[CR]MERLIN frames

(Example: Bike Shops:R.E.W. Reynolds)

From: "Norris Lockley" <norris@norrislockley.wanadoo.co.uk>
To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 20:09:33 -0000
Subject: [CR]MERLIN frames

Thanks once again to Michael Butler for "outing" Merlin, Saxon, and Selbach frames as the Holy trinity of desirable lightweight frames, in London and the south in early post-WW11 years. Fortunately I have managed to get my hands on examples of all three over the years, but the Selbach was the most difficult to find.

in trying to rank them in terms of craftsmanship I would put the Selbach at the top of the list, followed very closely by the Merlin..with the Saxon someway behind. I reckon it was probably the latter's peculiar twin seat tube design that made it a must have, although I recall that the company's beautifully elegant and understated Saxon Bailey Path model, named after the 4-time World Champion W J Bailey, took some beating in the suitability-for-purpose stakes.

My Merlin is probably either late 40s or early 50s, is built using long point cast lugs resembling the spear-points used on many Gillott frames, but longer on the head-tube, and is extremely light, bearing in mind that it is a 24" C-T frame. This lack of weight harks back to recent contributions on the List about the wide choice of different gauges of 531 tube sets available in those days. This frame too is elegant and understated.

I recall that, as Michael has said, Merlin was a London-based company, having it's shop and/or works in Goswell Road London EC.. Merlin frames from that period appear to be very rare, and I can only remember seeing half a dozen in the past 50 years. If anyone out there has one in need of renovation, I would be happy to supply photos or even sets of repro decals, as I still have a full set of originals to work from. Bob Jackson's Merlin frames were and are still quite plentiful, and on the whole they appear to be only a very slightly inferior "Bob Jackson" although Bob used to claim that it was simply a question of transfers, not of quality. I am aware that time passes quickly, but I remember seeing new Merlins in Jacko's showroom only shortly before his death. Was that in the late 80s or early 90s? I have catalogues from the late 80s.

Norris Lockley, Settle UK