Merlin Works CR 3/2.5.
Found on Craigslist for $550. Here's how I found her:
Beat up. Mostly some serious drivetrain issues, a seized seatpost, and heavy wheels. The frame? Almost perfect. Nothing removing stickers and some scotch pad couldn't clean up.
Other resuscitation work included new to me Ksyriums with Conti 4000s, a new Ultegra groupset, stem, bars and saddle (2/3 on hand from other projects), and a few other bits. The fork got a fresh coat of paint.
Here's how she turned out:
The build reflects a few of my quirks: I like a small frame (ex-mountain biker), high-ish stem, lots of silver and black, and a clean look with only a few logos or words.
It's often funny reading the comments on these Ti posts ("Rides so smooth, like a dream!"). Sure, she's nice on the road. But it's a little more subtle than that. She wants to carve a little more than the carbon Giant TCR Advanced she replaced, which was a lot twitchier. That carve kind of originates from the bb (a little flexy but manageable), up through the top tube. It was fun to re-learn leaning into turns on her, versus the ride she replaced. And yes, the Ti soaks up the beat up San Francisco roads well.
All in all, quite pleased with this BIFL ride.