The Merckx Muddle

[thinpin]

Can anyone explain or clarify the merckx frame muddle. Over the last few evenings I have attempted to sort out the vast amount of misinformation out there that is Merckx - only to end up more confused than ever. Everyone has an opinion but nothing solid seems to emerge.
What is Merckx century geometry?
Is Corsa geo different?
And what about Strada?
Why does my Ex Ti ride so nice?
How to spot a Falcon?
And I dont even want to get to aluminium and carbon.
Could this be the authoritative Merckx thread or does it exist and I haven't found it yet?

[christian]

What is Merckx century geometry?Despite what marketers would have you believe, it's basically a nice standard CONI racing geometry. If anything, it's identified by slightly more slack seat tube angles than other racing bikes.
Is Corsa geo different?Corsas appear to have been made in both Century and "Road Racing" geometry. All Corsa.01s appear to be Century geometry. Pre-1990 Corsas are mostly (all?) "Road Racing" geometry. The 1990 Century TSX is among the first Merckxs that explicitly used Century geometry.
And what about Strada?Again, pre-1990 likely to have Road Racing geometry; don't know if there are any post-1990 Stradas. Best guess is that it will match the Corsa geometry of a given year.
Why does my Ex Ti ride so nice?Nice geometry, good tube set?
How to spot a Falcon? Not hard. It looks like a lower-end 1970s ten speed.
And I dont even want to get to aluminium and carbon.Ok. The only non-steel Merckx I find at all attractive is the Leader.
Could this be the authoritative Merckx thread or does it exist and I haven't found it yet?The Merckx forum on RBR is pretty good, and the Tears for Gears site is pretty exhaustive. I don't think we're going to top those in this thread.

My Merckx spent the weekend in the basement. It was an all-Pegoretti weekend at my house.

[Joachim]

I also found/find it confusing to sort through all the geometry info. In the end it didn't help me, since my MX Leader is "Pro" geometry, ie custom, so I kept my fingers crossed that it would fit based on the seat and top tube measurements (and hoped for a 73-ish seat angle).

[bike22]

Could this be the authoritative Merckx thread or does it exist and I haven't found it yet?
it's right here:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=90557

[bike22]

What is Merckx century geometry?
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6507/ccf2502200800003.jpg

another helpful thread is this one:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=921735

[thinpin]

So much of this stuff is disjointed. Ive been thru most of the mercks post here and a lot of the othe sited mentioned. Lots of incorrect or disputed info out there. A wiki page for his bikes with all the time lines and specs would be good.

[christian]

A wiki page for his bikes with all the time lines and specs would be good.I think you're expecting a bit much. It's not like automobile production, where there are (really) defined models and model years. Eddy cranked out quite a few bikes, geometries, and models at all times, and seems to have been happy to accommodate custom requests. In short, I don't think any more comprehensive sources exist. If you want one, you'd have to build it.

[thinpin]

I think you're expecting a bit much. It's not like automobile production, where there are (really) defined models and model years. Eddy cranked out quite a few bikes, geometries, and models at all times, and seems to have been happy to accommodate custom requests. In short, I don't think any more comprehensive sources exist. If you want one, you'd have to build it.
You are no doubt right but I dont have that dedication! I want stuff on a platter.