br0qn
Retro Guru
ya compliments all around!
The Ritchey fork looks pretty! I've seen some with Ritchey stamped dropouts and some forks labeled as Ritchey's that didn't have stamped dropouts. What gives?
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Reimagining a 1988 Merlin Mountain
- Thread starter pw_pw_la
- Start date
The Ritchey fork looks pretty! I've seen some with Ritchey stamped dropouts and some forks labeled as Ritchey's that didn't have stamped dropouts. What gives?
pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
So the next update is kind of a major one, and involves both @br0qn and @RetroRider_IT, in various capacities.
So, post Brodie and Bontrager, my plan has been to upsize all of my bikes eventually. That might take years, but ideally I'd be able to find someone who was looking for something smaller, while I was looking for something bigger. It already happened mid-build with the Bontrager, and is actually well on its way to happening with the Phoenix.
(More on that in the Phoenix thread, at some point. It's all very exciting!)
Anyway, as I said, this Merlin had everything I wanted, it was just a tad on the small side. The 19", or older 20" version would more than likely be ideal.
The plan was to build and ride it how it is, and then, as I'm collecting parts for the PC version, keep an eye out for a larger one.
But then @br0qn sent me a message to point out that Martin (Second Spin) had a pretty nice '88 for sale, in the larger size.
Now Martin's is older, which comes with a few quirks. The welds are more agricultural, the geometry a little more slack, and the details a little less refined. All of which are positives in a lot of ways!
I believe 1988 is the first full year of production, too? Or at least the first year I have seen a catalog for, as I know they were already selling frames in '87.
That makes Martin's even more interesting, I think.
Sure it would be a little less refined and a little more noodly, probably. But it would also be a little more unique, especially compared to my other bikes, as I don't currently have anything with a chainstay mounted U/RC brake. And most importantly: it would fit!
That said, it was really hard to let go of the one I had. Those little extra details are exactly what I'd always wanted in a Merlin, and I was sad to lose some of the more refined ones (goodbye sweet, sweet noodle!) But in the end the historical interest of an even earlier frame, combined with it being a better fit (I.E. commonsense) won-out, and after chatting with Martin a little, a deal was made to ship the '88 to Brooklyn.
Now, the only way that could happen is if I could find a buyer my 1989 first. But before I could even think about posting it up here, or anywhere else, Marco, who I've been chatting with regularly regarding this and other projects, informed me he already knew of the perfect buyer, someone who was looking for exactly this size...
Himself!
So the frame you guys have already seen will be on its way to Italy shortly, along with something else pretty special, and in the meanwhile, Martin's 1988 recently touched down safely in New York.
I'll have a few rough mock-ups of build direction to share soon, but for now here are the photos of the '88 that Martin originally posted to his Instagram:
Of course, 394 is another mystery serial that falls into that unknown gap according to Mombat and HERE. But Martin assures me '88 is accurate enough, and I've seen a few other late 200 and 300-serials of supposed 1988 vintage online, too.
Happy to hear an expert opinion on that tho, @newsboy?
So, post Brodie and Bontrager, my plan has been to upsize all of my bikes eventually. That might take years, but ideally I'd be able to find someone who was looking for something smaller, while I was looking for something bigger. It already happened mid-build with the Bontrager, and is actually well on its way to happening with the Phoenix.
(More on that in the Phoenix thread, at some point. It's all very exciting!)
Anyway, as I said, this Merlin had everything I wanted, it was just a tad on the small side. The 19", or older 20" version would more than likely be ideal.
The plan was to build and ride it how it is, and then, as I'm collecting parts for the PC version, keep an eye out for a larger one.
But then @br0qn sent me a message to point out that Martin (Second Spin) had a pretty nice '88 for sale, in the larger size.
Now Martin's is older, which comes with a few quirks. The welds are more agricultural, the geometry a little more slack, and the details a little less refined. All of which are positives in a lot of ways!
I believe 1988 is the first full year of production, too? Or at least the first year I have seen a catalog for, as I know they were already selling frames in '87.
That makes Martin's even more interesting, I think.
Sure it would be a little less refined and a little more noodly, probably. But it would also be a little more unique, especially compared to my other bikes, as I don't currently have anything with a chainstay mounted U/RC brake. And most importantly: it would fit!
That said, it was really hard to let go of the one I had. Those little extra details are exactly what I'd always wanted in a Merlin, and I was sad to lose some of the more refined ones (goodbye sweet, sweet noodle!) But in the end the historical interest of an even earlier frame, combined with it being a better fit (I.E. commonsense) won-out, and after chatting with Martin a little, a deal was made to ship the '88 to Brooklyn.
