Bob,
Your bike is newer that the other bike, if I'm not mistaken. Don't know the ages exactly, but I'm reasonably sure the flat crown is before the more aero version rounded one.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
I just got an Eddy Merckx frame that was purported to be a first year frame, 1980, from Carsten Rehbein. Then I had a customer bring in a frame which seems like it should have been made earlier. They both have similar earlier style decals, brake cable guides on top of the top tube, are made with SL tubing, and have the same bb shell, but there are some differences. Mine has the rounded sloping crown with the em logo that looks like a bicycle, seat stay caps with the same logo, cable guides under the bb, and crimped stay and fork ends. His has the flat De Rosa style crown with Eddy Merckx spelled out like the decal, seat stay caps with his signature, cable guides brazed on top of the bb, and brazed and filed stay and fork ends, and in addition he has a number plate braze-on under his top tube. The lugs are slightly different too. The seat lug on mine has a bigger space between the ears of the seat post clamp. Anyone know the ages of these two frames, or know Eddy Merckx serial numbers? Or are they just different models?
Thanks
Bob Freeman
Seattle