Merlin Prestige 1997 project thread

[pwebb]

Bought this from a very affable man in London - thanks Frankie - you are a real gent.
a little pockmarked and in need of some TLC but no corrosion and a good basis for a build.




I recovered the cost of this one in Avanti refunds last week as both trains were delayed ( what a surprise!)

Now re-patriated 'oop north' where this one originated ( Ormskirk originally though Merlin moved to Chorley since)

2 hours spent removing old stickers and gronk - and a lot of paint restorer and t-cut later....

...

this one may be a while , I have a donor for some of the parts and a goodly supply of 90s groupsets but will try to get this one to reflect the careful choice of quality components that Merlin were renowned for back in the day ....

 

[mattbrown]

I have a slightly earlier version of that frame

 

[pwebb]

I have a slightly earlier version of that frameView attachment 911130

I rather like that font they used then, it has a sort of heraldic look and fits the merlin name better imho

 

[pwebb]

1997 original specs and price from MBR ad on this forum


Given the nicely preserved frame cleaned up so well , I decided to build this one with all used parts and 3x7 drivetrain despite the weight disadvantage - it will keep the cost right down too which is always good and although it means a lot of metal polish and toil a little patina is sometimes very welcome

 

[pwebb]

found this recently in my parts hoard so that fixed 2 dilemmas - namely what kind of stem and how to hang the front canti cable.

 

[pwebb]

Parts list for this build - mostly from my own bin of items removed from donor bikes , but also some finds from the charity bike shop in Chorlton and some ebay snipes.

Original - Frameset, STX 1 1/8 headset (serviced, greased and re-sealed)
Replaced:
'2000s Deore LX Crankset, Shifters, Brake levers, Cantis
'90s Tioga T Bone Avenger (Tange Prestige) stem, Shogun seat post clamp, 27.2 seatpost
'2000s Deore XT skewers, Front and Rear Mechs, flat Bar
'80s Deore small flange hubs with Mavic Oxygen wide rims - 7 speed freehub body
'Modern' - new sealed bearing Neco square taper BB, Folding Schwalbe 26x 2.2 tyres, Selle Italia Saddle, 7/8 speed nickel chain, Sunshine freewheel, Canti cable hangers, cables. Pedals

initial build went problem free though the cable outers were a p.i.t.a.

 

[pwebb]

I didn't think it was ever going to stop raining last 48 hours but managed to do a brief shakedown ride today and get shifting/braking etc working despite icy roads giving me a bit of a scare

 

[pwebb]

happy with the result - obviously scope to save some weight and replace the cheaper components on this one, but another English classic bike from my formative years back on the road and fit for another 30 years