Road Cycling - why buy a Merlin Cielo?

i imagine questions like this have been asked before, and will be asked again.
do you buy it becuase it looks cool and the fact that its rare makes it stand out, plus the fact that it says you can afford to spend a huge amount on a bike?
or is there something else about it that makes it better then say a top o the line carbon Trek that you project one to make unique (or another more common bike)?

if you have the money, why not!?

btw, i doubt anyone on bikeforums owns a cielo... :)

Don't buy an Orbea Ultrafoco. (I wanna be pretty exclusive, too.)

With the Merlin, you'll get an incredible bike. I'd put them in a category beyond Trek or Litespeed. They build absolutely incredible bikes. Each one is a work of art. When you compare Trek and Merlin, I think you're talking about opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of frequent sightings. I've never seen anyone on a Cielo, but Treks are a dime a dozen (not that there's anything wrong with that, Trek riders. They're good bikes.)

The Cielo is still one of the most beautiful bikes I have ever seen... it is a damn work of art... if I had the money I'd pick one up... Dunno if I'd ride it... I'd be afraid I'd crash it too much... maybe I'll just hang it on the wall next to the Van Gogh's and Picasso paintings :D

Jeff

Nah, that's like buying a Ferrari and garaging it all year long. A bike like the Cielo needs to ridden. Anyone that buys one and doesn't ride it all the freakin' time has a bike that will start to whimper. Loudly.

so everyone can see what you're talking about.... :)
http://merlinbike.com/english/bikes/cielo_img/cielo_lg.jpg

for the money I'd buy a Serotta Ottrott, same basic idea
I just think the "lugs" are better done, even if they aren't
cut and etched.

just my .02 worth

Marty

Mmmmmm...Record.

i think you buy it for the ultra-cool factor. if it was that much better a ride, pro teams would use it. the only multi-material (stays, notwithstanding) frame i know of being used is saturn's lemonds. the cielo's not super-light--merlin's own extralight is lighter (and cheaper). it's pretty much a show-piece if you ask me. which you did, indirectly. i've heard companies make bikes that lose money just to have a showpiece, to establish a brand aura of sorts. i think that's what's going on with merlin and the cielo. were i you, i'd buy a C40 and put the world's fattest pair of wheels on it. that, to me, would be money better spent.

i think you buy it for the ultra-cool factor

then they must have made it just for me
http://www.the-fiddlers-green.com/JoeCool.gif


that is exactly what i wanted to know. i'm not rich, far from it, but i am single, have a decent job, and no debt. if i had my heart set on it i could buy one. but there are other bike's with a pretty high cool factor and lower prices. so i was curious what people thought. wont be buying one anytime soon, and chances are i'd rather by a pretty cool cyclocross, and a pretty cool road bike, than one ultra cool Cielo :).

Man, my hopes were up.

Yes, Americans love to buy high end ANYTHING for the cool factor. Nothing wrong with that. If you can comfortably afford it, go for it.

George!

I don't like lugged frames; they look antiquated. And I don't like slanted top tubes. They look ugly. Which is why if I ever get a Merlin (please Santa Claus, grant my wish), I want an extralight.

I heard that Merlin made it so they could show off their workmanship. Their std welded Ti frames are rated by some pro mechanics as the best, but they look the same as everyone elses welded Ti frames. Fancy lugs are a way to add style and individuality to a bike. The top pro teams dont ride artisan-made frames because small framebulders cant afford to sponsor teams. The industrial frames they ride are just as effective, if not more, but lack the kind of artistry you find at:
http://www.bohemianbicycles.com/Gallery's.htm

this merlin makes my heart go pitter-patter

the cielo is really a piece of art btw....the workmanship is remarkable

if you bought one. would you ride it?? hummm ill put 1 km on it and store it on the wall of my mansion.

no offense, but the geometry looks odd to me.. anyone know the exact geo. specs? maybe, i just need glasses.

Here's your chance to get one, and no, it's not mine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3626880611&category=7298

To bad that guy on e-bay built up that beautiful bike with some of the fugliest componentry.

#1 - You gotta have carbon record on that bike, it looks fubared with DA strapped onto it, record just looks more traditional and the carbon is required

#2 - NO KSYRIUMS ON A LUGGED BIKE. Especially one like that ... traditional wheelset please, put Campy Hyperons on it if you want superlight and still sexy - or some other traditionally spoked wheelset with low logo count. That bike doesn't need parts that look they came off a NASCAR car.

Art?
C'mon...
Here's bicycling crafting at its best:
http://www.vanillabicycles.com/
(check out the friggin track bikes...drool...)
:love:

Originally posted by vadimivich
To bad that guy on e-bay built up that beautiful bike with some of the fugliest componentry.And that triple is totally offensive!

George!

Originally posted by The Fixer
And that triple is totally offensive!

George!

Anything geared, to me, is offensive. But, c'mon, if the guy has a ****e back, maybe the granny is there for comfort. Who knows...

Originally posted by 165-48:17
Anything geared, to me, is offensive..... Ah, I should have known better.... As with my fleet of bikes, only one comes equipped with derailleurs...

George!

Why do you ask? If you can buy it if you cant don't.

Yeah that eBay bike is ugly, no 2 ways about it. I think there's a reason Merlin advertises the bike built with Record, the carbon/carbon mix is just about required. The polished aluminum glaringly stands out. This is not anti-Shimano as Campy Chorus would have the same liabilities in this case.

Normally I wouldn't get too worried over aesthetics but the Cielo exists for the aesthetic as it were. If that guy wanted to save a few $ he would've had a better looking bike with the black 105.

I'm not a big fan of unpainted carbon or ti for that matter but the "lugs" are beautiful. My blow the budget, eat spaghettiOs for 6 months, no new shoes for the kids this year, get divorced bike would probably be along the lines of a C40, with Record. More "common" perhaps than the Cielo but certainly not common and a racing heritage to boot.

The answer to the question is...because I can.

I like a unique ..but fine, ride. The Merlin provides both.....full Campy Record. Would I ride it?..I do.

However, given that question..I recently sold my Colnago C40 GOLD (only 400 built) with full Campy Record and Colnago carbon wheels....possibly the finest ride I have owned up to now..but rarely rode it because it was just too beautiful.

Have owned and ridden a lot of beautiful bikes (Kestrel 4000s & 200EMS; Merlin Extralights; Merckx; Calfee Tetra Pro; Colnago C40; Ibis titanium, etc.)...everyone has their favorite for a variety of reasons and all are really great, but some are truely unique...which makes it all the more fun to own.

Am I worthy of the Merlin...or any of the bikes I have owned?...not the way I ride....but when I do ride, sure is a kick in the pants.

I'm not impressed by the Cielo. Anyone can take a tube and come clip art from CorelDraw circa 1984 down to the appropriate CNC shop and get some crap engraved onto the tube. It's not even nearly 'art'. A hand filed lug is art - the Cielo is just what a bunch of engineers consider art - something unique that hasn't been programmed into a CNC before....and please, not get me started on that abortion of a head tube design they use. If anything cemented Merlin's role as the worlds premium producer of upright, uptight dumb bikes for fat doctors and laywers, the Cielo is it. How's that for some top shelf flame bait? Shall I start on the C40 now, or wait for comments? :p

No, don't wait, we want more !!!

Open up a little.