Once A Hero
Old School Grand Master
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Yes another one 
Always admired these in my youth but could never afford one!
This particular Merlin was for sale on ebay.com and from the pictures I could see it seemed in fairly decent condition – so I took a punt, made an offer and did the deal. A pretty painless transaction in all fairness – apart from the £100 import duty a week or two after if arrived of course
The bike was supplied complete but with some parts that to me were obviously not best suited:
Stem (Bontrager 4130), saddle (WTB SSK), seatpost (Sakae – and the wrong size!), grips (OURY?), tyres (modern semi-slick), budget brake pads, ugly seat post qr, and countersunk bottle cage bolts(!). All had to go!
I thought I was going to have to change the bars too – but on very close inspection I could see the distant remains of Syncros stickers – and it turned out they were actually Syncros Ti bars which had also been installed upside down! A quick flip, and with the help of some new decals from gil_m they are the perfect fit!
I spent some time tracking down the parts I had in mind for it, looking for those in the best condition I could find/afford and that were as period correct as possible. Some NOS parts were sourced.
The result is a fairly ‘typical’ Merlin, but it turned out just as I wanted it to, and I can’t stop looking at it!
Now the bit that might bug some on here….
….this build was always destined to be hung in the house as a piece of art!
I don’t intend to let the NOS Smokes touch the dirt!
Thankfully we had a blank wall that needed ‘decorating’, and I have a very understanding girlfriend who OK’d this project (she was given multiple other bikes to choose from, like dolomite Attitudes etc, but this one got the vote. Suits me!). Found an ‘off the wall’ way of displaying it too…
Frame: 18" Merlin Titanium
Fork: Ritchey Logic
Headset: 1" Ritchey
Stem: Syncros, with noodle, 1" x 140mm - NOS
Stem Cap: N/A
Handlebar: Syncros Titanium
Grips: ODI Attack - NOS
Barends: N/A
Brakes: Shimano XTR M900
Brake Pads: Shimano XTR M900
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: Shimano
Brake Levers: Shimano XTR M900 STI
Shifters: Shimano XTR M900 STI
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR M900, 31.8dia Bottom Pull
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR M900
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano XTR M900 12-28T
Chain: Shimano
Cranks: Shimano XTR M900
Crank Bolts: Shimano XTR M900
Chainrings: Shimano XTR M900
Chainring bolts: Shimano XTR M900
Bottom Bracket: Press-Fit
Pedals: Shimano SPD M737 – NOS
Hub Skewers: Shimano XTR M900
Rims: Campagnolo Stheno, silver, 32H
Hubs: Shimano XTR M900, 32H
Nipples: ?
Spokes: Wheelsmith
Tyres: Panaracer Smoke Comp Lite, 1.9, Skin Wall F&R – NOS
Tubes: Specialized
Saddle: Flite Titanium (Modern re-issue)
Seatpost: Syncros 2nd Gen, 27.2mm
Seatpost Binder: Bolt
Weight: 22.2lbs / 10.07Kgs
Always admired these in my youth but could never afford one!
This particular Merlin was for sale on ebay.com and from the pictures I could see it seemed in fairly decent condition – so I took a punt, made an offer and did the deal. A pretty painless transaction in all fairness – apart from the £100 import duty a week or two after if arrived of course
The bike was supplied complete but with some parts that to me were obviously not best suited:
Stem (Bontrager 4130), saddle (WTB SSK), seatpost (Sakae – and the wrong size!), grips (OURY?), tyres (modern semi-slick), budget brake pads, ugly seat post qr, and countersunk bottle cage bolts(!). All had to go!
I thought I was going to have to change the bars too – but on very close inspection I could see the distant remains of Syncros stickers – and it turned out they were actually Syncros Ti bars which had also been installed upside down! A quick flip, and with the help of some new decals from gil_m they are the perfect fit!
I spent some time tracking down the parts I had in mind for it, looking for those in the best condition I could find/afford and that were as period correct as possible. Some NOS parts were sourced.
The result is a fairly ‘typical’ Merlin, but it turned out just as I wanted it to, and I can’t stop looking at it!
Now the bit that might bug some on here….
….this build was always destined to be hung in the house as a piece of art!
I don’t intend to let the NOS Smokes touch the dirt!
Thankfully we had a blank wall that needed ‘decorating’, and I have a very understanding girlfriend who OK’d this project (she was given multiple other bikes to choose from, like dolomite Attitudes etc, but this one got the vote. Suits me!). Found an ‘off the wall’ way of displaying it too…
Frame: 18" Merlin Titanium
Fork: Ritchey Logic
Headset: 1" Ritchey
Stem: Syncros, with noodle, 1" x 140mm - NOS
Stem Cap: N/A
Handlebar: Syncros Titanium
Grips: ODI Attack - NOS
Barends: N/A
Brakes: Shimano XTR M900
Brake Pads: Shimano XTR M900
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: Shimano
Brake Levers: Shimano XTR M900 STI
Shifters: Shimano XTR M900 STI
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR M900, 31.8dia Bottom Pull
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR M900
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano XTR M900 12-28T
Chain: Shimano
Cranks: Shimano XTR M900
Crank Bolts: Shimano XTR M900
Chainrings: Shimano XTR M900
Chainring bolts: Shimano XTR M900
Bottom Bracket: Press-Fit
Pedals: Shimano SPD M737 – NOS
Hub Skewers: Shimano XTR M900
Rims: Campagnolo Stheno, silver, 32H
Hubs: Shimano XTR M900, 32H
Nipples: ?
Spokes: Wheelsmith
Tyres: Panaracer Smoke Comp Lite, 1.9, Skin Wall F&R – NOS
Tubes: Specialized
Saddle: Flite Titanium (Modern re-issue)
Seatpost: Syncros 2nd Gen, 27.2mm
Seatpost Binder: Bolt
Weight: 22.2lbs / 10.07Kgs
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