Ever since Eddy Merckx Bikes was founded in 1980, the Corsa name has been the label for its top-quality steel frames. Now it has been applied to two new additions to this series, but this time using titanium tubes instead of the usual Columbus steel. The Corsa Pévèle Ti and Corsa Strasbourg Ti retain the same geometry as the existing models but introduce a titanium bike’s ride qualities.
All the Corsa frames are handcrafted in Italy now, as Merckx’s famous framebuilder, Johan Vranckx, has recently retired. He had originally learnt his craft with De Rosa in Italy. Whereas the current steel lineup of Corsa frames uses a mix of Columbus SL ‘Supper Leggera’ and Zona, the titanium versions use Columbus Hyperion tubing. This tubing is created from 3AL-2.5V titanium, which is renowned for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and good weldability. Both Ti models have bespoke 3D printed UDH dropouts to ensure modern drivetrain compatibility.
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The Corsa Pévèle Ti is the all-road model that’s designed to combine the strengths of a road and gravel bike into one. With a slightly lower bottom bracket than a traditional road bike, it is intended to give better stability and control thanks to a lower centre of gravity.
Eddy Merckx Bikes says the handling is kept lively and responsive with a shorter wheelbase than you’ll find on a gravel bike. You get space for 40mm tyres with a 1x setup, or 38mm with a double chainring setup. Mounting points for mudguards make this a useful four-season bike. Integrated dynamo cable routing is possible on both framesets, too.
You can buy the frame and fork together, or go for complete build options. The groupset can be road-focused using either Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or Ultegra Di2, SRAM Red or Force, or Campagnolo Super Record electronic components. Otherwise, builds using SRAM Red or Force XPLR, or Campagnolo Super Record X will focus the drivetrain to a more gravel-based setup.
The Corsa Strasbourg Ti model again follows the sister bike’s geometry. It is designed to have a lower centre of gravity to offer a composed ride and good control over the rough stuff. You get space for tyres up to 50mm, and the option to fit mudguards is still available. The Strasbourg Ti has multiple mounting points on both the frame and fork to allow different options for carrying bikepacking luggage.
As with the Pévèle, you can buy the frame and fork, or a complete bike. The Merckx configurator offers just 1x options using SRAM Red or Force XPLR, or Campagnolo Super Record X.
Both models come with Ceramicspeed SLT headset bearings and an Alpha T47 bottom bracket. These come with a lifetime warranty. The online Eddy Merckx configurator also gives the option to tailor the down tube and head tube logo colours, as well as the colour of the Wolf Tooth small parts used in the build. The brushed titanium finish remains central to all the designs.
Pieter Vanheeswijk from Merckx Bikes says, “The Corsa range is about true craftsmanship. The Corsa Ti models are made for riders who want one bike they can rely on for a lifetime, combining heritage, versatility, and modern performance.”
They look like worthy additions to the current three-model (steel) Corsa lineup.
Head over to www.eddymerckx.com for build options and prices.
10 thoughts on “Eddy Merckx Bikes expands Corsa range with two new titanium bikes”
OMG I WANT ONE!
OMG I WANT ONE!
Quote:
Rather reminds one of the great Dylan Moran in Black Books when asked the price of his merchandise, “Oh just take it for free, I can’t be arsed to find out.” An example of a price for at least one build might be useful?
The Corsa Strasbourg Ti is
The Corsa Strasbourg Ti is well into dream bike territory but the stack and reach look odd – on the 58cm the reach is 43cm which is very long for a gravel bike – the shortest stem is 10cm on top of that. Stack is also quite low at 59cm.
Why can’t bike companies make bikes that properly fit tall / old riders who don’t want a super slammed front end / a massive stack of spacers under a stem.
(edited – autocorrect changed “bikes” to “grass” – thanks for that!)
open_roads wrote:
Well, at least in the UK, it’s not generally legal yet.
Autocorrect at its finest /
Autocorrect at its finest / worst depending on your point of view ?
A quick check on the Merckx
A quick check on the Merckx site suggests these bikes don’t yet have announced prices, at least I couldn’t find them. I am not interested in titanium bikes… but they do look lovely. Mons-en-Pévèle is where I got wiped out by a car last April followed by a week in hospital in Lille. I probably shouldn’t get that frame.
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That’s odd. I logged on
Why not interested in Ti?
As I say, I’ll give you that
As I say, I’ll give you that titanium bikes can look lovely. But I think that as a material it places limits on frame design that carbon does not.
This is definitely a bit
This is definitely a bit picky (but if you’re spending that much on a bike, I think picky is excusable) but not a fan on the front end. The lines just doesn’t seem to flow nicely, particularly the headset/handlebar interface.
For similar money, you can get Ti bikes from brands with a longer history of working in Ti (Enigma, Van Nicholas etc.) that, IMHO, look nicer. Some brands will even do full custom sizing for a fairly modest fee.