Eddy Merckx Track Bike

Not sure if i've heard that Casati was building frames for Eddy. Some people think that De Rosa built frames for him, but those might be the team bikes Eddy rode in competition. I emailed the original owner for further details. Though if you look at the third bike in this Eddy Merckx catalog you might see something familiar.

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/eddy_merckx3/5.jpg

everything I have read claims that Casati WAS the builder for Merckx' track bikes. I never heard the De Rosa claim but since they are both from Italy it would not surprise me if Casati made the De Rosa track or even vice-versa. The rear track ends and "blunted" tubing is JUST like my Casati. My Casati is old...really old. Maybe '78-'79. No fancy pantographing, serial number is 58...yep...58! Plain lugs, nuttin' fancy. But it rides SOOOO nice! Is yours Columbus Aelle tubing by chance?

I'm pretty sure my frame was built in Belgium. Here is a picture of the workshop where his frames were made in Meise, Belgium.

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/eddy_merckx/05.jpg

My Paramount and Guerciotti also have the same campy dropouts. The tubing is Columbus SL.

Casati is based in Monza.

De Rosa is based about 10mi to the south, in Milan.

The two were not interrelated, at all.

Ugo De Rosa built bicycles for Eddy Merckx under the De Rosa name during the early 70s (at which time first Falcon made the craptastic 'Eddy orange' "face" headbadged Merckx-branded bikes.) During Merckx's time with the Molteni team, he continued to ride Merckx-branded bicycles, some built by De Rosa, and some built by Belgian constructeur Kessels (they can be distinguished by their use of Reynolds 531 rather than Columbus steel.)

In 1980, Eddy decided to found his own shop in Belgium, and his good friend Ugo De Rosa travelled with a number of his frame fixtures, including his famed heart-capped fork crowns and seatstays, as well as his signature diamond-shaped chainstays. De Rosa supervised the building of Merckx's first own-brand frames in Belgium, then returned to Italy. At that point, all Merckx frame construction occurred in the Belgian factory under Belgian builders.

There is some rumor that in 1979 some De Rosa-built Merckx frames were sold after final paint/finishing in the Merckx factory in Belgium, but nothing confirmed.

Eddy also had a renowned relationship with Ernesto Colnago, builder of some of his Molteni bikes, and of his famed hour record bike (labelled a Windsor to keep his Mexican hosts happy.)

HOWEVER, at no time has there been a known relationship between Casati and Merckx (or Casati and De Rosa for that matter.) Casatis are nice frames, but one shouldn't ascribe more history to them than there is.

On the subject of Colnago and Merckx, there's an interesting interview with Ernesto Colnago here: http://tinyurl.com/2kmqrf

He clearly says that he built his first bike for Eddy in October of 1970, which would agree with Eddy's claim that he started using Colnagos during the 1971 season. This would also agree with Brett Horton's list below:

"The following sets forth information, written in Eddy's handwriting on April 7, 2003, that I obtained during my visit to his home in Meise earlier this year." -- Brett Horton

1965 - Superia (stock bike)
1966 - Peugeot (stock bike)
1967 - Peugeot (stock bike) and Masi
1968 - Masi
1969 - Marcel Van der Este (Belgian builder)
1970 - Pella (or Pello) Torino, Italy
1971 - Colnago and Kessels
1972 - Colnago and Kessels
1973 - Colnago and Kessels
1974 - DeRosa and Kessels
1975 - DeRosa and Kessels
1976 - DeRosa and Kessels
1977 - DeRosa

It would seem that Colnago and DeRosa built the day-race, time-trial and track bikes, and Kessels the stage-race bikes. The famous hour-record bike was definitely a Colnago, the 1974 World championship bike was definitely a DeRosa, and the 1973 Giro D'Italia bike was definitely a Kessels.