eleven paint job, just like merckx did a corsa model with the seven eleven paint job? isnt the true team replica available to the public in the eighties the seven eleven team bike using tsx? that was the most expensive at the time, while the slx and sl were cheaper but still nice.

I think you are over obsessing on what tubing was being used at that time.. I have seen a few team bikes that all used different tube sets.. I do not remember too many actual team bikes at that time that did not have a number braze on.. This one does not have that braze-on..

I would ask who it was built for and if it was ridden.. They did make re-issues in the late 90's. The easiest way to tell if it's an original or a re-issue is the re-issues had a sloping crown, not a flat-crown fork.

They team bikes also had Columbus and E. Merckx stickers on the front of the forks..

Shimano Sante crank and brakes? That isn't right, not even top of the line road parts on a "team" bike? Sounds/looks like a re-issue copy to me.