No, not that bunch of American chancers 😀

The ‘real’ Merlin, from Chorley, have a new version of the Titanium Rock Lobster in the shop now, hanging on the wall. Same geometry as the other Merlin frames, but soooo light. Straight tubes, clean welds and a stunningly clean and classy look to it – it’s beautiful.

It costs just under £800 and is still calling out my name.

Longshot, but has anyone tried one yet?

Got all excited there, you could have mentioned it was a Preston Merlin

Oh well, didn’t waste too long looking

I believe that it’s a combination of b*****it and hot air that makes American made frames inherently better and stronger than those welded in Taiwan. 😀

Which American car do you drive BTW?

Er, aren’t Rock Lobsters American? 😉

As far as I’m aware the ones we get over here were originally designed by Paul Sadoff, founder of the American Rock Lobster concern and built under licence in Taiwan for exclusive sale by Merlin in Lancashire.

Not sure how much input (if any) that Mr Sadoff has had into any of the subsequent changes, but the frames still carry his signature.

I was just trying to have a pop at TT’s implied snobbishness regarding American made frames.
I think he was trying to be humorous with his post, but as we don’t have an irony icon and he hasn’t responded it looks like he may have been serious!

Probably gone for cruise in his ‘vette. 😉

will sneak a peak on weds when I pass it

Definitely worth a look – no pictures of the new frame on the website yet.

Junkyard, could you take a photo if possible?

Yes I will and e-mail you it possibly with a ransom note and that days newspaper? WIll see if they are open on BH ….it is a bad sign when you have their number in your phone and they recognise your voice on the phone!

Rock Lobster have an very good reputation but imho having seen one of the older ti frames in the flesh and having owned a USA Merlin, the quality of workmanship is considerable, the Merlin being a lot better, neater etc. Still an awful lot of money but you can pick them up secondhand easy enough and cheap enough. My Oreas cost me £600 and being ti always looked new.

One man’s poison, and all that, but a downtube of a Ti bike should never look that big, in my opinion…

I was indeed just carrying on the jokey theme, not implying that the US frames are stronger or better than a Taiwan built one either.

Don’t think its being a snob to say most people would prefer to own the American frame if money was no object.

Bit surprised though that they get away with using the Merlin name, others have come a cropper in a similar situation

Merlin (chorley) can get frames built by paul sadoff. My mate has one of his singlespeed’s built with the externally ribbed tubing that was used on the cyclocross bike featured on the home page here a few week’s ago.

iamtheresurrection:

Think the pic on the website is the old frame.

New one has a different seatstay arrangement: stays themselves are an inverted ‘U’ shape (one piece of tube bent to make both stays? not sure), attached to the seatpost/toptube junction with a flattened (along the horizontal axis)ovalised tube.

Tijuana Taxi, hope I didn’t offend: I have mornings where I occasionally feel compelled to attempt humour. Today not one of my better efforts.

Tijuana Taxi, hope I didn’t offend

Of course not,couldn’t care less about the name on a bike or where it comes from (although I did see a very similar discussion treated seriously a while back)

Get down there with your 800 quid and enjoy, you could always get some Merlin Decals (US ones)to put on it 😀

merlin US use a greater variety of tubing, including different guage tubing on different size, they butt their tubing etc, so they are different to the merlin UK ones in more ways than just country of origin.

There are quite a few instances of companies in Britain and the US using the same name (Apple and Apple being the most prominent of late). Usually because when each one started they were only operating locally and not aware of the other one. By the time there is likely to be any confusion both are established. Best avoid birds of prey when naming your company (Coventry Eagle, Subbuteo, Merlin etc.).