gomango 

Exceptional find.

Looks like it is in exceptional condition.

Man, you are a nice bike magnet.

What tires are you running?

rccardr 

I think that Panasonic is newer than '86...might be more like a '90-91 based on the hidden top tube cable guides. But what a lovely Merckx! Really like the look of those Civia bars, I need to get a set of those for the 753 that's in the queue.

Vonruden, your ability to pick up gorgeous bikes makes me very jealous!

bibliobob

Same color scheme (Panasonic), but mine's a bit earlier ('85). That looks later, with the cable routing and extra chrome on the rear, as well as the fork.... My Merckx is still my favorite bike, hands down...

bibliobob

Well done!

bconneraz

Here's my MX Leader; I bought the frame and fork new in 92, and built it up with Campy Record 8 speed. Still shifts and rides beautifully.

Broid

Very, very nice Bconn!

Vonruden 

Thanks G

Tires are Specialized Turbo's. I purchased this one from the original owner who was in the bike industry and really cared for this one. Last week I went back and purchased the Ritchey mtb from him that I was lusting over. Unfortunately they were not cheap, but still got a great deal. Only drawback is I needed to list the beloved orange Colnago on fleabay to pay for both. I may need to swap out the saddle for the nice white Rolls I picked up from Rccardr. The seatpost and stem are Dura-Ace, in the future I may see if i can trade for a Campy post and shorter Cinelli stem. A couple more pics -

Vonruden 

stunning!

KonAaron Snake 

I would sell a bike to own this...it's so hard to find the MXLs.

HigherGround

Really? I seem to see them on fleabay fairly often.

On a side note, this thread (among others) makes me appreciate the range of beautiful bikes that were around in the 80's and 90's. So many of the carbon bikes today look fairly generic, with the too common black / white / red color scheme. I may be somewhat hypocritical with that comment, since two of my three road bikes are plain ti frames, which tend to all look the same as well!

KonAaron Snake 

Let me rephrase - in my size, at a non-insane price, in a color I like.

Broid

lol!!!

bconneraz

I feel the same in my quest for the perfect Masi. They're a dime a dozen; some can't seem to be given away. All I want is an original red 78 CA Gran Criterium in a 52 or 54. Nada.

kvnmuadib

I'm sure I've posted these already but its been a while..I have the good fortune to own and ride both a merckx and a derosa from the same year give or take ...both are built up in a combination of campy super record and first generation c-record, record chorus and athena components...I wasn't patient enough to go period correct and once built up I rarely change a winning combination...the merckx came from belgium via e-bay and the derosa frame from a california i-bob lister,the paint on both is original but the derosa has a lot of daubing with sign painters enamel and the merckx has some chrome loss on the inner chain stays and some pepperring on the fork but nothing really to detract from the overall looks of these two classics....both 59 c-c on the seat tube ,57,5 tt on the derosa and 58 tt on the merckx...the merckx has pretty beefy ovalized chainstays and a flat fork crown while the derosa has the famous diamante stays and a semi- sloping fork crown...its a toss up on the ride but both smoothly sublime..the derosa has the remains of a colombus sl decal and I would guess the merckx is the same tho no sticker.....enjoy the pics....

bigfred 

I hear what you're saying. But, we have to remember that those bikes from the 80's and 90's were all made from a reasonably small selection of round tubes (with a very few exceptions). They had to do something to set themselves apart other than offer a crit. and a road geometry. The solution was "paint" and finish.

While I have a great appreciation for the qualities of a good C&V and my Merckx will forever be the bike that changed they way I measured what constitued a "good ride", I am even more appreciative of what today's fibre reiforced plastic allows with regard to the engineering of the simple bicycle frame. The degree to which ride qualities can be control and affected is without parallel.

But, I guess I would say that. My Merckx is of the metallic charcoal variety:-)

Blue Belly

Your fit looks oddly different from bike to bike. Is there a reason for this?
The bikes are awesome! I'd love to own a DeRosa, some day. Let me know if you ever decide to sell either!

Vonruden 

Both are beauties!

Motta

hi everbody,
here my merckx´...



merckx corsa - brain - record/chorus
merckx corsa extra time trial - TSX - DA 74xx
merckx corsa extra - MAX - DA 74xx

cheers

gomango 

All are very nice, but that MAX framed CE is outta this world.

Thanks for sharing.

thirdgenbird

It is also begging for chorus 10

gomango 

Yes, Chorus 10 is my default line as well.

I still have a sweet tooth for DA 7400 though.

thirdgenbird

The TT bike is a perfect home for 7400. Looks perfect.

HigherGround

Your comments about appearance are spot on. That was very evident in the Gita catalogs of that era, where you could often find SL, SLX, and TSX frames from Merckx, DeRosa, and Pinarello. Each type of frame was usually at about the same price point, and the geometries were often similar but not exactly the same. DeRosa had their Diamante chainstays, or the webbed bottom bracket shell on the EL-OS model, but otherwise the bikes were pretty similar.

rccardr 

Motta- Any way you could post a close up of the seat cluster on that CE?

russd32

Some nice rides in here. Looking good everyone!