Eddy Merckx Cycles has decided to launch a new high-end aluminum platform called Blockhaus 67 instead of offering a cheaper carbon frame - James Huang / Immediate Media
With a claimed frame weight of just 1,150g (medium, painted), the aluminium Blockhaus 67 frame can easily compete with cheaper composite chassis at least in terms of mass - James Huang / Immediate Media
Eddy Merckx builds the new Blockhaus 67 frame with triple butted, mechanically formed 6069 aluminium alloy tubing. It's a bit of a shame that this raw, brushed finish won't be offered, however - James Huang / Immediate Media
There's nary a round tube to be found on the new Eddy Merckx Blockhaus 67 frame. The seat tube, for example, is flared and ovalized at the bottom bracket shell - James Huang / Immediate Media
The seatstays sport a rather novel shape that the company claims improves ride quality. Perhaps more importantly, it sticks to the corporate design philosophy on the higher-end carbon frames - James Huang / Immediate Media
The asymmetrical chainstays are wide, tall, and squared off, suggesting a very rigid rear end - James Huang / Immediate Media
The internal cable routing looks to be quite well done although the system is limited to mechanical drivetrains only - James Huang / Immediate Media
Some might lament Eddy Merckx's decision to use a PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shell but it does allow for wider chainstay spacing. The PF86 format has also proven to be less prone to bearing issues than PF30 - James Huang / Immediate Media
Double-pass welds provide a relatively smooth look without grinding, which Eddy Merckx says can compromise the strength of ultra-thin tubes - James Huang / Immediate Media
The triple butted aluminium tubing is mechanically formed, which Eddy Merckx says allows for thinner tube walls - and thus, lower weights - than more conventional hydroforming - James Huang / Immediate Media
The internally routed derailleur cables look to be very easy to feed through the frame. The rear derailleur line is externally routed aft of the bottom bracket shell - James Huang / Immediate Media
All of Eddy Merckx's bikes are named after key victories in The Cannibal's illustrious career - James Huang / Immediate Media
All Eddy Merckx bikes use smooth headset caps, which provide a more finished appearance while hiding the conventional preload bolt underneath - James Huang / Immediate Media
The non-driveside dropout is relieved to shave a few grams. Every little bit counts, right? - James Huang / Immediate Media
Rather than develop a cheaper carbon frame to anchor the value-minded end of its lineup, Eddy Merckx has instead made the bold decision to unveil an all-new, high-end aluminium platform called Blockhaus 67. It’s light, supposedly rides quite well, and certainly offers better value than what you’d otherwise get with a carbon fiber frame.
The Blockhaus moniker derives from Merckx’s first Grand Tour stage victory at the Giro d’Italia in 1967, a mountaintop finish that he didn’t expect to win. Not surprisingly then, the new frame is admirably light with a claimed weight of just 1,150g for a medium painted sample thanks to triple butted 6069 aluminium alloy tubing, which the company says is as much as 30 percent stronger than standard 6061. According to Eddy Merckx, the mechanically formed tubes are also lighter than more conventionally hydroformed ones.
The asymmetrical chainstays are wide, tall, and squared off, suggesting a very rigid rear end: the asymmetrical chainstays are wide, tall, and squared off, suggesting a very rigid rear end
Virtually every tube on the new Eddy Merckx Blockhaus 67 is heavily shaped. Claimed frame weight is just 1,150g
Other features include double-pass welds for smooth-looking joints that don’t have to be ground, internal (mechanical only) cable routing, a tapered 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in integrated head tube, a flared and ovalized seat tube, uniquely twisted seatstays that supposedly enhance rider comfort, and a PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shell that allows the big asymmetrical chainstays to be pushed further apart. Going along with the new frame is a 350g all-carbon fork with a built-in crown race.
Double-pass welds provide a relatively smooth look without grinding, which eddy merckx says can compromise the strength of ultra-thin tubes: double-pass welds provide a relatively smooth look without grinding, which eddy merckx says can compromise the strength of ultra-thin tubes
Eddy Merckx says the Blockhaus 67's mechanically shaped 6069 aluminium tubes are lighter than hydroformed 6061 ones
The new Blockhaus 67 will be available starting in September with two complete build options: one with Shimano Tiagra for US$1,499 and a higher-end version with Shimano 105 for US$1,999. UK and Australian pricing is currently unknown.
James Huang is BikeRadar's former technical editor. After leaving BikeRadar in 2016, he worked at CyclingTips and Escape Collective. He now runs the Substack cycling publication N-1 Bikes.
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