Merlin Metalworks, Inc. was a pioneer in
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...
bicycle design and construction. Merlin introduced the first titanium alloy mountain bike, oversized tubesets, s-bend chain and seat stays for mountain bikes. For road bikes, Merlin commercialized the first titanium butted tubing and many other innovations.
History
Merlin Metalworks was founded in 1986 by Gwyn Jones, Gary Helfrich, and Mike Augspurger in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...
.
[Merlin](_blank)
They were the first to manufacture bicycle frames constructed solely from
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...
. Merlin became known for their meticulous and visually pleasing puddle welds.
The first Merlin frame was a mountain bike frame custom-built for the defending National Mountain Bike Champion
Joe Murray.
In the following year, the company began a strong relationship with frame designer Tom Kellogg, who helped them produce the world's first 3-2.5
titanium alloy
Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures). They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resistance a ...
road bicycle frame.
In 1988, Mike Augspurger left Merlin to found One-Off Titanium in
Florence, Massachusetts
Florence is a village in the northwestern portion of the city of Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. During the 19th century, Florence was a thriving manufacturing village shaped by progressive ideas on religion, abolitionism, and educa ...
, a company specializing in experimental and custom-designed products for bicycles.
[Inventor of the Week: Archive](_blank)
/ref> In 1989, Ashley Korenblat was hired as CEO.
In 1990, the Subaru-Montgomery team, consisting of Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering ...
, Steve Hegg
Steve Edward Hegg (born December 3, 1963) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from the United States, who was a professional rider from 1988 to 2000. He represented the US at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, wh ...
, and Ken Carpenter, began its successful three-year relationship with Merlin.
In 1991, a year after winning his third Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...
, Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, entrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate. A two-time winner of the Road Race World Championship (1983 and 1989) and a three-time winner of the Tou ...
’s Z Team came back to the race on prototypes of the Merlin Extralight. The first titanium bike to fully achieve the metal's promise, it was as strong as steel but lighter, and possessed a unique and pleasing road feel—slightly more forgiving, with a little extra spring and, somewhat counterintuitively, also more stiffness.
After the company became acquainted with Bob Hall, the first person to enter the Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ...
in a wheelchair, they began making titanium-racing chairs for him.
In 1994, Merlin introduced the first titanium cruiser called the Newsboy, which received positive reviews. The bike was re-introduced in 2002 with front-suspension and disc-brakes.
In 1995, Rob Kish
Rob or ROB may refer to:
Places
* Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia
* Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia
People
* Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn
* Rob (s ...
won his third Race Across America The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race.
RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prove ...
on a Merlin Extralight.
Acquisition
1998
Saucony
Saucony is an American brand of athletic footwear and apparel. Founded in 1898, the company is owned by Wolverine World Wide. Products commercialised by Saucony include footwear and clothing ranges, such as athletic shoes, jackets, hoodies, t-sh ...
acquired Merlin in 1998.[Hyde Announces Asset Purchase of Merlin Metalworks, Business Wire](_blank)
/ref> In January, 1997 many employees, led by one of Merlin's first employees, Rob Vandermark, left Merlin to form Seven Cycles. Gwyn Jones was the only original founding member that remained with the company. As a result of Saucony's ownership, sales of Merlin frame declined, as stocks were left piling high.[Merlin [email protected]](_blank)
/ref>
2000
Merlin Metalworks was purchased by the American Bicycle Group
American Bicycle Group (ABG) is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States.
The company operates under a consumer-direct business model: selling their made-to-order bikes online
and shipping them direct to the con ...
in 2000 who relocated the company to Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
. Until 2011 American Bicycle Group owned three bicycle manufacturers: Merlin, Litespeed
Litespeed is a U.S. bicycle manufacturer founded in 1986 in Ooltewah, Tennessee by David Lynskey. Litespeed makes titanium and carbon fiber frame road racing bicycles and mountain bikes. Titanium bicycle frames are famed for their ride qualit ...
, Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
and the bicycle component maker Real Designs.
2011
On March 16, 2011, American Bicycle Group announced that bicycle retailer Competitive Cyclist of Little Rock, AR
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
had acquired the rights to the Merlin Metalworks brand.
At the spring 2013 National American Handmade Bike (NAHB) show, Competitive Cyclist announced the return of Extralight Merlin road bike production with new geometry and additional models projected for later in the year. The Merlin frame was made by Form Cycles of Arizona.
2018
In the spring of 2018, John Siegrist, announced Janus Cycle Group, had purchased the rights to the Merlin name from Competitive Cyclist and Backcountry.com, and unveiled a new line of Merlin titanium bikes built in Boulder, Colorado at the Sea Otter Classic expo. Janus also ownes DEAN Titanium. Started in 1989, Dean only works with titanium bicycle frames.
2021
In the Summer of 2021, Boulder, CO-based Janus Cycle Group, a USA based fabricator of premium titanium bicycles and components, announced that it had sold all company assets to Phil Joseph, a former executive officer of Prologis and Spirit Realty.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/janus-cycle-group-announces-change-in-ownership-301338997.html
References
External links
Merlin Bicycles
{{American bicycle manufacturers
Cycle manufacturers of the United States
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1986
Mountain bike manufacturers
Companies based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
1986 establishments in Massachusetts