1989 Swallow Merlin XT (Drum brake)

Rod_Saetan":6avtzs8r said:

longun":6avtzs8r said:

what are the brakes like??

Click to expand...

Awful. On/off, little modulation, would work better with 4 finger levers Im sure, but I dont like 4 finger levers.

Click to expand...

try new pads or giving the mechanisms a good clean.

Like I say, if you get bored of it, it would look great next to my...

They have been completely stripped and rebuilt, pads were in good condition, its mainly a leverage thing I think.

It is not, nor will it be for sale*






* I reserve the right to change my mind.

SLACK!

loving that

Thats a stoater! Whats the story then? Is it a Merlin shop frame? Whats the ride like with that offset? Pics are great too

I honestly dont know much about it. It is not from the Merlin 'mail-order' shop, but I believe a Merlin badged, Bob Jackson built custom frame. There are some similarities in terms of construction between this and another lugged/brazed BJB MTB I used to have, however BJB claim that the frame number is not one of theirs. Its pretty interesting in terms of how its put together, the full Columbus O.R tubeset, including fork, and obviously the fact it was built for the Sturmey Archer drum brakes, plus little features like the pump peg, the bottle cage bosses at the bottom of the DT near the BB. The geometry is also, as you can see, a little relaxed, it rides OK though, I have it set up for use to pootle along the canal with the good lady wife, hence the Crossroads II tyres, its pretty heavy too, despite the fairly good tubeset and full M730 build, the wheels weigh a ton, and I cannot recommend the Rando M4 rims for anyone who changes tyres or gets punctures a lot.

can somebody explain me why this bike called "merlin"? some describe from the owner would be helpful.

cheers

It has the faint outline of a sticker that says 'Merlin' on the down tube, pus all of the information above.

Rod_Saetan":3qqtakvh said:

It has the faint outline of a sticker that says 'Merlin' on the down tube, pus all of the information above.

Click to expand...

we posted in the same time, your explain and my question.

thanks a lot, nice bike

this was hidden from me, or i was asleep when it all happened.

Good score mate, how does it ride,?