Strengths: Superb handling, great ride, a racing bike.
Weaknesses: Would like 2 of them.
Bottom Line:
My previous ride was a Merckx MXM carbon, and after riding a friend's Team SC I knew that Scandium was what I wanted.
Read the other reviews, because I will say the same thing: 1) It is stiff in the headtube and bottom bracket. You aren't going to be able to make this sucker flex when you pedal. 2) The handling because of the stiffer headtube is rock solid. Doing decents at 90Kph is nothing for this bike, and it feels as steady at 90 as it does at 30. 3) Its a relatively compliant ride, better than my carbon, definitely good considering the stiffness of the bike overall! 4) if you want light, get a freaking litespeed wall bike (thats a bike that you keep on the wall to look at, not ride). If you want a bike thats made to be ridden, this is the one I'd choose, regardless of the price.
Strengths: Every great ride characteristic avaiable. Stiff, responsive, but comfortable for all day.
Weaknesses: Shoddy workmanship and slightly on the heavy side
Bottom Line:
I had a serious lust isue with this bike in it's present and previous form as the Team SC. The ride characteristics were unlike any aluminum frame. Extremely responsive to any condition be it climbing, sprinting, technical descents. Super stiff where you need it and compliant where it's needed as well. The bottom bracket is really beefy and stiff to create this magic. The penalty is that it is on the heavy side compared to aluminum frames from Bianchi or Cannondale.
The problem arose in the headset cup. It was a manufacturing defect. The Record headset seemed to sit fine in it but it was off center. This is something you see on cheap bikes often and can be overlooked. But on a $2400.00 bike it is inexcusable. Furthermore the distributor gave me and the bike shop a hard time about the exchange and I had to pay extra shipping for it which the shop covered for me. Not Cool Gita. Really soured me on what would be an almost perfect ride.
Strengths: Light, stiff, comfortable, stable, pretty without being flashy.
Weaknesses: stiff, not flashy (It's all a matter of perspective).
Bottom Line:
Very efficient ride. It seems as if every ounce of energy that you put into each stroke is rewarded with crisp forward movement. Handling is very stable, yet it has race ready reactivity to steering input.
It does not seem to have the traditional Merckx century geometry. However, it is still rather comfortable and seems like a good all-day frame.
This bike is way stiff. It does not beat you up, or bounce you around a lot, but I would hardly refer to it as compliant. That said, it is still comfortable. However, all of the reviews that I've read about it being super comfortable are somewhat overstated. The geometry is comfortable, but the frame materials produce a stiff ride. The result, a damn good balance between performance oriented stiffness and comfort. But, it is in no way comparable to a lugged steel frame of old when it comes to comfort.
This bike seems to allow me to ride my regular routes one cog farther down the cluster than my old bike, and my averaged speed confirms this difference. Acceleration is good. It seems more like a bike that rewards wind up sprinting instead of snappy jumps. Jumping does not sap your energy or anything, but get the RPM's up and you're rewarded by this frame.
When I made the decision to purchase the frame I just could not get with the blue color in which it is offered in the states. Upon contacting cbike.com/Chicagoland Bicycles I inquired about a different paint scheme. For a $120 upcharge I ordered one of the many paint schemes available for this bike that are not typically advertised by the U.S. distributor (check out www.eddymerckx.be to view alternative paint schemes). Of course, this meant that I had to wait three months, but that just gave me time to concentrate on riding my fixed over the winter.
I’m happy with my purchase and the ride. I suspect that most people would also be happy with this frame. I’m 6’2”, 230 lbs. and the stiffness to comfort ratio seems right for me. I’m not certain if it would be too much for a rider of considerably smaller stature. But, smaller riders have more choices when it comes to frame materials and build characteristics. I’m sure that a smaller rider looking at a tig-welded scandium frame over other materials and build characteristics would be receptive to stiffness.
Strengths: World class compliant ride, laterally stiff, great graphics and paint, super light, great fork, fantastic welds
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Super bike! Pretty compliant ride thanks to the Scandium Flair tubing and "curvelinier" seatstays but VERY stiff out of the saddle. It feels like every ounce of energy you put into it comes back as forward motion. Handling is standard Eddy, easy to ride a nice sraight line and stable in the corners. I've had it up to almost 50 mph on a downhill and it was very stable. No shimmy at all, very solid. Incredible welds and finish work. Great paint (mine is Molteni orange and dark blue) with a nice thick clear coat. So, you have to ask yourself, do you need this bike? Well unless you are a top level pro you don't really need it. But, do want it? If you want a bike that's comfortable all day, super light and a rocket out of the saddle you bet you want this bike. And as a bonus when you go on a group ride you won't be on the same thing as 90% of everyone else.
Strengths: Well built
Good paint
Comfortable and hard in one
Revolutionar tubing (flare + rear stays bent)
Classic = timeless = cachet = style
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
Living in Meise, noblesse oblige, you have to ride a Merckx.
After having used a Merckx Alu Team for 4 years, some white powder (corrosion) started to leak out of the frame.
Went over to Merckx factory and got a replacement offer immediately : this is what quality and customer satisfaction is all about !! Super.
It was time to get rid of some cash, so I decided to go for the Premium.
Have been riding the bike for almost 6 months now (with a lumbal disc hernia !) : its light and strong, has a touch of softness when riding seated on cobblestone or other Flemish surfaces, is stiff when accelerating, climbing "en danseuse". Razor blade handleing in decents.
A perfect top notch all rounder.
The looks and paint job are still fairly classic but timeless and quality drips off (and I ride for fun so I don't need to be a riding PR-flashlight)
Bike Setup: Chorus + pedals
Merckx carbon seatpost
Deda Newton stem + handlebars
Open pro wheels (cobblestones)
Ksyrium SL wheel (climb)
Conti GP 3000, Vittoria Open Corsa KX
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