Merlin Road

At home on any road anywhere in the world, the Merlin Road delivers exhilarating performance, exceptional comfort, and understated style in a package of lifetime durability.

Introduced in 1989, the Merlin Road bike has quickly become the standard by which bicycles are judged. Its immitable blend of ride comfort, rigidity, performance and precision defies easy description. Yet this classic design continues to beguile owners, whether on an initial test ride or after years of dependable service.

Each Road frame is built with a size-specific blend of Merlin MTS325 seamless titanium tubing. Merlin's wide range of custom tube sizes--the largest available anywhere--guarantees that every frame size delivers optimal ride and handling characteristics, low weight, and unbeatable durability.

All Road frames employ Merlin's groundbreaking 7/8-inch diameter V-Bend chainstays, for superb drivetrain rigidity and supple wheel control. At the rear, Merlin's elegant engraved dropouts, made from super-strong 6-4 titanium plate, feature vertical slots for fast wheel changes.

Also present is Merlin's famous tubular rad brake bridge, which incorporates a machined center boss. This elaborate design creates an utterly rigid base to eliminate flex and chatter under hard braking.

The Road's geometry, which is shared with the Merlin Extralight, features roomy top tubes in all sizes, a short wheelbase for proper weight balance, and a low bottom bracket that imparts astonishing stability without sacrificing cornering clearance.

Despite the rigidity of its drivetrain, the Road frame has an impressively comfortable ride. Every Merlin Road frame has a custom-sized tubeset which has been tuned for minimum weight, maximum torsional stiffness, and excellent vertical compliance. Coupled with the natural resilience of titanium, the result is a ride that is swift and sure, suitable for road races, century rides, and supported tours.

Indeed, the Road frame is the most versatile of all Merlins, and it can be further personalized through Merlin's "Made to Measure" custom program. Full touring, Cyclocross and Road custom variants are available to suit all sizes and styles of rider. Since the customs draw from the full range of MTS325 size-specific tubing, the extraordinary ride and handling characteristics of the Road frame are fully preserved in every custom configuration.


Merlin MTS325 size-specific straight-gauge seamless titanium tubing
Eleven sizes: 49-63 cm
Frame weight:2.74-4.14 lbs.(1.24-1.88 kg)
7/8-inch V-Bend chainstays
Threaded and relieved bottom bracket shell
Machined and engraved Merlin 6-4 titanium vertical dropouts
Chain hanger & pump peg
Optional forks: Time/Merlin, Vectran: Kinesis aluminum

Merlin Road

Frame Size (cm., ctr-top)     49     51     53     54     55     56     57     58     59     61     63
Frame Size (cm., ctr-ctr)     47.5   49.5   51.5   52.5   53.5   54.5   55.5   56.5   57.5   59.5   61.5
Head angle (degrees)          72.5   73.0   73.0   73.0   73.5   73.5   73.5   73.5   74.0   74.0   74.0
Seat angle (degrees)          74.0   74.0   74.0   73.5   73.5   73.0   73.0   73.0   73.0   72.5   72.5
Top tube (cm)                 52.1   53.3   54.5   55.0   55.5   56.1   56.5   57.1   57.5   58.5   59.5
Chainstay (cm)                41.6   41.3   40.6   41.0   41.0   41.0   41.0   41.0   41.0   41.6   41.6
Wheelbase (cm)*               97.1   97.4   98.0   98.0   98.0   98.1   98.5   99.0   99.0   100.2  101.2
Standover height (cm)         73.8   76.0   77.9   78.6   79.7   80.3   81.4   82.3   83.4   85.5   87.5
Bottom bracket drop (cm)      7.3    7.0    7.0    7.0    7.0    7.0    7.0    7.0    7.0    6.7    6.7
Head tube length (cm)         6.6    8.6    10.5   11.4   12.0   12.8   13.8   14.8   15.6   17.8   19.8
Steerer length (cm)           11.2   13.2   15.1   16.0   16.6   17.4   18.4   19.4   20.2   22.4   24.4
Fork rake (cm)*               4.8    4.5    4.5    4.5    4.0    4.0    4.0    4.0    4.0    4.0    4.0
Frame weight (pounds)         2.74   2.86   2.97   3.02   3.06   3.23   3.39   3.50   3.61   3.90   4.14

*Time/Merlin Vectran or Kinesis fork

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