Particulary over 6' tall and 200 lbs. Do you like the bike? It's not for me, but for a friend. I think it looks cool in Molteni orange and he is considering it.

The Merckx MX Leader with Columbus MXL tubeset is a fabulous bike. It's not a light weight wonder but who cares when the ride is so fabulous. The construction is very robust and it has all those cool ovalized tubes and great lugs, and an awesome fork. It handles great and any weight penalty going up hills is easily made up going down as you can go as fast as you dare in absolute confidence. My favorite of many bikes.

Particulary over 6' tall and 200 lbs. Do you like the bike? It's not for me, but for a friend. I think it looks cool in Molteni orange and he is considering it.

It is quite possibly the nicest lugged steel non-custom frame I have ever riden. I really wish they would offer more paint schemes for that frame. If they did some pro team reissues I would be all over a Motorola or older Telekom scheme. Even the Kelme paint that they used when Merckx supplied their frames was sweet.

It is quite possibly the nicest lugged steel non-custom frame I have ever riden. I really wish they would offer more paint schemes for that frame. If they did some pro team reissues I would be all over a Motorola or older Telekom scheme. Even the Kelme paint that they used when Merckx supplied their frames was sweet.

I value your opinions, which are always well thought out and you have ridded just about everything out there including the bike of my dreams the Dogma. I think the MXL would be perfect for my friend. OS and shaped tubes; lugged; pedigree, heritage, pretty rare, classic color, etc. However, he is blanching a bit a the price ($1600 at GVH). He is also considering a Land Shark which should also be a good choice for him in 60cm (my understanding is that the tubes are selected for the size) and about $400 less than the MXL. I told him the Merckx is one of those once in a lifetime buys. It will always be a great bike! I told him that if they had one in 54 and the wife would look the other way I would all over one myself.

Peace!

I saw a photo of one recently...a new MXL with the Motorola paint scheme. HOWEVER, the down tube script was a bit different; as I recal it said E. Merckx rather than eddy merckx...I think they do this to distinguish between the originals and the "new" ones.

I saw a photo of one recently...a new MXL with the Motorola paint scheme. HOWEVER, the down tube script was a bit different; as I recal it said E. Merckx rather than eddy merckx...I think they do this to distinguish between the originals and the "new" ones.

I am not so sure. I called Gita a while back and asked them about this... they said they had no current plans to offer that bike in anything other than the Moltini reissue paint. That may have since changed as this was about a year ago, but I don't think so. There is nothing on Gita's website about it either. However there were a few older frames floating around Europe with the Motorola paint that were said to be unsold from the late 90's and sitting around the Merckx factory. How much truth there is to that statement, I don't know.

But like I said, if I could get this frame in a black and pink Telekom paint, I would be all over that like a bum on a baloney sandwich!

Russ

... has telekom colors in the smaller sizes. If you click on MX Leader colors they picture 5 different schemes- including motorola- implying you could special order one? I lust after the 51 cm telekom model...
-Keith

... has telekom colors in the smaller sizes. If you click on MX Leader colors they picture 5 different schemes- including motorola- implying you could special order one? I lust after the 51 cm telekom model...
-Keith

I actually think those are left over and unsold older frames, but I could be wrong. The reason I am pretty sure about this is that I had heard there were left over frames at the factory in Belgium, and they are only available in sizes 51, 52, and 53.... if you look at Gita's page (US Distributor) they only list the Molteni frame and they only list it available from 54 cm to 63 cm. They don't list the smaller frames, and I am guessing that Competitve Cyclist most likely bought up as much NOS frames as they could get in the Telekom colors. I will call my Gita rep in the morning to find out for sure what the story is and then post back here.

Russ

Russ, I looked in my email folder to see if I had saved anything about this info. The info was posted in the Serotta forum in Jan 2004 and said, "The frame took about 2 months and was ordered through Gita. the eddy merckx letters are different on the down tube from the original. The originals had the same size all caps eddy merckx , mine has a big Merckx and a small eddy. It can be ordered custom geometry for an extra $100 and the custom paint was also $100. I was told the old decals are basically gone now and my Merckx letters are painted on not decals. The frame was built last year. the frame rides like a beast as has been discussed by others. the blue color is probably my favorite blue."

BTW, I have an original Motorola MX leader, and I'm the original owner. I should add that I have seen two types of seat stay to seat tube designs: the most prevalent one is that the seat stays are attached to the side of the lug; the other design has the chainstays attaching to the back of the seat lug. Mine is of the latter design.

A very young Lance Armstrong riding his MXL.

Not sure if this helps or not, but I ran into this website of cyclefit UK and they claim to be selling "new" MXL frames:

http://www.cyclefit.co.uk/eddy_2004/molt.html

... has telekom colors in the smaller sizes. If you click on MX Leader colors they picture 5 different schemes- including motorola- implying you could special order one? I lust after the 51 cm telekom model...
-Keith
A MX leader in a 51 is a joke unless you are 400 pounds. They use to make them in the smaller sizes and then came to their senses and the smallest now listed is a 54.Some places I have seen only only list them down to a 56.

A MX leader in a 51 is a joke unless you are 400 pounds. They use to make them in the smaller sizes and then came to their senses and the smallest now listed is a 54.Some places I have seen only only list them down to a 56.
Just 5' 8" and want one. Why can't a 155 lbs. guy ride a steel Merckx?! Who cares if its "overkill"? I want the ride, the strength would just be an extra bonus.
-Keith

Just 5' 8" and want one. Why can't a 155 lbs. guy ride a steel Merckx?! Who cares if its "overkill"? I want the ride, the strength would just be an extra bonus.
-Keith I think the 'ride' gets lost on a rider of that size and weight on a frame that small. Think in terms of steel bridge girders for a mian triangle. There is a BIG difference between that max tubeset and any other 'steel' merckx.. The stuff was made for BIG riders.

Wow, thanks! I called them a while back about getting one custom painted in Motorola colors and they said they didn't do it. And the surprising thing is that they knew it was for me and I work in a shop... so they knew it would be an employee bike, usually they would do that sort of thing. They also knew I was willing to wait as long as I had to before I got it. Guess I need to make that phone call again!

Russ

I think the 'ride' gets lost on a rider of that size and weight on a frame that small. Think in terms of steel bridge girders for a mian triangle. There is a BIG difference between that max tubeset and any other 'steel' merckx.. The stuff was made for BIG riders.
I didn't realize the MXL tubes were so substantially heaver than other steel tubes. Not trying to be argumentative, but why make the really small sizes in the first place then? You may have just saved me $1400....
-Keith

Not trying to be argumentative, but why make the really small sizes in the first place then? You may have just saved me $1400....
-Keith
Never made sense to me why they did it.Maybe just 'because they could'. Max is not only more oversize in diamerter compared to traditional Columbus oversize nivacrom tubesets, it's also thicker than many of them.Then throw in the Merckx special ovalization. STOUT stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=3695476709&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=3695476709&rd=1

MXL/Max tubes use a 1-3/8" down tube and 1-1/4" top and seat tube - shaped of course. While these tubes will make the frame quite stout, I don't think it will be any more jarring than many of todays aluminum frames.

I say go for it!

MXL/Max tubes use a 1-3/8" down tube and 1-1/4" top and seat tube - shaped of course. While these tubes will make the frame quite stout, I don't think it will be any more jarring than many of todays aluminum frames.

I say go for it!

Photos are for 54 cm frame.