Now, the only way that could happen is if I could find a buyer my 1989 first. But before I could even think about posting it up here, or anywhere else, Marco, who I've been chatting with regularly regarding this and other projects, informed me he already knew of the perfect buyer, someone who was looking for exactly this size...
Himself!
So the frame you guys have already seen will be on its way to Italy shortly, along with something else pretty special, and in the meanwhile, Martin's 1988 recently touched down safely in New York.
I'll have a few rough mock-ups of build direction to share soon, but for now here are the photos of the '88 that Martin originally posted to his Instagram:
Happy to hear an expert opinion on that tho, @newsboy?
br0qn
Retro Guru
Looks sweet!
Me looking to trade my '91 down a size and I fear, unless by the grace of the MTB gods a miracle shall happen, I may have to say goodbye to my noodle as you did yours
Hope to see a build thread from @RetroRider_IT too.
Me looking to trade my '91 down a size and I fear, unless by the grace of the MTB gods a miracle shall happen, I may have to say goodbye to my noodle as you did yours
Hope to see a build thread from @RetroRider_IT too.
raidan73
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Excellent choice I'd say. Older is always better, and chainstay u-brakes are super 
, plus you shouldn't have those mud clogging issues in your neck of the woods
, plus you shouldn't have those mud clogging issues in your neck of the woods
pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
Excellent choice I'd say. Older is always better, and chainstay u-brakes are super
Ha, yeah, I've been wanting a chainstay u-braker for a while now too, so definitely looking forward to owning and trying one.
I know you're a big fan of them Adrian!
No wet mud to clog it up here, that's true. But definitely plenty of dirt, dust, and loose rocks...
That last one is the thing that really scares me, seeing as whatever ends up back there is bound to be fancy/pricey!
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pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
Right then, so there's sort of news, and sort of not with this one!
Parts have continued to be purchased and shipped to NY, and those still remaining I've been diligently trying to track down.
The first big shipment I sent to Brenden looked like this:
Which should give everyone a rough idea of the direction I'm going.
Like I said, it's not going to be period correct, but it is hopefully going to thoughtfully considered and still pretty classy/classic. Hopefully, with nothing too out of place!
Maybe even @newsboy will agree?
Now, not everything above will necessarily make its way onto the bike, as I have some alternative options that I'm considering, but I would imagine a fair few will end up making the final cut.
A few notes:
- The bars are from Full Metal Cycles in Marin, who recently produced a batch based on the original WTB ti bars. @wtb_rider talked about these recently in his/Adrian's Toad thread, and I concur! They're pretty much perfect. Great sweep and a perfect width, with a lovely Paragon Machine Works shim. Those of you who might want your own, I know he's working on a second batch now, which should be ready in a few weeks. Let me know if anyone needs any assistance in securing a set of those.
- The stem was a random eBay find, and is an unknown, chromed, fillet-brazed beauty! Here's how it looked with the bars while I was playing mock-ups at home before shipping everything out:
I actually love this stem, and the brazing/finishing on it is superb. I just wish I knew who or what it was!
Anyone got any ideas?
The custom fork I'll be pairing it with for the Nor'Easter is coming along nicely, and will actually have a similarly styled stem to go with it. That said, I do really love this beautiful chromed one, so there's a very good chance it will stay on the bike regardless. It was the original inspiration for the custom version, after all.
- The Cooks came from another random vintage contact out here, who sold me a couple of slightly worse-for-wear cranksets at a very good price. This one took some time and muscle to clean and polish up, but I'm pleased with the results. I think it'll look much better on this build than the black ones. I feel like a lot of people go pretty black-heavy on their Merlin builds, which is nice and all, but personally I like the contrast of the dull ti against the shinier silver and chrome components.
- Which is another reason I chose the polished Paul Tall & Handsome seatpost! I just really want a shiny, polished theme going on for this bike, regardless of whether it's the PC or Non-PC version.
- Then there's the original and classic Hite-Rite. I mean, it's an 80s bike! Late 80s, but still 80s. And it was about time I found myself an excuse to run a Hite-Rite!
- The well-worn but still nice Unicantor came on the cheap from a local swap here in LA. I've been looking for an affordable one of these forever, as I've always loved the look, so was thrilled to come up on this. I'm not sure how it will ride (especially over 50 miles a day!) but, if it's a giant pain in the literal arse, I already have a back-up ordered and on its way to NY.
- An original WTB cable hanger will be needed, because of course I'm running canti's up front. I might be making some modern concessions, but I'm not about to stick something crazy like a V-brake on a frame like this!
Anyway, the rest I'm sure you guys can ID and figure out for yourselves.
