Can anyone date this Merlin

[seabirch]

Hi
I traded in my fixie for this Merlin that the local secondhand bike shop had in. Its a beautiful bike to ride and is extremely light but I have no idea of the year, The handlebars are titanium and it has a very interesting stem. Deore and XT drivetrain, scott liteflite carbon forks and a sella rolls turbo saddle. I'm thinking because of the forks it may be early 90's





Jon

 

[cce]

I think the forks are a lot earlier than the rest, which seems to be mid-late 90s

 

[THE ARS]

With a quill?

You should take those stickers off, can't go around telling people you have a Merlin and show up with that chinese turd.

 

[cce]

With a quill?

You should take those stickers off, can't go around telling people you have a Merlin and show up with that chinese turd.

the thing is though - it IS a merlin.

Merlin cycles are a mail order outlet who brand up Taiwanese frames with their own name. They're still at it, which is more than can be said for my beloved Merlin Metalworks

 

[THE ARS]

Re:

The spirit lives on, my man.

 

[cherrybomb]

Re:

At least the "Chinese turd" has a chain.

 

[pete_mcc]

With a quill?

You should take those stickers off, can't go around telling people you have a Merlin and show up with that chinese turd.

You can't tell people you have a Merlin and then turn up with that load of American titanium:

(That said, I do own two sevens and a Merlin)

 

[xerxes]

Re:

the thing is though - it IS a merlin

And they're still going:

http://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt ... 65355.html

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... mit=Search

 

[gerryattrick]

Re:

There's a lot of brand snobbery in any biking forum and enthusiasts will always have their preferences, but IMO the most important point about a bike is the quality of the build and ride and Merlin usually deliver on both these counts.

Other retro bikes also do, of course, but there is a premium to be paid for their name.