To whet everyone’s appetite for metal again, Eddy Merckx had AG2R-La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen roll down the Champs Elysees on one of their custom steel bikes during last weekend’s Tour de France finale.
However, in order to accommodate the rest of us mortals, the storied Belgian brand is offering a range of ready-made steel bikes to fit the budget of most cyclists.
The new range consists of the Strada and the Criterium for road, along with the Hageland gravel bike. And, while these bikes aren’t made in Belgium like the Merckx MYCORSA models, they offer an excellent value.
Both the Strada and the Criterium hark back to Merckx’s original models from the 1980’s.
The Strada features updated lightweight, oversized Columbus steel tubing, a carbon fork with a tapered steerer, an internal headset and traditional external cable routing, while the Criterium is aimed at more leisurely riding, relying on more affordable steel, a lugged crown fork with a straight 1 1/8″ steerer and an external headset, as well as braze-ons for fenders and a rear rack mount.
The Hageland is Merckx’s answer to the ever-burgeoning gravel segment, offering similar tubing as the Strada (but not from Columbus), an internal tapered headset, flat mount disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles and provisions for both front and rear fenders and a rack.
Geometry for the Strada and Hageland mirror Merckx’s range of carbon road bikes.
In the case of the Strada, it’s in keeping with the Stockeu69, albeit with slightly longer chainstays and a few extra mm’s of stack height, while the Hageland borrows from the Strasbourg71, but with a slightly longer reach and taller stack height as well.
The Strada is available in five sizes (48cm to 60cm) with either a Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset, or Campagnolo’s Potenza drivetrain, with a choice of a white or Molteni brown colorway for 2500€.
The Hageland is available in the same five sizes as the Strada, with a choice between either a SRAM Rival 1x groupset for 2500€, or with a traditional 2x Shimano Ultegra drivetrain for 3000€.
Both options are available in either Mist Gray or Prussian Blue.
At 900€, the Criterium is the most affordable of the range, which gets a Shimano Claris 2×8 groupset, along with an FSA crankset.
However, sizing is limited to just four, increasing the geometry slightly along each size in order to accommodate most riders with less manufacturing costs.
You can learn more about the new range of ready-made steel from Eddy Merckx by visiting the company’s website at MyCorsa.com/Ready-Made.
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