Hot r Not
10-07-16, 09:21 AM
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@kbarch, I guess to each his/her own regarding the stem. I actually like it quite a lot, and it's titanium so gives a nice weight savings and goes with the finish of the frame. Some other Ti stems like the Cinelli Grammo I find kind of atrocious with their chunky shapes and inconsistent welds. And I guess one man's grubby is another man's patina. 
@Wildwood, I see what you mean but I am of the long torso and short legs variety. Stem is not overly long at 120mm. I am still dialing it in, and may move the saddle forward ~.5cm, but the fit overall is good and similar to all my other bikes.
@Wildwood, I see what you mean but I am of the long torso and short legs variety. Stem is not overly long at 120mm. I am still dialing it in, and may move the saddle forward ~.5cm, but the fit overall is good and similar to all my other bikes.
Last edited by gaucho777; 10-07-16 at 09:24 AM.
10-07-16, 10:53 AM
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. @Wildwood, I see what you mean but I am of the long torso and short legs variety. Stem is not overly long at 120mm. I am still dialing it in, and may move the saddle forward ~.5cm, but the fit overall is good and similar to all my other bikes.
Optical illusion, it appeared much longer to my eye. Ti fork? Very classy IMHO.
My Macalu is an 'almost Extralight'. Always drooled over Merlins.
10-07-16, 11:47 AM
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Thanks, Wildwood. The fork is bonded aluminum and is original to the frame. Later (perhaps starting with the Extralights in '91?) they started coming with carbon forks.
10-07-16, 11:49 AM
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@sloar, the Merckx is HOT! 
10-07-16, 02:45 PM
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10-08-16, 04:49 PM
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@kbarch, I guess to each his/her own regarding the stem. I actually like it quite a lot, and it's titanium so gives a nice weight savings and goes with the finish of the frame. Some other Ti stems like the Cinelli Grammo I find kind of atrocious with their chunky shapes and inconsistent welds. And I guess one man's grubby is another man's patina.
Maybe, like most here seem to do, I should ignore the title and consider this to be a place to discuss beauty of all sorts, but I really think "hotness" alone is a quality that's sufficient and appropriate for a showcase of photos that shouldn't require any explanation or prior understanding. "Hot" is a particular kind of perception, and in this context of a forum of friends and strangers, newbs and experts alike, it would seem to be about direct, immediate visual appeal, a sort of raw sensual appreciation that has nothing to do with familiarity or connoisseurship.
I don't doubt that there are lots and lots of bikes that would NEVER get a "hot" here but which make their owners' hearts swell and go pitter-pat. And there are plenty of bikes that win over skeptics once they are explained. But those are matters of acquired appreciation, they aren't the primal response to "hotness."
But back to the bike that prompted this. Perhaps a lot of folks who know and understand a thing or two about bicycles take a look at it and get a bit excited. That may come as no surprise, but it's not the same as an unqualified "hot." In any event, it is not a very high compliment, so it's just as well, maybe preferable, to be judged something other than "hot."
Last edited by kbarch; 10-08-16 at 04:55 PM.
10-08-16, 05:45 PM
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https://s188.photobucket.com/user/jas..._1068.jpg.html
10-08-16, 06:48 PM
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Oh, it's very-deniably sizzling. It's completely lacking in color and brilliance, or anything suggesting heat or little explosions of steam and fat. Look, I'm not saying that it isn't a fine bike - perhaps a beautiful one - but "hot?" No. Patina may be cool, or even very beautiful, but it's not "hot."
Maybe, like most here seem to do, I should ignore the title and consider this to be a place to discuss beauty of all sorts, but I really think "hotness" alone is a quality that's sufficient and appropriate for a showcase of photos that shouldn't require any explanation or prior understanding. "Hot" is a particular kind of perception, and in this context of a forum of friends and strangers, newbs and experts alike, it would seem to be about direct, immediate visual appeal, a sort of raw sensual appreciation that has nothing to do with familiarity or connoisseurship.
I don't doubt that there are lots and lots of bikes that would NEVER get a "hot" here but which make their owners' hearts swell and go pitter-pat. And there are plenty of bikes that win over skeptics once they are explained. But those are matters of acquired appreciation, they aren't the primal response to "hotness."
But back to the bike that prompted this. Perhaps a lot of folks who know and understand a thing or two about bicycles take a look at it and get a bit excited. That may come as no surprise, but it's not the same as an unqualified "hot." In any event, it is not a very high compliment, so it's just as well, maybe preferable, to be judged something other than "hot."
Maybe, like most here seem to do, I should ignore the title and consider this to be a place to discuss beauty of all sorts, but I really think "hotness" alone is a quality that's sufficient and appropriate for a showcase of photos that shouldn't require any explanation or prior understanding. "Hot" is a particular kind of perception, and in this context of a forum of friends and strangers, newbs and experts alike, it would seem to be about direct, immediate visual appeal, a sort of raw sensual appreciation that has nothing to do with familiarity or connoisseurship.
I don't doubt that there are lots and lots of bikes that would NEVER get a "hot" here but which make their owners' hearts swell and go pitter-pat. And there are plenty of bikes that win over skeptics once they are explained. But those are matters of acquired appreciation, they aren't the primal response to "hotness."
But back to the bike that prompted this. Perhaps a lot of folks who know and understand a thing or two about bicycles take a look at it and get a bit excited. That may come as no surprise, but it's not the same as an unqualified "hot." In any event, it is not a very high compliment, so it's just as well, maybe preferable, to be judged something other than "hot."
10-08-16, 09:51 PM
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@kbarch, no worries. The aesthetics are subdued by some standards, so I think I understand what you mean by it not jumping out and grabbing you. My feelings aren't hurt if it doesn't float your boat. It may not speak to you but it does "make my heart swell" as you say. A vintage Merlin has been an object of my desire for many, many years (I nearly bought a '90 Merlin as a teenage racer, after saving for a long time, but couldn't justify the cost since I was sponsored by another bike company at the time). In any event, I do appreciate your honesty.
One more shot, Tom Kellogg signature with polished PD7401 pedals (shift and brake levers were also polished after stripping the original dark gray anodizing).
One more shot, Tom Kellogg signature with polished PD7401 pedals (shift and brake levers were also polished after stripping the original dark gray anodizing).
10-10-16, 04:43 PM
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10-10-16, 04:43 PM
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10-10-16, 07:42 PM
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10-10-16, 07:48 PM
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10-10-16, 07:58 PM
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10-10-16, 08:09 PM
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I understand the point of this bike, and I'm sure if I was a tri geek I'd be all about it, but it's fugly.
10-10-16, 08:36 PM
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you're wrong, the merlin is hot, sorry
10-11-16, 07:21 PM
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10-12-16, 12:02 AM
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10-12-16, 02:19 PM
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