In 1961 Eddy Merckx began his cycling career and over the following 17 years became a cycling legend. He is unquestionably the best cyclist ever; having won 5 Tours de France, 5 Giro d'Italia, 3 World Championships, 7 Milan-San Remos (a record unequalled to this day), and having beaten the World Hour Record - to name a few of his victories. In all he won 525 races, an all time record.
Eddy won his fist Tour in 1969: he won six stages, the General classification (yellow jersey), the points (green jersey) and the climbing classification (polka-dot jersey). If the white jersey (best under-25) had been around then, Merckx would have won that, too.
That is why they called him "The Cannibal”
The Eddy Merckx Company was established 30 years ago with a mission to produce the finest cycles in the world. Eddy is still at the heart of the company and his eye for detail and quality pushes the company to ever higher standards. He is an integral part of the design process and always tests each new model himself.
Eddy Merckx was and still is, fastidious about ride position and maintenance of his bikes. Not only would he test the patience of his mechanics before races, he would often stop in the middle of a race just to adjust his seatpost by a fraction of an inch - and still win the race - and it is this almost maniacal attention to the minutest detail that comes through in the development and construction of his bikes today.
As the name alludes to, the Merckx San Remo 76 is a tribute to Merckx's unbroken record of 7 victories in La Primavera : Milan San Remo. The San Remo 76 range celebrates this record and features a longer toptube and shorter headtube than the Mourenx 69 and combined with more compact seatstays and over-engineered bottom bracket, it is perfectly built for aggressive and fast riding.
With many manufacturers intent on making super-light bikes, it is refreshing to see a brand bucking the trend and focusing on ride and handling and not chasing the title of the lightest frame. Indeed, it was at Eddy's insistence that handling and performance were key goals when designing the San Remo as ultimately a more stable, stiff and better handling bike gives the rider confidence and this translates into speed. Ultralight bikes are often skitty to say the least and as a rider and racer, hesitance can cost time.
The San Remo range is made from Merckx's CL+300/400 OSR Carbon, the same as found in the Mourenx 69. Careful materials selection and application are essential to produce top end bikes and Merckx has introduced CL+ and OSR technologies derived from a deep understanding of different fibre properties and based upon very specific material selection. OSR or Optimised Structural Reinforcement is a process of augmenting particular areas of the frame to improve stiffness and strength while reducing weight and adding to the ride 'feel' and similar processes are adopted by other brands like Colnago for example. This optimisation is achieved by using a combination of High Modulus fibres - to reduce weight and increase stiffness - blended with high-strength fibres. The CL+ Carbon Laminate process developed by Merckx is a method of optimising the rigidity of the frame by laying the carbon sheets in specific orientations which in turn yields the best balance of stiffness, comfort and weight.
The San Remo 76 has already received critical acclaim and was rated as 'Exceptional' by Road.cc and it is understandable why. A good measure of a bike's ride and handling is in corners and it is noticeable how well the San Remo 76 performs: throw it into your favourite corner and you will find that you are out the other side as if nothing untoward was ever likely to happen. This confidence is a direct result of the stability of the Merckx bikes and the San Remo shows incredible poise and control while never feeling muted - it will push you to go faster. The San Remo is the same wherever you ride; hills, flat, undulating or descending and the performance is on tap regardless of speed; it is this consistency of ride that is truly remarkable.
We don't especially like to categorise bikes at 700 and the labeling of the San Remo as a 'race' bike should not be a deterrent if you do not intend to race. The San Remo is undoubtably a great race machine yet it is also exceptionally comfortable for a bike so stiff. If it fits you, then there is no good reason not to consider the San Remo 76 as a bike for club riding or fondos and sportives.
Designed with Merckx's 'Power under control' as a guiding philosophy the San Remo 76, like all Merckx bikes is built with stiffness, speed, stability and safety in harmony. Every Merckx bike has almost zero distortion in the frame even under the high loads delivered by the pros and this ultimately leads to optimal power transfer. However, in order to safely utilise this delivered power, the San Remo 76's geometry in combination with the use of carefully selected resins and carbon fibres, is optimised to give incredible stability to the bike, allowing the rider every confidence be it out of the saddle, cornering or descending, whatever the speed and it is this combination of stability and stiffness which yields Merckx's third 'S' - Speed. The marriage of these key elements yields a strong, rigid bike that is the best guarantee of a safe ride and to this end all Merckx frames come with a lifetime warranty.
This model is equipped with Shimano's 11 speed Ultegra groupset and offers sublime shifting and confident braking. Wheels are Fulcrums Racing 5 and although not the lightest they are very reliable and plenty stiff enough for the bike, they are shod with Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres. Finishing kit is the same as that found on all the models in the range: Deda Trentacinque bar and M35 Stem offer tremendous stiffness and precise handling and the deceptively comfortable Prologo Zero II is a saddle of some note.
The San Remo 76 is available in 5 sloping sizes from 46 (XS) - 56 (XXL) with a revised geometry for 2016 - a slightly shorter feel to the bikes enhances all-round fit for a broader audience. If you are unsure of which size best suits you then please email us - we're happy to guide you.