Re: [CR] Jim Merz : Historic Article, 1976

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

From: "paccoastcycles" <paccoastcycles@sbcglobal.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, "donald gillies" <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
References: <20100318005230.6976719D8D@ug6.ece.ubc.ca>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:30:40 -0700
Subject: Re: [CR] Jim Merz : Historic Article, 1976


In late 1977 I bought a Merz touring frame. For several years I represented his frames at my shop, Pacific Coast Cycles. As I recall, the price for the frame and the price for the front and rear rack were the same. That is, the racks cost the same as the frame. Having worked in a frame shop, I never thought a framebuilder was asking too much. If you look at a pair of Jim's racks you can see that they take as much time as a frame.

I had seen a Merz bike and was impressed by the workmanship. The reputation of his bikes was very good. In my first phone call to him, I was surprised by his phone persona. He had a laid back sound to his voice. There was an assuredness to him as if he knew exactly what he was and what he was doing. One remark he made to me stuck in my mind all these years. At one point when he was talking about his racks and their good reputation on the touring circuit, he said that they were "the cat's ass". I had never heard that phrase before but due to context, I knew what he meant and I'll have to say that it didn't sound like bragging. It sounded more like he knew that they do the job and the good reputation was earned.

I still marvel when I see a Merz frame. The lugs are filed to perfection. There is a simple elegance combined with such clean work that it does not leave a hunger for fanciness or trickery.

Chuck Hoefer
Vista, California USA


----- Original Message -----
From: donald gillies
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 5:52 PM
Subject: [CR] Jim Merz : Historic Article, 1976



> Jim Merz (lately, of SPECIALIZED fame) recently returned to reading
> (or at least requesting 753 tubes from) the CR mailing list, and I
> happened to be looking at Robert Broderick's awesome collection of
> Bicycling! Magazine articles, and I ran across this one, which
> describes an encouter (by a rack-buyer) with Jim Merz, in the early to
> mid 1970's :
>
> http://www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=14744&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
>
> I enjoyed it immensely! And I can see myself inserted into either
> role in the article (the "Bike Groupie" or the "Artist".) These are
> the types of articles that made the old "Bicycling!" magazine such a
> gem!
>
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA, USA
> _______________________________________________

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