Merlin dead again

[BroDeal]

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/whats-new/what-s-going-on-with-merlin-an-update.433.html

NAHBS seemed like the perfect place for our kickoff. It's a show that celebrates craft while simultaneously extending a big middle finger to the bike industry. There's an appealing lack of retailer politics and the tedium of distribution and market talk. Like nearly all the brands present at NAHBS, Merlin would put the customer first, not the bike shop.

We contacted the show about reserving booth space. But its reply was heartbreaking. Registration was limited to brands conforming to, among other things, these regulations:

"FRAME BUILDERS: PRIMARY DISPLAY BIKES ONLY (YOU BUILT THESE IN YOUR WORKSHOP).
No bicycles are permitted in any frame builder’s booth other than those built by the exhibitor, and if branded, bearing the exhibitor’s brand.
No sub-contracted bicycles are permitted. Not even those by a current-year NAHBS exhibitor."

Given the vast untapped capacity for titanium bike production in the US, we never gave a moment's thought to anything except subcontracting Merlin's production. Doing otherwise would be staring into the economic abyss.

So the original plan for buying Merlin, aside from the BS that CC was slinging when they bought the brand, was to market other makers' goods under the brand of Merlin because, you know, making your own sh!t would be staring into the abyss. Somebody should tell Moots before they fall in.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Interestingly enough, Merlin XLMs just popped up being dumped on Chainlove (part of Backcountry.com, who now owns CC) a few minutes ago.

 

[ElChingon]

Oh all the Ti builders have fallen or will fall very soon. I'm sure there will still be some niche Ti builders but the big names will disappear much like the fabled doodoo bird. I know you Ti lovers are falling off your chairs or bikes in reading that but the writing is on the wall or has been for some time, Ti is dead.

Yea, except those few of you who still have the same Ti bike you bought years ago and have no plans for buying a new one, hence the death of the builders.

 

[Boeing]

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/whats-new/what-s-going-on-with-merlin-an-update.433.html



So the original plan for buying Merlin, aside from the BS that CC was slinging when they bought the brand, was to market other makers' goods under the brand of Merlin because, you know, making your own sh!t would be staring into the abyss. Somebody should tell Moots before they fall in.

looks like that Tom Kellog frame in the garage has some value after all

was it ever established BTW that it was Tom who was responsible for the wish bone seat stay design?

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

looks like that Tom Kellog frame in the garage has some value after all

was it ever established BTW that it was Tom who was responsible for the wish bone seat stay design?

Nope. Wishbone seat stays were first created by Antonio Mondonico.

 

[Boeing]

Nope. Wishbone seat stays were first created by Antonio Mondonico.

i'd like to see a picture of that. found one nice weld to lug for seat tube and tt. did not know that for some reason.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

i'd like to see a picture of that. found one nice weld to lug for seat tube and tt. did not know that for some reason.

Columbus and Antonio worked very closely for something like two decades. The Mondonico shop was integral for the early days of plug in carbon rear ends too. I think he was also the first to mix materials.

Photo of an early Mondonico EL OS with wishbone stay.