I have more photos of Merckx riding a FAEMA, non-slotted, bike here:
http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/
All of these look, to me, smaller than the restored bike.
Angel Garcia Long Valley NJ
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: EPL <lowiemanuel@yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 6:46 PM Subject: Re: [CR] slotted chainstay Masi To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>From an engineering standpoint, slotting and inserting that stuff into the
chainstays is a ridiculous waste of time and money. There are far simpler
ways to stiffen a chainstay, assuming one believes that stiffening a
chainstay is a great idea. I don't.
But it's major Bling and Eddy Merckx (IMHO) was a master at psyching out his competition and psyching himself up with all kinds of extra little otherwise inconsequential details on his bikes and kit.
He was a pro in every way because je pursued victory from every angle.
That bike in the b&w Faema picture looks a little small for Eddy. At 6'1", he needed a frame of minimum 59cm, if not a little bigger. Check out the headtube.
Emanuel Lowi
Montreal, Quebec