Hey Jim,
I picked up a Merz from Sellwood a few months back and have been meaning to ask you about it. I could only find a serial number stamped on the steer tube, which looked to be #1946 or maybe #194E? It's got Nervex-ish lugs, 60.5cm c-c seat tube, 57.5cm top tube, 43.0cm chainstays, unidentified tubing. Also has some interesting braze-ons for what looks like a seatstay-mount generator and lighting wires. Green monotone paint w/yellow Merz logos, yellow head badge, clear coated. Don't have digisnaps handy but could whip some up.
Does this sound like the real McCoy? Any thoughts or recollections? I don't know if this is a sensitive question or not, but approximately how many frames do you reckon you built before your move to Specialized? Did you do any building afterwards?
Sorry, but somehow I find myself unable to resist asking you geeky questions any longer!
BTW, did you get any nibbles on your Merz/Campy triple inner chainring recreation? I find myself in posession of a Campy triple crankset with no granny ring, and my knees would like a 31t or 32t far better than a 36t.
On a related topic, I have either a Mikkelson or Merz triple-izer chainring set bought back in the early '80s. Consists of a 42t ring, 144bcd, with extra metal for attachment of 32t granny ring. I bought it back in LBS shop rat days, and can't remember where I ordered from or whose it is. Did yours have your name or any other identifying marks/stampings? These have only the tooth count stamped on them.
If anybody is looking for a Merz, Sellwood has had one with aero
DuraAce AX for a while now. It's a 59cm c-c, and those pricey aero
parts help move the price northward to $1,200. Still a relative
bargain, considering that nice Merz build. Haven't seen many others
for sale out there, though I imagine there must be one at every street
corner in Portland. :-} You can find the AX-equipped Merz here:
http://www.sellwoodcycle.com/
Cheers,
PB
On Mon, 28 Oct 2002 20:30:13 -0800, "Jim Merz" <jimmerz@qwest.net>
wrote:
>Not my paint or chrome. I never would have allowed this fade job. Get
>the frame number and I can look up when it was made.
>
>Jim Merz
>Bainbridge Is. WA
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org
>[mailto:classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of
>youngc@netreach.net
>Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 8:28 AM
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]Seldom seen Merz on eBay
>
[some snipping for brevity]
>Nice looking bike there, Jim. I imagine it is an '80's bike with that
>fade paint job unless it has been repainted. Any guesses as to size? Looks
>too small for me. I'm thinking around 55cm or so
>
>http://ebay.com/<blah>
>
>Charlie Young
>Honeybrook, PA
Paul C. Brodek
Hillsdale, N.J. U.S.A.
E-mail: pcb@skyweb.net