PDXZach

Hello, Ive had this late 90's Tom Kellogg Merlin Ti frame for 20 years. the last 5 years its mainly been on the trainer using Zwift. I need some advise on what to do to make me want to ride this bike outside again. I recently purchased a Marin Fairfax 2 for commuting (its 4 miles round trip to work and flat) in Portland. But, ive been really into the larger tire/gravel bikes and need some advice.

Im willing to strip down to just the frame and start new but i do like the Spinergy's wheels.

1. can i put a fatter tire on these wheels? frame might not be designed for that or even 650b wheels? looks like i barely have room with theses breaks and front derailleur (see photos)

2. going single speed...how to determine the crankset for the bottom bracketshell.

3. id need to change the breaks as well

Another option is selling it and starting over fresh with a different frame but something about keeping this frame and even wheels makes sense to me. please teach me some wisdom or point me in the right direction. thanks!

PDXZach

handlebars flipped for upright riding on the trainer but id like straight or slight angled handlebars.

LarrySellerz

Absolute unit of a bike you got there. Nice handlebars.

PDXZach

LarrySellerz thanks. flipped bars to help lower risk of back pain. ive turned 40 and feel like im slowly falling apart.

KerryIrons

You're kidding, right? At 40 I was probably at my peak capabilities and that lasted for another 40 years. Obviously you may have some specific issues, but for most folks who are taking care of themselves (diet, exercise, stress, sleep) 40 isn't a significant milestone.

PDXZach

KerryIrons im mainly being sarcastic except for the occasional rare back spasm. you are over 80?

holytrousers

Look inwards !

70sSanO

The first step is to measure the tire clearance to the chainstays and brake calipers with your 700 wheels.

You will probably need to go to 650b and get long reach brakes, such as Tektro R559.

Since you have a quill stem, you can get a tall stem, or use a quill extension to threadless stem.

Get flat bar road shifters and flat bar brake levers. You might need to go to a mtb rear derailleur (9 speed or less), if you want a wide range cassette, and just run your road triple front derailleur.

Should be pretty simple conversion.

John

Retro Grouch 

My general advice for new riders is to ride any bike around for a while to see what they love and what they would change about it.

I suspect that same advice would apply to you. Ride to work and back on the bike that you have now and then decide on what, if anything, you'd like to do differently.

Lombard

I honestly don't see how flipping the bars like that helps get you more upright. I myself do everything I can to get more upright, but this setup just seems totally awkward. How to you brake and shift? From the photo, that looks like a quill stem in which case, can't you just raise it?

PDXZach

Hey, the bars were flipped on my trainer ( i may have not mentioned that) not for outside use of course as that would not function. I probably could raise the stem but again, im beyond that subject as it was flipped for indoor use, helped me not lean. honest probably the best shape of my life except for the occasional back spasms that dont put me down. cheers

skidder

What size are the current tires? You can ride just about anything as a commuter, it just depends on what you're comfortable with. Even if you currently have skinnier 'roadie' tires they might work for you.

Does the bike frame have braze-on attachment points for racks? That'll help if you've got stuff to carry and don't like carrying it in a backpack on your back. My commuter has a cheap rack on the back with a basket attached to it, I just put my stuff in the basket and put a bungee cord over it to keep it secure. (FWIW: I retired late last year, so no more commuting!).

You mention single speed set-up - just put the current bike in a front/rear gear combo you feel comfortable riding and try that for a while; if that doesn't work change it to something else for awhile; repeat as needed. Single speed set-ups are usually a compromise depending on whether you ride flat streets, hills, dirt/gravel, etc My SS is 52/16 and I ride it almost exclusively on flat roads, and it has front and rear brakes.

jaxgtr

I converted a drop bar bike I was using a commuter to a flat bar commuter 1x setup. It became a much more comfortable setup. There are lots of options you can do with that bike.

50PlusCycling

Bigger tires, flip the bars back, and raise the stem. Keep the gears. Use a backpack if you need to carry stuff.

Maelochs

Thsi makes sense to me.

You Want a single-speed, fat-tire commuter, but this might not be it. Do you also want this bike? Seems like a really nice machine.

Maybe get the Merlin working as it is, ride it, and see if it has any value to you. it might be a wonderful commuter, or just an enjoyable bike to ride. You might be glad you have it, as it is.

As you know already, it isn't going to take tires much wider than 28s .... and I don't see rack mounts. Depending on what you need to carry to commute, that could be an issue .... some folks are fine riding with knapsacks, and some folks don't need to carry much when the commute. Only you know all that.

Before you (figuratively) cut it up and try to remake it as something which might never work .... see what it actually is. if you already know, and it is not something you want ... sell it and let someone else enjoy, perhaps?

I will say this: That bike will Never be a good gravel bike. Sure, you can ride anything anywhere .... but 28mm max just isn't going to give you float enough over a wide enough variety of terrains which you could reasonably expect to encounter on a typical off-road ride. Most people I know who like gravel go 38 at least. Not saying you Cannot ... but pretty sure you would build a bike which then disappointed you.

Ballerinas can play basketball, or football .... but ....

I don't see you ever making that bike into what you say you want it to be. What you do with ti is up to you. maybe you will make it into a skinny-tire SS gravel king and love it. I am not trying to discourage you.

I do know, if a ballerina playing free safety tries to blitz and meets a 350-pound lineman, all the grace in the world isn't going to make that pretty.

Herzlos

Wait, you've already bought a flat bar commuter, so what is the end goal with this bike?

Given it's age you're going to struggle to modify it in any meaningful way without spending a huge sum of money. I'd be inclined to clean it up, put it back as close to stock as you can, sell it and buy a gravel bike instead. Realistically, road bikes only started to get decent tire clearance when disc brakes became common, so you'd need something under about 5 years old.

Calsun

More important to be able to stop quickly and not run into someone or something. I am 72 years old and have not need to have the handlebars flipped to ride. For flat city riding a straight bar might be easier to manage but then you need to change out the brake levers and possible the gear shift setup as well. Hardly worth it for 15 minutes of riding on your commute.

28mm to 30mm tires make for a softer ride and that depends on the current rims on the bike.

Maelochs

I think people are forgetting that he flipped the bars on a bike which was Exclusively Used on a Trainer.

Not sure how others do it, but i don't see a lot of need for braking when riding on a trainer.

The OP just wanted to sit upright while on the trainer. And since he probably didn't need to make a lot of rapid direction changes, taking on hand off the bars to shift ... well, we all remember reaching for downtube friction shifters ....... and we all survived.

I'd like to hear what happened to the guy and his Merlin ... but whatever. I am not in the market for another bike right now anyway, so ....