Rossco76

Hi, i am trying to find out more about this bike. I bought it recently and was advertised as a vintage Merlin with the Bob Jackson Merlin Decals.

It is a 24" frame (frame number on steering column is apparently 64676. A repair shop gave those to me when straightening the forks.)

It has Chater Lea axel and headset, a Williams crank set and Merlin Marsh pre war handle bars. I'm not sure what the stem is but someone has drilled through it. Also came with Mafac brakes and Campag wheels and derailour. It has 2 grease nipples on the BB and 2 on the head tube. I was told that the forks are quite an unusual shape and the chainstay is also quite fat at the chain ring end.

From looking around it also looks like Chater Lea drop outs, mud guard attachments and pump peg braze ons (on down tube). I also think the lugs look like chater lea but i don't know how to confirm this.

The number 102 is also stamped on the bottom of the BB.

I emailed Bob Jackson and they told me the 102 was probably a re spray number although it is stamped in and they said the number on the steering column was not one of theirs. I asked if it could be an original Merlin but he thought it was just resprayed as one.

I would love some help in identifying the frame.

cheers,

Ross

Rossco76

https://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.ph...533784#p533784

Link to another forum where the pictures show up a bit bigger and some thoughts. I would really appreciate some help. I have been thinking it oculd be a Hill Special which ties into Merlin and i think they had Chater Lea lugs but serial numbers don't seem to tie in?

rhm

I don't know. 30's or 40's, possibly early 50's. Nice. Other than that, I don't know.

Have you perused the photos of members' bicycles on Classic Lightweights (https://www.classiclightweights.co.uk...s_bikes.html)? That is what I'd do.

Are you planning to repaint it? If so, you may find evidence for what it is when (as) you take the existing paint off. I refinished a 1940's Fothergill a couple years ago, and when I took the nasty repaint off I found ghostly shadows of the original decals, which confirmed its identity. Similarly when I peeled layers of paint off the head tube of an old track bike I found traces of an ALVIN headbadge which identified that. With the paint off you may find tubing markings, lug markings, and that kind of thing.

Rossco76

Hi, yeah i have thought about it. The frame is a little big for me though so i am not sure if i would go the the expense of re spray if i don't end up riding it. I really want to know what it is though as if i do sell it on, it would be nice to be able to list it properly.

rhm

I trust you're familiar with www.hilarystone.com? He sells a lot of nice old frames with bad paint. Browsing that site will help you figure out what kind of price the market will bear.

If you can't identify the frame from the lugwork and other details, you should decide whether the existing paint is worth keeping; if it isn't, then you might as well look for evidence under it. In fact, the frame I bought from Hilary had been treated this way; someone had sanded away enough paint on the head tube to find the frame maker's name. Had I wanted to keep that paint, this would have been a problem; but the paint in question was pretty deplorable and no great loss.

Rossco76

Hi yeah i think thats the stage i'm at. I have found pictures of a couple of old Merlins where the frame number is stamped on the right rear drop out where i found a serial last night so i think it might be a Merlin but an old one. I might strip more paint of tonight but they didn't have head badges so i'm not sure what i would find?

Cheers

rhm

Well, that's the beauty of it. You don't know what you will find. Most likely you will find nothing. On my Fothergill, I had all the paint off before I found anything, and then it was only the faint outline of the original head badge, which was a decal:

And then I found the same outline on the seat tube:

And, most astonishing, this on the down tube:


What you're looking for, however, may be IN the paint; look at this post. The head badge was a decal, but thick enough to show through two layers of paint. I wish I had been more careful in exposing that.

All that said, though, this is a labor of love. It will not be worth your effort to do this kind of work if you are not planning to keep this bike. I'm sure it is a very fine frame from the 40's or earlier, and you will find someone who wants it and will be willing to take the time to research it in this manner, then rebuild it into something very nice indeed.