Eddy Merckx bikes are once again part of the racing bike landscape. The iconic bike brand, which has been operating under the umbrella of the Belgian brand Ridley since 2017, presented a revised product range. In honour of the relaunch, there will be a limited "Retrosonic" edition of the carbon bikes. Their paintwork pays homage to the legendary Panasonic cycling team that rode Eddy Merckx racing bikes in the 1980s.
About Eddy Merckx Bikes
Eddy Merckx is a world-famous Belgian bicycle brand named after the company founder and former professional cyclist Eddy Merckx. The Belgian is regarded as the most successful racing cyclist in cycling history and dominated the racing scene in the 1960s and 1970s. He won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia five times each, as well as numerous victories in classics and track races. At the end of his career, his list of professional road cycling victories totalled an incredible 525.
The exceptional rider founded his bike brand back in 1978 with the help of legendary Italian frame builder Ugo De Rosa. Until the 1990s, Eddy Merckx racing bikes were known and loved for their high-quality steel frames, and there are still many fans of the steel racers from the 1980s today. However, they lost touch with the competition in the age of carbon frames at the latest. Since then, its market share has gone downhill, even if the brand has managed to hold on until recently. In 2017, Ridley, another Belgian bike manufacturer, swallowed up Eddy Merckx Bikes completely; the parent company of both is now the Belgian Cycling Factory. However, the "Cannibal", as Eddy Merckx was also known due to his relentless riding style and irrepressible will to win, is no longer associated with the current bike brand: The 78-year-old is also not present as a brand ambassador in the relaunch.
Road bike, all-road and gravel
The newly presented product portfolio emphasises the adventure aspect; in addition to racing bikes, the range also includes bikes for all-road and gravel. There are two road bikes: the 525 and the Mendrisio. The 525 is the classic competition racing bike, while the Mendrisio serves the endurance segment. They both come with a carbon frame. The gravel bike is called Strasbourg and is available in carbon, aluminium or steel. This also applies to the Pévèle, which operates as an "all-road bike" and can be used both on the road and off-road.
The wheels are assembled and painted at Ridley in Belgium. As with the parent brand, customised configurations should be a competitive strength: The wheels can be put together using a modular principle and desired colours can also be ordered. For the relaunch, the customised paint finish will even be free of charge in the first year.
The bikes are all designed and assembled in Belgium. We are proud of this. As we also do the painting ourselves, customers can customise their bikes to a high degree. What's more, this will be offered free of charge next year as a bonus as part of the relaunch. - Joachim Aerts, CEO Ridley
Competition bike: The Eddy Merckx 525
During his career as a professional racing cyclist, Eddy Merckx rode to 525 victories on the road. To commemorate this, the Belgian bike manufacturer has named its thoroughbred racer after him: 525. With integrated cable routing, aerodynamically optimised design and seat stays trimmed for comfort, the bike is intended to be competitive. The UCI WorldTeam Team Flanders - Baloise will also be riding this model in the coming season.
Endurance bike: The Eddy Merckx Mendrisio
The Eddy Merckx Mendrisio is named after a point on Eddy Merckx's CV. In an explosive sprint at the 1971 World Championships, Merckx was able to push his rival Felice Gimondi to his rear wheel. He thus secured his second world championship title in Mendrisio. According to the manufacturer, the Mendrisio also has this explosiveness, even if the bike with a slightly more moderate seating position and wider tyres is primarily aimed at long-distance cyclists.
Allroad: The Eddy Merckx Pévèle
What success or successes could be behind the name of the Pévèle all-road bike? That's right, Paris-Roubaix. Eddy Merckx won the classic three times. The name comes from the legendary three-kilometre-long Mons-en-Pévèle pavé sector.
Gravel: The Eddy Merckx Strasbourg
1971 again, this time not the World Championships but the Tour de France: Merckx won the stage in a sprint on an unpaved gravel road. There is a carbon version of the Strasbourg, one made of steel and one made of aluminium.
The Retrosonic Edition
Eddy Merckx Bikes is presenting a limited "Retrosonic" edition of the carbon bikes to coincide with the Relauch.
"Retrosonic" is a tribute to the legendary Panasonic cycling team that rode Eddy Merckx bikes in the 1980s. Riders such as Eric Vanderaerden, Phil Anderson and Eddy Planckaert were extremely successful, both in the classics and in the grand tours. Highlights included green jerseys at the Tour de France and victories in Roubaix. A contemporary interpretation of the striking livery on carbon Merckx bicycles merges past and present. The bikes will be available from 24 February, just in time for the start of the cobblestone classics.
Luc Doucé, designer at Eddy Merckx, explains how the concept came about: "Even during the initial sketches, it became clear that an 'authentic interpretation' would work very well. Of course, some adjustments were necessary, as the frame of our carbon bikes is simply different from the steel of the original Corsa racing bike." Three more bikes will be added to the range in 2024. There will be sporty e-bikes and an addition in the performance segment. The collaboration with the UCI ProTour Team Flanders - Baloise will also be further expanded.
Speaking of the Corsa
The Corsa is also part of the Belgian bike brand's product portfolio. The Corsa is available in standard sizes or with custom geometries and is welded from steel or titanium by none other than Johan Vranckx, who has been welding Eddy Merckx bikes for 40 years.
Order online, collect from the shop
If you want to buy an Eddy Merckx bike, you can configure and order the road or gravel bike directly via the website. You can choose the groupset, wheels, handlebars, colour and more. Finally, you can have the bike delivered to a bike shop of your choice. If you would like to see the Eddy Merckx bikes in real life, you can visit stand 609 at Velofollies this weekend. The Velofollies bicycle fair takes place from 19 to 21 January in Kortrijk (Belgium).
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
