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dismantled the bike and cleaned up the frame:

and more here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eujnhnsgs0i8m59/AADfiBkRcvUb0_AJo30qUGYLa?dl=0
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I asked because I'm selling a Merckx frameset (F+F).
It's an early 59 cm (CT) Professional (1982 or 1983) made from Reynolds 531 tubing (serial number A9R F5504) with fully chromed original Merckx forks. Frame is in very good condition, no dings or dents or worse. Paint is still original and there are nearly no paint chips, just some minor rubbing on the toptube (caused by the outer brake cable). Chromed stays and forks are in superb condition, are still very shiny and have no rust spots.
I'm looking for 400 € (+ shipping). If you want, I can sell you a 100 mm Cinelli Eddy Merckx pantographed stem for another 50 €.
Will post pictures in a minute.
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Picked up the Professional today. Chances are high I'll have it resprayed as it's one of the poorest colour schemes Merckx ever produced. On the other hand: paint is in good condition and I'm always having difficulties giving bikes a new paint.
Shifters aren't Campa but those aren't very hard to find so that's not an issue. Most of the parts are SR (except for the headset that's a Hatta Swan)
Better photos will follow.

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Easy and quick dealing with @Scilly.Suffolk
Nice ITM stem for a fair price. Received it less than 3 days after we came to a deal.
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expensive droppers
Aha, that. Who needs droppers anyway? I bought this frame because I wanted a hardtail. :-)
I got a Ritchey P Team frame offered but the deal didn't go through (which I regretted as I liked the frame). Couple of days later I saw they were on sale at Wiggle so I ordered one per direct (paid 600 euro for the frame and that seemed a fair price to me).
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@swedeee what do you mean with
but can't justify the price with a 27.2mm post
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@staggy BTW, like that Alan you've got there. Looks a great groupset on it (early Athena or Chorus?)
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Thanks, me too. ;-)
Only problem is: the SR groupset on the pics is one I bought for an early Eddy Merckx Professional I'm restoring (see https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/273120/#comment12484992). The group is early eighties and I just find it difficult to put an era-incorrect group on this frame. I know that is actually crap because the bike was originally sold with an almost identical groupset on it (only the crankset was non fluted) but that's just me. It wouldn't feel "right" and sooner or later I would change it anyway.
Right now I have some other priorities (finishing my new -steel- mountainbike to ride next years Grand Raid Cristalp, finishing my 1982 Colnago Super, my 1999 Look KG 243 and my 1995 Gios, repainting the Merckx, a 1991 Panasonic PR6000,...) and no money anymore, so it will have to wait. But when we can participate in the Maratona, that Master will become first bike to finish.
Yeah, it's some kind of addictive, those old bikes...
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In fact you're pretty right, @JamesNQ, those are the things I dislike most too (but maybe I forgot because most of my bikes are post 1990 so have ergopower shifters...). The dt-shifted ones ride as good but indeed less comfy.
I have to confess that the bike I ride most, is my 1998 Master that I built up with Sram Force and lightweight parts.
Here's pics of the "modern classic" and the '86 Master ("under construction")


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I sold my Cannondale CAAD 10 and bought a steel frame instead (a 1998 Master). Don't want anything else but steel since. And that "old bikes" don't ride well is mostly because they don't fit you right and/or parts got bad maintenance. In the last 3 years I restored several steel bikes (from early eighties till late nineties) and when you got the framesize and stem length right, put new cables and lube some things, they ride as good as new bikes. You miss some gears, that's right but for non-competitive riding that's not an issue.
My friends and I subscribed for next years Maratona dles Dolomites and I promised them that when we get drawn, I will ride it with my '86 Colnago Master (because 1986 is the year the first Maratona took place). My personal best was 5 hr 55 minutes (140 km and 4200 m of climbing) on a sub 7 kilo bike but I think I won't be lots slower when riding the steel Master. I hope. ;-)
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Don't get me wrong, @juscos , it's a great bike! I would put another stem on it (straighter; I'm not a fan of "curved" stems) to give it an even more aggressive look.
Looks lots better with other tape. ;-)
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@JusCos change (or at least: lower) that stem too. And the bars. ;-)
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On the Willier or the Detto? From the Willier I would only keep the groupset. ;-)
Detto is a nice, classy bike but saddle position/angle, frame size and stem position are not balanced.