Clarification Needed On A New Purchase! Eddy Merckx Titanium

[David B]

What are the marks along the length of the tubes, seen in the seat cluster photo? I thought at first they were scratches but in a close look it appears they are deliberate and in a pattern.

A long shot, but possibly the remnants of weld lines if seamed rather than seamless tubing was employed.

David

 

[one-eyed_jim]

It's certainly not a Merckx. A Merckx would have an Italian bottom bracket, "em" stamped dropouts, and would have neither that brake cable routing nor that seat cluster.

My guess is that it's a product of XACD (Xi'An Changda) in China. XACD build for many "microbrands" (e.g. Habanero) but will also build from a customer's own design. They often build segmented, capped titanium forks. Their welds are neater than that these days, but perhaps it's an older one.

 

[dancingjack]

Thank you guys!

I just brought the frame back and got back my money.

There were way too many things on the frame which raised my suspicion so I really had to bring it back. Lesson not to rush into a purchase!