NOS Merlin 1989

[Vinevo]

Very nice find well done, I like the slimed down and polished shifters and lightened rear mech, may have a play with some of my old scruffy parts for one of my projects in a similar way.

 

[Coleman]

Bloody hell that's nice!! Great find!

 

[newsboy]

These decals are identical to the decals on my -94 Merlin, including "Design by Rob Wandermark". I suspect that this frame was designed by Tom Kellog and should have black decals.
Does anyone know?

tom kellogg made the road geos. joe murray and later rob vandermark the mtb geos.

 

[newsboy]

...

 

[gingernuts/badger]

Holy crap!


Amazing collection of bits you've found there.
Good work.

We're the nos ringle things in the box too ??

 

[24pouces]

joe murray and later rob vandermark the mtb geos.

I agree : Rob Vandermark's frames got bigger tubes (for stiffer titanium frames) and developped the S stays and seatstays (but later, in 91).
So, it's a Jo Murray geometry with no signature on the stay.

black or white : I would prefer the black ones, but Newsboy got some very old MErlin with white decals…

You choose fine component for it. But no these low profile canti front brakes on this bike. The first triangular shimano BR M732 or the dia compe 986 would be better

 

[merlinfred]

Ok, I'll leave the white decals for now, but remove the Rob Vandermark signature. I actually got the head tube and seat tube decals in black. Miss the downtube "Merlin" and the top tube "Titanium".
The Dia Compe 987 came in the box, are they really too recent? I did put the SS 7 levers on my -94, think they were new release that year, maybe the 987 cantis to. I got two sets of Campa Record OR cantis, also not old enough I guess. Not long ago I scraped a set off the first gen low profile XT cantis, bad timing! I always found them ugly

 

[merlinfred]

If some of you wonder about the 8 speed cassettes on this bike, I got an explanation; the crafty first owner made a home made 8 speed setup with a Dura Ace hub, mix of XT and Dura Ace cassettes, new Ti axle some distance washer and the friction mode on the XT thumbies. It is all described in an Article in a Montain bike Action mag from -90. The magazine was included in the box. I think he must have bought the Tioga Ti cassette later. 8-speed for MTB came first in 93/94 on the first gen XTR, correct me if I' wrong.
I think I need to find a NOS 7-speed XT cassette to be able to enjoy the full potential of the thumbies.

 

[Vinevo]

Campag did 8 speed at the end of 91 I think and Shimano did 8 speed in 92.

 

[24pouces]

Yes, campy was the first to make 8 gears in the Centaur-Euclid groupo

The bike is 1989, and there were not a lot of mtb parts. 6 gears groupos (suntour 7000, shimano XT…) and the best alternative for your brakes would be 986 diacompe. The 987 with the low profile design are really too recent. Sorry. (But it's a detail )