After buying Merlin Bikes in 2011, online retailer Competitive Cyclist shelved the brand while they were busy moving their headquarters out west and getting settled in.
Now, they’ve resuscitated the respected brand and introduced the Merlin Extralite road bike. Like before, they’re titanium, and they’re still being 100% made in the USA. And, they’re made of US-sourced titanium, too!
The frame has large diameter round 3/2.5 double butted ti tubes, a 44mm headtube for use with tapered forks and a PFBB30 bottom bracket. It’s available in seven sizes and retails for $3,500 with ENVE 2.0 fork, Chris King Inset 7 headset and Thomson seatpost collar. They’re available exclusively through Competitive Cyclist as a frameset or complete bikes with various builds, and word is they’ll have a mountain bike in April. Click through for another pic from NAHBS and the full press release…
PRESS RELEASE: Competitive Cyclist, online specialty retailer of road and mountain bikes, is proud to announce the official rebirth of Merlin handcrafted titanium road and mountain bikes. Competitive Cyclist put the legendary brand on a two year sabbatical after purchasing it in 2011. Since that time, Merlin has been rebuilt on its fundamental values, but the bikes have caught up with technological advances. Merlin got its second wind.
Competitive Cyclist bought Merlin with intent to revive the spirit of one of the greatest names in American bicycles. They never lost sight of the lusted-after bikes that Merlin produced in its founding years.
Thanks to the acquisition, Merlin bikes have been able to regain their legendary authenticity and craftsmanship, but they have been supercharged by innovation.
“Over the past two years, we have collaborated with countless industry insiders, former Merlin employees, and trusted experts, because we hoped to distill the essence of Merlin,” said Zach Spinhirne-Martin, a long-time member of the merchandising team at Competitive Cyclist. “I am proud to say that we have done what we set out to do. Today, as it was in its glory days, Merlin is a perfect blend of craftsmanship and cutting edge technology, which leads to incredible performance.”
Merlin Metalworks, as it was once called, first appeared in the bike scene in 1986 with a revolutionary titanium mountain bike frame. Within a year, Merlin was already receiving gushing reviews. In 1988, they debuted a titanium road frame. By 1989, it was the American-built frame that tech geeks salivated over. Icons such as Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong raced Merlin bikes during this era.
Merlin also stood out in the 90s because the bikes were designed, sourced, and built in the United States. Competitive Cyclist is proud to announce that Merlin bikes have upheld the tradition and are still 100% made in the USA.
Merlin bikes are timeless and cutting edge, and they are about to be turning heads and winning races once again. Enter the Merlin Extralight:
