The Corsa Extra was for a long time the flagship of Eddy Merckx and served many professional teams as a vehicle for success. This bike belonged to a former amateur cyclist and is accordingly equipped with the best components of his time.
Eddy Merckx as a racer
Eddy Merckx, also known as the Cannibal, is today considered by many experts as the greatest cyclist in history. To this day, he is a benchmark in terms of sporting success and the mental attitude to cycling. Absolute uncompromisingness when it comes to the matter at hand and perfectionism, especially in the technical area, led him to five titles each in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. In total, he won 534 titles in 11 years during his professional career. Quantitatively and qualitatively the most successful male cyclist in history.
Eddy Merckx as a frame builder
After finishing his professional career, the young Belgian had no peace of mind and decided to start his own business selling bicycle frames. This venture also bore fruit quickly and within a short time he was already supplying his frames to renowned and award-winning teams. In particular, he was known for his unique advice, which you could only get from him. Eddy Merckx could regularly be met in person when visiting the factory in Meise. Among other things, he hired some of his former teammates there, with whom he still rode during his active time. This is one of the secrets behind the high quality of the frames: The employees know what it takes to build a good frame and are very demanding about it, having once ridden in the toughest conditions themselves.
The combination of two worlds is the key to success for Eddy Merckx
During his career as a racer, Merckx frequently experimented with different positions and bicycle frames to find an optimal setting for each occasion. As a racer, he had the opportunity to study the characteristics and peculiarities of virtually every type of bicycle frame. He translates this accumulated experience into his product range. Each bike offers different characteristics to suit different riders and conditions. His standards for his own products were high you before he put his own name on a bike, he had to be sure it would survive the toughest racing conditions. Every rider must be able to rely 100% on his bike.
Every bike is custom made
This Corsa Extra was custom made for a German amateur cyclist. Each wheel could be personalized at Eddy Merckx. The customer could determine the frame geometry, the components, the finish and the paint. In the end, a bike was to be built that reflected the individual person and his personality. The company even offered its customers to come in person to the factory in Meise to be measured. Because only then can it be ensured that no mistakes are made and that the wheel satisfies both parties at the end of the day.
The Corsa Extra was the flagship of the Belgian manufacturer for a long time
Built with the stiff Columbus SLX tube and equipped with the best components of its time, this frame was ridden by various professional teams. The geometry was a successful compromise between then modern short and traditional long design. This resulted in a high level of riding comfort. With seat stays with a diameter of 16mm, these were very large dimensioned and provided a lot of driving stability.
CAMPAGNOLO FLAGSHIP FOR OVER 10 YEARS
The Super Record group first came on the market in 1974 and is the successor to the Nuovo Record group. In 1987, Campagnolo ceased production of the Super Record group and replaced it with the C-Record group. This Super Record group is from the last year of production. This can be seen by the fact that there is no "Pat." is stamped in the back of the rear derailleur.
The Group Set of World Champions
The maxim was to combine the attributes of lightness, safety and stiffness. Campagnolo achieved this through a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. This is the group of world champions.
The best material for the best drivers
The Super Record group complemented the range of the Italian manufacturer Campagnolo from 1974 onwards and was designed to enable top performance. Super Record is synonymous with professional material and consisted of the highest quality materials of its time.
The first aero experiments with the infamous C-Record group
Dieses Rad stammt aus der Übergangszeit zwischen Super Record und C-Record. So wie es dasteht, ist es im Originalzustand. Der Fahrer hat sich entschieden, die komplette Bremse und die Sattelstütze der neueren C-Record Generation zu fahren, da er sich davon Aerodynamische Vorteile erhoffte. Campagnolo überarbeitete Mitte der 80er Jahre seine Record Gruppe mit dem Ziel, aerodynamischere Komponenten herzustellen. Das Ergebnis war die C-Record, wohl die formschönste Campagnolo Gruppe aller Zeiten. Die C-Record wurde 1984 zum ersten Mal vorgestellt und 1985 an Profi-Teams und große italienische Fahrradfirmen geliefert. Seit dem Jahr 1986 ist sie dann für die breite Massen verfügbar geworden. Die Gruppe war zu Beginn mit den berüchtigten Delta-Bremsen erhältlich, die aber nach Bremskraftproblemen zurückgerufen und im Jahr 1987 durch Cobalto-Bremsen ersetzt wurden. Diese sind im Grunde Super Record Bremsen mit einem verzierenden blauen Stein in der Aussparung der Befestigungsmutter. In der zweiten Generation wurden dann die Delta Bremsen überarbeitet und waren somit wieder Bestandteil der Gruppe. Die Idee, sein Rad aerodynamischer zu gestalten ging in diesem Fall in die Hose und endete damit, dass der Fahrer sein Rad mit diesen Cobalto-Bremsen ausstattete.
Manufacturer
Eddy Merckx
Model
Corsa Extra
Year of manufacture
1987
Tube set
Columbus SLX
Groupset
Campagnolo Super Record & C-Record
Paintwork
Light blue
Rahmenhöhe c - t
61 cm
Oberrohrlänge c - c
58 cm
Condition
Used original condition, No dents or cracks, The start number holder is broken off. This does not affect the frame stability.