CRC or Merlin for custom wheel builds

Heard quite a lot of good reports about Merlin’s hand built wheels, but CRC have some good prices as well.

Any experience?

Merlin where hand built means hand built and fast ish turnaroun 5-10 days.
Not next week though they are busy doing mine!!!

ive had a set of each….. no troubles with either… both quick and well built

CRC’s hand built wheels are machine built.

My CRC wheels are still fine after a couple of years of use

Might have just been unlucky but my Merlin wheel (XT hub on 719 rim) lost tension in the spokes after a few rides which was a bit disappointing.

Have bought two sets off each in the past & both have been good,but if I’m being honest I’d have to say CRC have stayed the most true…..

CRC – rear xt on 321 rim. Mate had it for about 2 months now. Dead straight and spins nicely and he uses it daily for commuting as well as some xc.

Have a look at LifeCycles – I’ve had 3 sets over the years, and they’re all still going strong. Bigger range of rims as well (Syncros, Spank etc as well as the usual DT and Mavic). Not that there’s owt wrong with Merlin, but these guys are good.

my crc wheel was ordered tuesday night was delivered friday morning very impressed with it.

merlin are very good.
and i test em to the max….

I’ve had both and the CRC was built fine and the choice was good bu the Merlin build was better. If Merlin have what you want then I’d go with them.

Ive had my CRC custom built wheels for over a year now and still running true, mind you I did brake a spoke on the rear a couple of months ago, Carol at Bike Love sorted that out for me. Ive just ordered another set from CRC cant wait to get them.

I would have liked to try Merlin but they did’nt have the rims I was Looking for.

had wheels from both,but the spokes came loose on the wheels from crc after 6 months. merlin all day long.

Have 4 sets of Merlin wheels…all straight and true after lots of use.
Maybe Merlin should advertise “Tested by Ton” … it would make me buy em!

Can’t comment on CRC, might be just as good, but I have never had any.

Merlin , Merlin, Merlin…..I’m a big guy 18 stone hope pro2 hubs, ex721 rims, 18 months of xc use 2 or 3 times a week and I’m a rough rider tend to bash through / over stuff and they are still dead straight……..great…

merlin; my first set of merlin wheels went in the bin as the frame snapped and i had no need for them (ten years of trials, commuting and singlespeeding)

I notice this thread is 9 months old, i was wondering what the general consensus was on this subject? Do i go with merlins and pay £282 for Mavic 719's DT comp spokes with Hope pro 2 hubs or CRC £252.
It seems to me that merlin build better wheels from the comments on the forums?
I would rather pay for a decent build then worry about £30, although i might email merlins and see if they can match the price.
The may say no as we hand build and do not machine build??

Cheers

i have literally, never touched my CRC built wheels for nearly, 3 years

I've had a pair from each, with the last ones been 24" from CRC that took a month…, but if I was buying 26" I'd now just get a pair of Hope Hoops.

all good mechanics know how to build good wheels… go with the best price… you can break any wheel set though, doesnt matter how good they are…
My merlins are good though

I've got a hope pro 2 with DT4.2 rear built by Merlin and a hope hoops front in the same combination (bought off CRC). The hope hopps is far better for trueness and hasn't lost tension like the Merlin build. Not sure if Hope Hoops are hand built or not, but IMO far superior to the merlin build.

Never used CRC, but the one pair I bought from Merlin were equally, if not better, built than those I bought from Wheelpro.

merlin are defo hand made, i know cos my mate does them at his home

£30 will pay for a check and true in a few months, I'd go CRC

Ive had a set of each, Both well built, but one of the wheels from merlin did need the spokes tweaking after a few rides, the CRC wheels have been maintenance free. If you want them quick, go with CRC as merlin can drag there heals in my experiance.

Still suggest Lifecycles[/url] – I think it's £267 for the 719 / Hope Pro II / DT comp there – and that's a pair of supremely well built wheels. Bizarelly I've just checked for exactly that same setup there for myself.

Are the DT Pro lock nipples worth the investment??

I can maybe see this as a bit of a waste of money if the spokes need a tighten after a few rides..??

Cheers…

Bought some wheels from Merlin years ago- very well built and stayed true for years.

Merlin and their aftersales is good too.

Have bought 4 pairs off each over the years & the only deciding factor is the price as both are as good as each other.CRC are perhaps a bit quicker though…

Wheelcraft in Scotland… Never knocked one of their wheels out of true, infact my hope xc on mavic 729 is now 4 years old! and has seen some action, including a 4ft drop to flat at fort bill on the back of my trusty hardtail!

Couple of Dave Hinde ones, both still perfect and cheapest around. I avoid CRC at all costs due to very poor returns policy when things go wrong, just given up on them completly and would urge you to avoid as well.

I bought a custom built bike from Merlin, with 'hand made' wheel's, I think the school kid on work experience must have built them as they were looser than a cheap h#*%$r!!

With regards to CRC I emailed them and asked if they machine build or Hand build there custom wheels.. They replied:
With Regards to our Custom Built Wheels, our Wheel Builders will lace all hubs to rims by hand however they will use a Machine to quicken up the process of building by tightening the spokes via a Machine. Once these are finished in the machine the wheels are then placed in a Truing Stand and have their tension adjusted by hand to double check the build before they are placed into a Wheel Box. They are Hand Built Wheels Start and Finish with a small amount of mechanical help to speed up the process.
I cant see this being a problem…like some some said there prices are a cheaper than merlins..

I wonder if Machine = electric drill/screwdriver?

Get some Hope Hoops from CRC- they will price match Winstanleys for £228.

My CRC Hope Pro2 on Flow rims are going on the bike today- hope they are good

Does it matter much? I thought a tuning was required after a settling in period, at least my LBS says bring them back after a week or 2 of riding for a once over.

crc finally admit it!! after 15 years of rumours! 😯

merlin wheels are very good.

I ordered them from CRC as they were doing 10% of this weekend on everything.. 719's with Hope Pro 2 blue hubs.. £222
Merlins £266..
I hope the £44 saving was worth it..that will pay for a Thomson Elite post..