I'd buy one if I were looking to buy a new bike but I'm not. At 66 I'll be happy with what I have as long as I can keep riding. If I were younger I'd look at the Roubaix as an option for sure.

Better late than never with the reply. I haven't been on the forums much lately.

By the looks of the tubing, I'd think it is an aluminum frame. I love that bigger diameter tubing giving it a beefier, more substantial look. Also the classic geometry is just right, no sloping top tube which I don't like on bikes.

Is that a chrome or buffed polished finish of the stainless steel? I suppose the chrome is way more durable than the usual paint finish?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a2fc1dd51.jpeg
Hey, i am 82 and used my age as an excuse to buy a Vado SL 5.0 early last September. Yesterday I passed the 1500 mile mark 😎

At the risk of being an enabler, I encourage OP to get a new bike at 70 years old.
And not just because his current bike is 28 years old, although that's all the rationale it should take: good god man, modern bikes are so different from your Merlin (I'm not going to say they're "better" but a compelling argument could be made) that for the experience alone it'd be worth it.

Hell, when I hit 70 (if I don't get another bike between now and then) my oldest bike will only be ~20 years old, but you can be damned sure I'll still be thinking about N+1!

Stainless steel
By the way, the Merlin is a spectacular ride. Yes, this Tommassini is stiffer, lighter by 4 pounds and has better forks and wheels, accommodates wider tires....but that Merlin holds its own.

Well when I reach 82 like yrreg in the above post an e-bike is certainly something I would consider.

Not 70 but I just turned 60 yesterday and today I rode my new Marin gravel bike conversion I built last year. I call it my "covid cruiser" since my wife was receiving the extra $600/month in unemployment which financed much of the project. I'm hoping it's "new tech" enough so I don't have to upgrade it in another ten years.

Anyway my newest bike project is a '50's-era Raleigh Sports I'm hoping to modernize to make it more ridable while keeping it a 3-speed and true to it's vintage vibe (probably with drum brakes rather than disc). I consider a bike like this a timeless classic that never goes out of style and I can still ride it when I'm old and feeble.

I'm 75, was riding Italian race bikes (Gios, etc.) back in the eighties, then bought a mountain bike thirty years ago and just rode it. Finally got the urge to ride the street again, and 6 years ago bought a Bike Nashbar Al1, which was a pretty good bike for the money. Alu frame mostly Sora components. Naturally it now has carbon wheels an mostly Ultegra. Like putting lipstick on a cow.

Last year I bought a Trek Cronos, a carbon fiber gravel/cyclocross bike. I love that thing, and it's super fun to ride.

Have some fun.

When in doubt, always buy the bike. You'll love it.

TIG welded stainless steel. Columbus XCr I believe. That is very high end and expensive tubing.