Never rode one of those Merlins. A trusted friend (fat city fiend) says it´s the best riding 26in ever. As for rigid forks, was the bike made for a RS mag 21 or non suspension? Axl to crown distance can play tricks on it´s handling. If that´s no concern i would mention Koski: something different, highly praised and not very common. Not overly expensive as well. Original spec on Ibis customs.
