Originally Posted by
bentaxle
Yes, thanks for introducing me to Jim Merz. I can certainly understand your fandom. Of course, I knew about the Specialized Allez when it appeared on the scene, and understood Merz's contributions via Specialized. I just didn't have a name to associate with all that, nor know about his solo exploits. So your links and comments have led me to all these other "random connections". And of course the SF Bay Area had tons of bicycle connections in those days. I was a regular at Wheelsmith and have the frame I have now. Like you say, the connections are, indeed fascinating!
This is a thread about rarity, and yet there are so many connections to things both famous (Specialized) and not-so-famous (Enochs, Merz, Jevelot . . . ).
Yep, just follow the wild hare or the yellow brick road. Merz was a friend/customer of Sinyard well before Big S who slept on Jim's couch when he came to PDX. Later also before it took off Jim tested touring tires that there were no good ones of at the time, they were drop shipped to him on the road as he toured. When they finally hit the target with them is when Big S took a quantum leap toward the juggernaut we have now.
