tuxbailey

hmmm....

https://reviews.roadbikereview.com/co...lin-metalworks

Psimet2001 

Interesting. I personally think it looks like a cool deal. Assuming that CC didn't take on too much goodwill in the deal then they should be able to make it work - if anyone can. I wish them luck!

guadzilla

I wonder what they're thinking. Whoever runs CC has a pretty good business head on them, as they have a very unique business model - and one that is obviously very successful.

But becoming a "manufacturer" (even if the manufacture is outsourced) AND a retail channel is a bit of an unusual mix. I wonder if they'll only do Merlin Ti, to prevent perceived conflict of interest with other brands?

Psimet2001 

They lost Cervelo. If you look at Colorado Cyclist they have been doing the Merlin thing for a while - along with their house brands which may have just been Merlins as well. This is probably a move to compete directly with that specific market and remove the competitive edge from Colorado in that regard.

tuxbailey

Maybe they will do more Ti/CF type like the Cielo...? After all, CF is the ticket for retailers nowadays.

tuxbailey

Lets hope this doesn't end up as another BD Motocebane imitation, not that there is anything wrong with with the BD bike.

sbxx1985 

I haven't seen Merlin at Colorado Cyclist for a couple years. I know they sold Douglas ti frames, but I don't think they've done that recently either. I remember Excel carried Merlin a while back.

Quel

They bought it? Wow.

They just became a Litespeed distributor recently, so I guess I didn't see that coming.

Psimet2001 

Could be....I have fallen off of receiving those catalogs and/or keeping an eye on them.

merlinextraligh

Merlin, the new Douglas.

ABG drove a once proud brand into the ground.

Carbon Unit

I have always wanted a Merlin Cyrene but I haven't been able to find one in my size. Maybe Cyrene's will be produced again.

ilovecycling

Thought you guys were talking about Competitive Cyclist at first.

NathanC

??

SushiJoe

We are.

eric01

Headline is "Competitive Cyclist Buys Merlin Metalworks". NOT Colorado Cyclist.

Colorado Cyclist and Excel Sports (also based on Colorado) used to carry Litespeed and Merlin respectively -- ironically, didn't Litespeed and Merlin both get ****led up by ABG? They also had their housebrands of Douglas and Macalu which were manufactured by Litespeed & Merlin...

ANYHOW... I really hope Competitive Cyclist does the brand justice and keeps it titanium. If they wanted a me-too carbon bike why not just slap their name on any number of generic asian frames.

tuxbailey

+1

Hopefully they will make Merlin cool and desirable by most again.

StanSeven

Funny but I starte dout a few years ago thinking the Cielo combo Ti/CF was what I wanted. Test rides on the Cielo, Seven and Serotta equivalent made me think the combo brought out the worse in both materials. I went with a straight Ti bike.

max power

any story behind this? i remember they used to carry a couple brands i was into in the past but i've forgotten which ones

guadzilla

I asked on the CC Facebook page - non-commital response, basically stating that they'll maintain the heritage of the brand. If anything, probably better that CC runs Merlin than ABG, no?

Why purchase, I wonder? There rarely is a point to just acquiring a company unless you, as the new owner, think you can do something better. So I dont know if they'll just continue to sell Merlin or if they have some more innovative plans for it. As I said earlier, I respect the guy who's running that business - he's got a very sound business head on him. So purely out of professional curiosity, I'd like to see how they approach this.

V.

VT Biker

I worry this is going to become an Asian made Ti options. If you look at Ti, they are mostly domestically built bikes with a high cost. Move production overseas, add the heritage of the name badge, and add CC's distribution and customer goodwill...and they may be able to become essentially Habanero with more exposure with the general public.

Will this sell? I do not know. Merlin has (except for 1 - 2 years when they tried to built race oriented bikes in 2006/2007 with the Works bikes), has seemed to morph into a club bike. Ti has been kind of passed over by the race crowd. So if they try to sell to the older, recreational rider, I have a feeling Merlins made overseas is not going to work.

Also - and this has not come out from the story...how much $$$$ was paid? It could be the cost was so low for CC, and for ABG, they either were going to kill the brand or try to sell it off, and by selling it off, they get some cash versus trashing the entire brand.

RacerOne

If there's nothing wrong with the BD bike, which is their main product, why would we hope it doesn't end up like that?

guadzilla

As Racer1 said, why is that a bad thing? That makes high-end Ti affordable to more people. And generally speaking, that always works. Especially in the context of a global economy.

Country of manufacture means nothing to me, and at the risk of going into a much-debated area, it shouldnt matter to you either (IMO): I can bet that overall, at some point, the greater volume of bikes sold by CC than the previous incarnation of Merlin, even if made in Asia, will probably contribute more to the US economy/jobs. And if it is just the pride-of-ownership thing, there are plenty of other places where you can still get a handmade-in-the-US frame.

Another 30 days before I get my Lynskey.... grrr.

BetweenRides

ABG had already killed Merlin as a brand, that was announced some time ago that they would no longer manufacture. Visits to their site recently had only one bike - an MTB that was probably overstock. The sight now reads "Rebirth under way". Tom Kellogg himself lamented the death of the brand over at velocipede salon.

As an owner of a Cyrene (Built when Merlin was still recognized as a great brand and before ABG trashed it), I think this is great news. I have a lot of respect for Competitive Cyclist and their business model. I suspect however, that manufacture of Merlin will still be done by ABG in the same facility, similar to the arrangement Spectrum had for many years. That might change over time.

tuxbailey

Because of the name and heritage of the Merlin brand. Like merlinextralight said above, it would be sad to see this once elite brand to become just a badge. I mean, I would have bought Moto, or Habanero as they were on my shopping list before I found the Merlin in CL.

It is different if CC is only buying right to use the name and their plan doesn't include the welders of Merlin Metal Works.

Perhaps that is why Spectrum is having their Ti bikes built by Seven now.

Fleabiscuit

I really hope CC brings Merlin back to the glory of the original Merlin with real, high quality, race-worthy bikes, not some Asian-made sweat shop produced crap that is unfortunately too common these days. Does the world really need another knock-off made in China/Taiwan POS? CC is a good company and I expect them to put out an excellent product.

Overall, this is good news for any Merlin fans...I think.