<< Does anybody on the list know how to tell a derosa built merckx from the others? >>
<<It will be interesting to hear from others about this. I sold those bikes in my shop from Falcon-made-Merckx, Kessels-made-Merckx and Merckx-made-Merckx, I do not think there ever were DeRosa-made-Merckx for sale to the public. They were only team bikes that Eddy used to race himself. When he began producing bikes in his own workshop/home in Belgium, they were made by his staff, who had been assisted in setting up that workshop by Ugo, but not made by Ugo. They used DeRosa designed lugs and fork crowns, even diamond shaped chain stays in some cases, but were not made by DeRosa.>> Dale<<<<
There have always been rumors about De Rosa-built Merckx frames just prior to the Merckx operation gearing up in 1980. I don't think there were any that were available through the general sales channels, but it's likely that there are at least a few out there. There even could have been a transition period when some early production frames were built by De Rosa in Italy. Hard to say without getting it straight from Eddy, and even then the "story" might not be 100% accurate. The early production Merckx frames are VERY much like De Rosa frames of the same period. Side-by-side, without paint, an 80 or 81 Merckx would be almost indistinguishable from an 80 or 81 De Rosa except for the names in the castings. I have seen a few early Merckx frames that are slightly out of the ordinary, with very De Rosa-like details (and no name in the top eyes), which could lend credence to the rumors, but I don't think there is any real way to tell for sure. I currently have what I believe to be an 81 Merckx frame, and am about to pick up a De Rosa that I believe is somewhere around 79-81, so it will be interesting to really compare them next to each other. Maybe I can do a more in-depth report then.
Wayne Bingham
Lovettsville VA