Retro steel MTB - any ideas?

[Fatmat]

Hello, trying to identify the maker, Ritchey dropouts, direct drive fork, beyond the serial number there's no markings. Seems like a quality frame, guessing it's probabaly impossible to know but worth asking

 

[Fatmat]

My best guess atm is a 97 Merlin with Ritchey logic prestige tubing, apart from the diamond rivnuts and canti cable guide between the seatstay it’s identical to Merlin’s I’ve seen. The front seat tube clamp with scalloped tubing, subtitle headtube characteristics, the dropouts, the top tube cable guides. Either that or maybe just a Ritchey frame?

 

[sam_white]

Is that the full frame number, or is there an extra digit hiding around the side of the shell?

 

[Fatmat]

Hi Sam, good shout, missed one! It’s YM97010221.

 

[sam_white]

I'll refer you to this thread: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/so-what-is-this-frame-name-and-shame-it.74638/
It was confirmed that @cannondale king had a Merlin, so likely that this is one too. Pretty sure the frame number in this case indicates a January 1997 build date.

 

[Fatmat]

Spot on! That looks literally identical, definitely 97, good work finding that I had a P7 a few years ago with the diamonds but yes, feels / looks more like a Merlin.