Bryce, Merlin briefly made a tri-geometry bike, the Aerial. They only made it a few years, and it's been dropped for several years now.

Thanks for that. Thats what i suspected and obviously still a few being ridden around in places !



Bryce.

I actually have the Merlin Triathlon frameset; circa 1996 if I remember correctly. Round tubes, 76 degree STA. Not flashy by today's standards but comfy and tons of old school cred. Mine's currently built with Ultegra nine, Profile drop aeros and Syntace Streamliner clip-ons. Oh yeah, and a Thompson set back post flipped to get about another two degrees forward.

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Mr. Uncaptured External Costs

Fossil carbon is planetary poison.

The response regarding the aerial is correct. However, the Aerial is branded under QR, or at least the one I have. As stated before as well, it is very not flashy, but very comfortable, light, and fast. The titanium frame is an asset here in the hilly Appalachian foothills. I prefer the weight savings to the frame aero savings here in this part of the world.

Yeah, I'd forgotten about that frame...the Merlin Triathlon and Triathlon Extralight...both with 76 deg sta's.

And yes...the Aerial was built after Merlin was acquired by ABG...it came with the old QR Carbonaero fork. It has a 78 deg sta and 72.5 hta. My riding partner's wife has one...It was a second hand Nytro-built, former pro's bike. Nice bike...

<< However, the Aerial is branded under QR, or at least the one I have.

Merlin was building the Ariel before they were acquired by ABG and the QR branding. I have been riding an original Ariel for 7 years now that was welded in Cambridge, MA. I've upgraded it several times, Reynolds aero carbon fork, FSA/VT bars etc. Changed the seatpost out from this picture to a Thompson set back post turned around to gain the extra couple of degrees of seat angle.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Good looking ride. I will have to see if I can identify where it was made. My QR is a 1999 if I remember correctly, with DA 9 and Hed 3 Tubular front and rear. I just bought a set of Vision Trimax integrated bars that will upgrade my current profile setup. The goemetry certainly looks the same. I am considering doing the flipped Thomson setback post as well. I currently have my saddle all most all the way forward on my straight Thomson post.

I have the QR Aerial 650 (Merlin) I bought in fall of 2000 just when they stopped making it. It's been to IMH in 01, 04, 05. I love it & don't think I'll ever part with it. It handles really well & is quite responsive. In fact not long ago picked up a coupled QR Santo to use for training so I don't wear the Aerial out. I've made several changes to the Aerial including a Thomson masterpiece 0 degree seatpost, Selle Italia slr saddle, FSA cranks, Easton carbon attack bars (another thing I really love) & Oval 900 fork. Due to fitting issues from a 1" structural leg descrepancy I use the Richey Pro adjustable stem. Here are a couple of pics; one from IMH 05 & another with my training wheels on it for the nicer days.

Barb L

Also I just saw where this review was posted on May 6, 06 in the reviews on the duathlon.com site. Couldn't agree more.

A huge suprise!
I guess maybe I should not be suprised about just how good this bike is. I originally built this bike for a close friend of mine about a year ago. He purchaced it it on EBAY and it was just a little too small for him so it sat. I bought it from him to use as a training bike and rebuilt it for myself. I have 2 fine "aero" race bikes a P3SL and a P2. This bike is old school, round tubes, 78 degree seat post, a funny looking forward sloping geometry (the opposite of compact) and 3/2.5 Ti. I built it with DA 10spd and an FSA Mega Exo Compact Crankset. The result is pretty amazing. With a set of 650c Ksyrium wheels, it is every bit as fast as my P3 with HED3 wheels. I'm not sure if it is peculiar to me but the bike allows a position that I cannot acheive on my other bikes and its so comfortable. I go fairly fast on my solo training rides, 20+ MPH avg., and after 60 miles the other day I felt like I could just go do it again. They did not make many of these things, but if you ever come across one, buy it. It will last forever, its simple, fast and comfortable. If you need the bling of a new Carbon bike it won't fit the bill. But if comfort and getting across the finish line are important to you, this is your machine. Josh Rubin.