Brenden, the sweetheart, wasted little time getting me a mockup of how a few things looked on the frame:
And I'm pleased to say I'm not exactly mad about any of them!
The MRC Powerlink fits just fine beneath the chainstays, which was of some concern originally (although it may not stay), and I like the polished Cooks with the black spider along with the Paul post and Unicantor. The headset won't be staying, either. In fact, it's already been replaced with a nice shiny Chris King No Logo Nothreadset. Well, actually it was a Gripnut originally (so I can use it on the period correct build later), but I purchased the threadless adapter kit from Chris King, as the forks will come with a threadless steerer to work with the above stem.
More on those forks, and the rest of cockpit, when they finally arrive.
Parts have continued to be purchased and shipped to NY, and those still remaining I've been diligently trying to track down.
The first big shipment I sent to Brenden looked like this:
Which should give everyone a rough idea of the direction I'm going.
Like I said, it's not going to be period correct, but it is hopefully going to thoughtfully considered and still pretty classy/classic. Hopefully, with nothing too out of place!
Maybe even @newsboy will agree?
Now, not everything above will necessarily make its way onto the bike, as I have some alternative options that I'm considering, but I would imagine a fair few will end up making the final cut.
A few notes:
- The bars are from Full Metal Cycles in Marin, who recently produced a batch based on the original WTB ti bars. @wtb_rider talked about these recently in his/Adrian's Toad thread, and I concur! They're pretty much perfect. Great sweep and a perfect width, with a lovely Paragon Machine Works shim. Those of you who might want your own, I know he's working on a second batch now, which should be ready in a few weeks. Let me know if anyone needs any assistance in securing a set of those.
- The stem was a random eBay find, and is an unknown, chromed, fillet-brazed beauty! Here's how it looked with the bars while I was playing mock-ups at home before shipping everything out:
I actually love this stem, and the brazing/finishing on it is superb. I just wish I knew who or what it was!
Anyone got any ideas?
The custom fork I'll be pairing it with for the Nor'Easter is coming along nicely, and will actually have a similarly styled stem to go with it. That said, I do really love this beautiful chromed one, so there's a very good chance it will stay on the bike regardless. It was the original inspiration for the custom version, after all.
- The Cooks came from another random vintage contact out here, who sold me a couple of slightly worse-for-wear cranksets at a very good price. This one took some time and muscle to clean and polish up, but I'm pleased with the results. I think it'll look much better on this build than the black ones. I feel like a lot of people go pretty black-heavy on their Merlin builds, which is nice and all, but personally I like the contrast of the dull ti against the shinier silver and chrome components.
- Which is another reason I chose the polished Paul Tall & Handsome seatpost! I just really want a shiny, polished theme going on for this bike, regardless of whether it's the PC or Non-PC version.
- Then there's the original and classic Hite-Rite. I mean, it's an 80s bike! Late 80s, but still 80s. And it was about time I found myself an excuse to run a Hite-Rite!
- The well-worn but still nice Unicantor came on the cheap from a local swap here in LA. I've been looking for an affordable one of these forever, as I've always loved the look, so was thrilled to come up on this. I'm not sure how it will ride (especially over 50 miles a day!) but, if it's a giant pain in the literal arse, I already have a back-up ordered and on its way to NY.
- An original WTB cable hanger will be needed, because of course I'm running canti's up front. I might be making some modern concessions, but I'm not about to stick something crazy like a V-brake on a frame like this!
Anyway, the rest I'm sure you guys can ID and figure out for yourselves.
Brenden, the sweetheart, wasted little time getting me a mockup of how a few things looked on the frame:
And I'm pleased to say I'm not exactly mad about any of them!
The MRC Powerlink fits just fine beneath the chainstays, which was of some concern originally (although it may not stay), and I like the polished Cooks with the black spider along with the Paul post and Unicantor. The headset won't be staying, either. In fact, it's already been replaced with a nice shiny Chris King No Logo Nothreadset. Well, actually it was a Gripnut originally (so I can use it on the period correct build later), but I purchased the threadless adapter kit from Chris King, as the forks will come with a threadless steerer to work with the above stem.
More on those forks, and the rest of cockpit, when they finally arrive.
Last edited:
raidan73
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Some choice parts there mate. The stem has similar styling to the Velo Orange ones. I've seen a few around like that on eBay, or maybe that same one several times!
pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
Ha, could well be!
Velo Orange would be a good shout actually... I'll do some digging.
br0qn
Retro Guru
That board is full of juice! Hope the rest turns up soon so we can see it built.
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Prodigal Son
Senior Retro Guru
Friend of mine swears by Merlin as the best mtbs he ever rode. He knows his bikes.
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