This is not the first Eddy Merckx 525 I have tested. Some years back I reviewed the EMX-525, which was similar in both look and name, but came equipped with rim brakes. But make no mistake, this isn’t merely the same bike with fancier paint and disc brakes.
‘The rear stays and the seat tube are based on the EMX-525, but the bike is totally new,’ says Eddy Merckx Cycles’ Thibaut Norga.
‘We went to the wind-tunnel with it and realised we could slim down the head tube and lose the cables, and we also shaved 190g off the frame.’
Lighter, faster… it’s all good news so far for the 525 (by the way, the name refers to the number of professional victories Eddy Merckx the man took in his career), especially the integration, which although no neater from the outside than any other bike of its type, works here to great effect.
The 525 is distinctly angular, so burying curvy cables and hoses inside the frame plays well to this aesthetic – if you like this aesthetic, because much like the Pinarello Dogma I tested recently, the 525’s looks are divisive. But there are – you guessed it – reasons.
‘The front is designed with aerodynamics in mind, the bottom bracket for stiffness and the seatstays’ shape adds comfort,’ says Norga.
Whether or not those tubes bend and flex in the way the kinks seem to suggest, I don’t know (I do know that other brands have tried this and since moved back to using straight tubes), but the 525 is actually a pretty comfortable perch.
Image 2 of 7
It helps that the front end is relatively tall – 174mm head tube for a medium with 566mm top tube – such that the natural position is quite relaxed, but beyond that I was struck at how smooth the bike felt in most situations, while simultaneously providing a kick as punchy as the beefy BB and chainstays would have you believe. Those tubes don’t lie.
Buy the Eddy Merckx 525 frameset from Wiggle here.
In this, the bike is very ‘Belgian’. It has the feel of a steamroller about it, which I’ve come to expect. The last EMX-525 had this quality too, as did a much earlier Eddy Merckx EMX-3 I owned many moons ago, which felt like it could both plough a Flanders field as well as lead one.
However, unlike those bikes, the 525 is markedly more refined, imbued with a sense of balance and control of its surroundings, while being blessed with a serious turn of pace.
Image 3 of 7
Why so fast?
The bike’s speed – or at least its aero ability – is most evident in a headwind, where pedalling feels a lot easier than on other bikes. I’d wager the big factor is the one-piece bars and lack of cabling, as too the wheels – the Fulcrum Winds being really rather good, and not a million miles away from sister brand Campagnolo’s superb Bora WTOs, albeit 100g heavier but almost a grand cheaper (top tip, upgrade hunters).
As such, the 525 sails around merrily and climbs admirably for a bike well over race weight. However, for all this the 525 gets good but not top class marks – there are better bikes to climb on and to sprint with.
Which brings me to the crash. While riding across town to our photo studio I was – not for the first time – having way too much fun cornering on the 525. It’s just brilliant at cornering, but on this occasion I wasn’t, and in my attempt to over-correct I ended up doing a forward flip over the bars.
Image 4 of 7
The 525 was fine, as was I, and it was only later when I opened my backpack in the studio and inadvertently poured oats all over the bemused receptionist’s desk did I realise that of all things a bag of porridge had broken my fall.
Buy the Eddy Merckx 525 frameset from Wiggle here.
What have we learned?
So there it is – buy the 525 Disc if you want a joyful bike to ride. Also if you like metallic blue (the paint here is great, which makes it a shame that sponsored team AG2R have painted theirs brown).
However, be aware that this bike will make you curse at least once, and that’s because I’m convinced the seatpost clamp is flawed. The paint makes it slip.
The moral of the story? Don’t paint seatpost wedges, period. Raw aluminium is fine, thanks. And also ride with at least one flapjack in your jersey pocket.
Alternatively…
Turn Japanese for big savings
Image 7 of 7
Campagnolo gruppos are things of beauty, but if you want to save more than a few quid and gain an electronic setup to boot, look no further than the Ultegra Di2 spec 525 Disc, which comes in at approx £7,000.
One for the weight weenies
Image 6 of 7
Keep the Campy but lose the weight, as the 525 also comes in rim brake guise, meaning this Super Record-equipped version weighs around 7.3kg and costs approximately £7,670.
Spec
| Frame | Eddy Merckx 525 Dis |
| Groupset | Campagnolo Super Record Disc |
| Brakes | Campagnolo Super Record Disc |
| Chainset | Campagnolo Super Record Disc |
| Cassette | Campagnolo Super Record Disc |
| Bars | Eddy Merckx 525 Integrated |
| Stem | Eddy Merckx 525 Integrated |
| Seatpost | 525 Aero |
| Saddle | Fizik Antares R5 |
| Wheels | Fulcrum Wind 400 DB, Vredestein Fortezza Senso Superiore 25mm tyres |
| Weight | 7.66kg (medium) |
| Contact | eddymerckx.com |
All reviews are fully independent and no payments have been made by companies featured in reviews
