I purchased my Merlin in 1993 and finally swapped out the old 8 Campy Chorus for new 12 speed. I love this bike. It carried me over 8000 miles since I dusted it off last February and started riding again after a long hiatus. I was fitted for the bike by Tom Kellog who consulted with Merlin. Long top tube seems well suited for me. Recently sat on a friend’s Linskey and felt squished. I’ve never straddled a modern carbon bike or ridden any other modern road bike so really can’t provide a reliable comparison. I just love climbing aboard the Merlin and going. And I think it looks great!
And why did I buy it? My only other bike was a Reynolds steel, custom, 5 speed with down tube shifters, designed with a higher bottom bracket for criteriums. I wanted shifters on the brakes, a slightly larger frame and was lured by the longevity titanium offered. Nearly 28 years and many miles later.....