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Mid 90's Merlin roady....what's it worth?

3K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  jorgy 
#1 ·
There is a guy here locally(friend of a friend networking) selling a mid 90's Merlin road bike with 8 speed DA on it. Looks to be in decent shape. This isn't an Ultralight, but one of the random no name Merlin's like they made when they first came out....or it could be a custom as they did no name on those as well.

Anyone have a pulse for what a 15ish year old ti bike should go for? Don't want to make a stupid offer, but don't want to over pay either.
 
#2 ·
I have a late 90's Merlin (not Extralight) that I rode for several years and liked a lot. I ended up going to a Merlin Agilis (compact frame) after that and didn't sell the frame because I couldn't get enough for it. I wasn't going to give it away for $400 or so.

Anyway, make sure it has a standard bottom bracket as very early Merlins had a proprietary bottom bracket.

Back to your question. A lot would depend on the condition of the components and the wheels. The ti frame should be as good now as it ever was, and that's pretty good. Not the lightest frame, but decent. And it will produce a very good ride.

There is a Merlin Extralight on eBay now, starting at $1,500 with no bids. Also a Fortius model $1,399 buy it now.

Those prices seem on the high side for sure. The bike you are looking at should be worth $700-$800 it seems. Especially when you compare that bike to what you could get new for the same $$. No comparison in my mind.

But I'm a big fan of ti bikes so I always think they are worth more than carbon oriented buyers.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Because it's a Merlin frame, it's worth upgrading. Figure on changing out the brifters and drive train and upgrading the wheels if necessary. They don't go out of style and Ti tides very nice. You could have it for another 10 years.

Mine is 11 years old and I'm running Dura Ace 7900, weighs about 17.5 lbs

Make sure it's not the "grease guard BB"
 
#5 ·
I was going to say $800 as well, maybe a tad more if the buyer is motivated. Notwithstanding the wear on the frame and components, and any surprises like the proprietary BB that another poster mentioned.

Short term, I wouldn't be worried about the shifters (assuming they work), so much as the condition of the cassette and chainrings and whether they need immediate replacement.
 
#6 ·
$500, maybe a bit more. Ti doesn't hold its value well.

I've been watching ebay for a Litespeed Saber in my size and I don't expect to pay much more than $1K for a 4-5 yo bike with 9-10 speed components. For a frame only, about $500 and that's for a much newer frame; one just failed to meet reserve with a max bid of $465.
 
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