FS: Merlin Malt 1 2009

DirkVoodoo

FS: Merlin Malt 1 16.5”

Spec:

Frame – Kinesis 7005 Aluminium frame.
Front Derailleur – Shimano Deore.
Rear Derailleur – Shimano Deore.
Chainset – Shimano M442 chainset (44/32/22).
Brakes – Shimano Deore disc brakes.
Shifters – Shimano Deore shifter pods.
Cassette – 9 speed 11-32.
Fork – Rock Shox Tora 318 RS with remote lockout (100mm airsprung).

Wheels – Handbuilt Merlin wheels: Mavic 317 Disc rims on Shimano Deore hubs.
Tyres – Maxxis Tomahawk 26x1.95”.

Finishing kit – Ritchey comp bars, stem and seatpost with a Selle Italia Filante saddle.

Brand new this bike costs 730 euro delivered from Merlin. Bought last year, used about 6-8 times on trails and a few times during the winter for commuting. Requires a new chain, this will be fitted before being sold to the buyer. A few scrapes and nicks, wheels are a few mm out of true, but still in excellent condtion for a mountain bike (if it were a road bike I would say “good”). I'm 5'10” and the fit was compact enough, I liked this on the trails but on the road it was a bit cramped, would suit someone a bit smaller. Excellent beginners bike.

Reason for sale: Reluctant to sell it but just hasn't been used enough and probably won't be used a lot more. Available for viewing upon request, I'm in Dublin. PM for details.





Can be supplied with buyers choice of Wellgo V8 copy flat pedals or Shimano M520 SPD pedals.

Asking price: 480 euro.

(Excuse the cross chaining, was in a rush!)



Also for sale:

O'Neal Body Armour-Arm Rocker Elbow Guard Medium - Black
661 Body Armour-Knee/Shin Race Lite Knee & Shin Guards M Black – Grey

RRP: 49 euro, for sale – 25 euro (Used twice).

OR Buy both for 490 euro.

abcdggs

How useful is the body armour? Feel free to ignore this if your reply would be detrimental to the sale

DirkVoodoo

abcdggs wrote: »

How useful is the body armour? Feel free to ignore this if your reply would be detrimental to the sale

I only wore it twice as it was slightly bulky. The arm/elbow pads were pretty handy and didn't get in the way too much but as a road cyclist I found the knee/shin ones hard not to notice, although I wish I had used them more as I still have marks on my shins from where the pins struck me.

kona

What are those merlin frames like??

The front plate for the stem is upside down:o:p

blorg

kona wrote: »

What are those merlin frames like??

The front plate for the stem is upside down:o:p

I noticed that, I didn't want to jinx his sale.

Would you buy a bike from someone who affixed his stem plate upside down?

No seriously it's a nice bike and very reasonable price. Several boardsies agree:

Enduro, who certainly knows his MTB, rates them.

Kenmc has one, I've been out MTBing with him and it looks very nice.

I think Gavin (formerly known as Verb) also has one, or at least has bought other stuff and like them.

DirkVoodoo

Haha, you jerks. Yeah I noticed that when I was cleaning it, it's the way it came I just never saw it before and when I was in a rush cleaning bikes I couldn't have been bothered turning it the other way around.

The frame is pretty good, the malt 1 isn't high tech but it's very functional. From the Bikeradar review:

Chassis: Frame is showing its age, but air fork is a boon

If you want the latest in aluminium frame technology from Merlin, you’ll have to stump up for the kinesium-chassised Malt 4. But while the Malt 1’s older design shows in the lack of hydroforming and complex tube profiling, it’s still well thought-out. Top and down tubes flare where they meet the seat tube and bottom bracket, adding a dose of rigidity to combat pedal-induced twisting forces. There’s also a welded gusset at the junction between the down and head tubes to strengthen this vulnerable area.

Shapely stays contribute some curves to what would otherwise be a rather angular frame, their tidy lines reinforced by the lack of rim brake bosses. The chunky disc mount and plain plate dropouts are functional rather than beautiful, which isn’t a grumble at this price. Double bottle cage bosses mean that Malt 1 owners needn’t be reliant on backpack hydration, but there’s just a single set of threaded eyelets at the rear (confined to the dropouts) and there’s no provision for bolting on a Crud Catcher – a surprising omission on a modern UK bike.

I certainly didn't find it at all limiting for my beginner's ability.

Just an update actually, because of the limits of not being able to advertise elsewhere, I'm going to leave this ad until the end of the week then try my luck at adverts. Just in case you see it locked or something, it's only moved and not sold.

I'll stick up photos of the pads tomorrow too, but they can be found on CRC in the meantime.

Greyspoke

That's an excellent bike for the money - perfect for anyone thinking of giving mtb a go.

kona

blorg wrote: »

I noticed that, I didn't want to jinx his sale.

Would you buy a bike from someone who affixed his stem plate upside down?

Absoloutley NOT:D:p

Nah I kid I was just joking about, its a nice looking machine, I can vouch for those wheels, Deore brakes are excellent too.
Nice price too

kenmc

blorg wrote: »

I noticed that, I didn't want to jinx his sale.

Would you buy a bike from someone who affixed his stem plate upside down?

No seriously it's a nice bike and very reasonable price. Several boardsies agree:

Enduro, who certainly knows his MTB, rates them.

Kenmc has one, I've been out MTBing with him and it looks very nice.

I think Gavin (formerly known as Verb) also has one, or at least has bought other stuff and like them.

Yep, love mine, very happy with it. Was using it for commuting during the ice (before I fractured a vertebrae sledding )

DirkVoodoo

Moved to adverts!

blorg

I offer €25.

EDIT: Damn, too late.