Iconic Belgian brand returns with updated and new road and gravel models
Eddy Merckx Bikes has announced it will restart production after a three-year, pandemic-enforced hiatus in which the brand virtually vanished from view.
The 2024 range includes the existing 525 race bike, the updated Mendrisio endurance road bike, and all-new Strasbourg gravel bike and Pévèle all-road bike.
Eddy Merckx Bikes will also offer a custom-built option, the retro-inspired Corsa in titanium or steel.
Initially, the bikes will only be available in the UK and Europe.
2024 Eddy Merckx Bikes range
The brand, founded and named after the five-time Tour de France champion, says the bikes are designed and built in Belgium.
Eddy Merckx 525
The 525 is a UCI-approved, all-round race bike with aero tubing, an integrated cockpit and aggressive geometry.
Named after Merckx’s 525 career victories, the brand says the “fast and feisty” 525 is designed to be at home in the cobbled and windy Belgian classics.
The frame, including the distinctive S-shaped seatstays for seated comfort, is unchanged.
But now consumers will be able to buy a complete bike from €5,649 for a build with Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 and Forza Levanto db carbon wheels, or as a frameset for €3,499.
Eddy Merckx Mendrisio
The Mendrisio is named after the Swiss town where Merckx won his second world championship in 1971.
The “fast, performance-focused but comfortable” endurance road bike has a similar form factor to the 525’s drag-reducing profile, but its geometry is more relaxed.
It also uses a round seatpost instead of the aero-profiled one seen on the 525.
Like the 525, the Mendrisio is only available in carbon and starts from €2,699 for a build with 12-speed, mechanical Shimano 105 and Forza Norte db aluminium wheels. The frameset costs €1,999.
Eddy Merckx Pévèle
The Pévèle is a brand new all-road bike intended for long road rides and fast gravel rides, according to the brand.
Available in aluminium, steel or carbon form, the frame has clearance for up to 42mm-wide tyres and has multiple mount points for accessories. It’s also compatible with internal cable routing for dynamo lights.
Named after the Mons-en-Pévèle cobbled secteur from Paris-Roubaix, the Pévèle is available in aluminium, steel and carbon.
The alloy model starts the range at €1,828, while the steel version starts at €2,149. The carbon model is priced from €3,299.
Eddy Merckx Strasbourg
The Strasbourg is the brand’s new gravel bike and also comes in steel, alloy and carbon.
Made for “extremely challenging terrain”, the Strasbourg has a maximum tyre clearance of 45mm when set up with a 1x drivetrain and is compatible with suspension forks.
Strasbourg is where Merckx outsprinted great foe Roger de Vlaeminck on a dirt track to win a stage of the 1971 Tour de France.
However, this bike is more geared towards bikepacking than gravel racing.
The frame is dotted with mounting points for bikepacking bags. The brand claims its low centre of gravity provides stability on rough ground.
Available from €1,799 in aluminium or €2,149 in steel, prices start from €2,999 for the carbon version.
Eddy Merckx Corsa
The Corsa can be configured in road, all-road or gravel guises, in steel or titanium and in standard sizes, or custom fitted to you.
Despite its classic round tube shapes, Eddy Merckx Bikes says the Corsa’s tapered head tube makes it compatible with fully integrated cable routing, if desired.
The frameset can accommodate mechanical or electronic groupsets and has clearance for 30, 38 or 42mm-wide tyres in its road, all-road or gravel guises, according to the brand.
Prices for the non-custom frames start at €1,995 for steel and €3,490 for titanium. Custom pricing is available on enquiry.
What happened to Eddy Merckx bikes?
Eddy ‘The Cannibal’ Merckx sold his bike brand in 2008 and Belgian Cycling Factory, which owns Ridley, bought it in 2018.
The AG2R La Mondiale (now Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) WorldTour team rode Eddy Merckx bikes until the end of the 2020 WorldTour season. Back then, the team chose from a rim-brake and disc-brake 525 race bike.
Eddy Merckx Bikes ceased production at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, though, causing a lack of availability for consumers.
Its bikes didn’t disappear completely from the highest level, however.
Team Flanders – Baloise continued to ride Eddy Merckx models at UCI WorldTeam level and as wildcard entries to spring classics such as Paris-Roubaix.
During its wilderness years, Eddy Merckx Bikes says it updated and expanded its range for its 2024 return to mass production.