My '94 Merlin Extralight cracked about a year ago. Miss that bike, after a good 70k miles!
Narrowed down my search between Litespeed and Merlin. Primarily Classic, Ultimate, Vortex, Titanium, and Extralight.
Mostly due to plentiful supply of used ones out there in my size. A few photos here, but I plan to outfit with my components.
Preference for 1" steerer, which points toward pre-00. But 1 1/8 size works fine. I run 28c tires and these models accept that size.
A few snapshots here. Vortex and Extralight more scarce. Across these models, feedback and recommendations appreciated.

I have a beautiful 1994 Litespeed Classic frame (58cm ctr-to-top; polished finish; 1" steer tube) that I was planning to list on eBay soon.
If interested in seeing pics of it and maybe a few other Litespeed frames (Tuscany, Ghisallo) of similar size or smaller, send me a PM.

I have a ‘94 Merlin (not Extra Lite) and I don’t think it would accept a 28mm tire, especially in the rear. Different forks may afford more clearance in the front.
I also have an early Moots with a 1” head tube. It fits 28’s no problem. Moots are a bit more money than the other two, but definitely worth adding to your searches.

My friend’s Ultimate cracked at the dropout, so a place to check before you buy.

I can't double check my Master we are up at our summer place but I am sure I can't go over 25mm on it unless it was ridden around a super clean retirement community only. In a typical town situation I like 4mm clearance all around.

If you want a Litespeed that rides like a Merlin, you'll want one of the cheaper models with round tubes. Like the Natchez or some Catalysts.

The Classic often came polished.

Seven's are the most like Merlins.

Maculas and Bassos are nicely made by Litespeed.

Consider Serotta Ti as well.

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I would really prefer a Merlin. My '94 accepted 28's...barely.
Moots, Serotta, and Seven made awesome framesets. Very few out there over the course of my long search.
And, as everyone knows, sizing means everything. And I prefer traditional, non-sloping top tubes.
Regular Merlin Titaniums and various Litespeeds surface constantly. Often overpriced and in rough shape.
I lost out on a perfectly-sized mid-90's Extralight while on a vacation. It broke my heart!

There is no such thing as an unpainted Ti frame in "bad shape" unless it is dented. Buy some fine burgundy Scotchbrite pads, cut them into strips and 'shoe shine' the tubes into a fresh brushed finish. I did that to a sandblasted Ti frame to great results.

Decals are available.

Very true for unpainted. Serotta liked to paint their Ti's for some reason.
Regardless, the Moots, Serottas, and Sevens I come across go for a steep price.
I re-decaled my Extralight in around '10. The clearcoat kept them in great shape.
Good tip, though. The older decals seem scarce, requiring going with later versions.
Solid chance for me to strike a deal shortly. Fingers crossed!

The Merlin website has a link to replacement decals. I just ordered some not long ago for a Merlin I recently purchased.
Mine was pretty rough, but looked like new after I gave it the Scotch-Brite treatment.

Very nice bike Love the DA 7410 Groupset

I cannot run anything larger than 25s on my '95 Ultimate. The 28s I tried rubbed on the rear brake bridge. Apart from that, it's fantastic. Rides well, handles well, climbs well, sprints well. I got it as a complete bike with clapped out components and kept only the frame, fork, and headset. I stripped off all the old decals with acetone and revived the brushed finish with red Scotchbrite before applying a new set of decals I got from Litespeed. Built it up with R8000 Ultegra. As soon as it was finished it became my Go-To bike, the one I'm most likely to grab for a ride of any length.

If I go the Litespeed route with 25's or 28's, it appears it will not scrape the brake bridge.
But the shortish wheelbase may not allow the tire to clear the seat tube. At least with a 28.
The vertical dropouts help, along with the braze-on for the front derailleur.
Like you, I may outfit with Ultegra 11sp, stripping from a very low-mileage rainbike.

^ Yep, the Classic that I checked out did not fit 28mm tires due to lack of clearance at the seat tube/front der clamp. I suspect the Catalyst may be the same.

I always wanted a Merlin (ExtraLight) or Litespeed (couple of models).

Growing family at the time would have made it extravagant.

Years later, settled on a f/f from Excel Sports (Boulder) in-house brand, thinking it was welded by one of several Colorado ti builders. Later learned it was welded in Massachusetts,just prior to the Litespeed takeover.

More pictures please of those early Merlins and Litespeeds!!!

Here's my old favorite Extralight. And the damn crack-o-la.


Later on I upgraded to 11sp 9000, but kept the quill stem.

Probably rode for a thousand miles before spotting the crack. Disaster averted.

Wow! now that’s a crack.
It was a sweet bike up until its demise. Love the Grammo stem too.

Do you - or anyone! - know if ExtraLight had a year with seatstays that were 'curvy'? Not sure the term - hourglass or wishbone - certainly not a mono-seatstay.


edit -
Like this - later 90's or turn-'o-th-millenia?
Takes a 28mm tubular, did not try the 30mm (probably not, as the 28mm Veloflex runs 27.5mm).

My Extralight's seatstays were straight as an arrow. Unsure if the curved chainstays impacted the ride, which I loved.
Maybe the Litespeed Vortex comprised the only titanium frame with curved seatstays.
I managed to fit a 28 rear tire. The shorter aspect ratio of Michelins allowed it to barely fit.
Vittoria Corsa Graphene 2.0's in 30 actually fit. The width made it a close call on the curved chainstays!

Dunno if Merlin did this later on, but Seven (Merlin people) made their stays like that.


roadcrankr what size frame are you looking for?

I need something in the 51 to 53 range, measured center-to-center.
It appears I found one, but not official until it reaches my hot lil hands!

I bought a brushed 95 Classic with Kestrel new. I'm now running it with Chorus 11. I always wanted a polished Ultimate. Finally got a 97 a couple of years ago with a Look fork. They're really wonderful bikes but I don't think you're getting 28s into either one.

Well, keep in mind that all of these bikes were measured center to top of the TT. So that's 52.5 to 54.5 in factory sizes.

roadcrankr https://shopgoodwill.com/item/239743440

Wondering if this would work for you fit wise. Check it out

I've always admired both brands. Was just fortunate to be given my dad's 1989 Spectrum titanium and it's a fantastic ride. Just a tad tall for me but it's not leaving my stable. Lightest, quickest and best climbing bike I have. It's got a different saddle and crankset (those Sampson ones like to fracture if tightened too much). I actually reached out to Tom Kellogg a few years back and they still had records from when my dad purchased the frame new.

c. 2002 Merlin Extralight as raced last southern summer season. Chorus 11-speed and Shamal Ultras have proved very reliable and durable to date. Custom Kenevans Columbus Max steel fork just because carbon doesn’t feel quite right to me, even on a frame intended for it.