Merlin Malt 1

misterdun

Am looking to buy a new hardtail with a maximum budget of £700. I had my heart set on a Rockhopper Comp but have now just read reviews for the Merlin Malt 1 which with their current on-line deals would inlcude Recon SL forks for this price. My issue is that I can test the RH at a local shop but would be a 450mile roundtrip to try out the Malt. Is it worth risking the sizing etc? I live in Bury St Edmunds and don't know if they have any other outlets at all?

alfablue

The Merlin is good vfm, you could look at it this way, if you buy it and the size is wrong you can return it (unused) and get a different size. This will cost you 2 delivery charges, maybe £50-£60 total. If you drove the 450 mile round trip it might cost you £45-£70 depending on your car, so maybe the risk is not so great. Of course it may fit fine and you don't incur the extra cost.

My g/f currently has a Rock Lobster on order from them, the round trip for us would be nearer 600 miles, so it seems a risk worth taking. The bike is unbeatable at the price.

If you get the geometry for the bikes you can compare this to a known bike and maybe estimate your required size reasonably well.

fcumok

Give Merlin a ring and they should be able to advise you on the correct size. I bought a Malt frame after Christmas and the size is spot on.

blablablacksheep

tbh merlin do sell good bikes but atm their prices and spec isnt as good as it used to be so there isnt a big differance between them



have you considered the focus black forest bike?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 360037562/

it been on this forum a few times and from people say it a VERY good bike with an amazing fork for the price.

id consider the wiggle black forest more than the merlin bike as the value for money isnt as good with merlin as the wiggle forest bike with its fox fork and the kit you get with it.

search the forum there a few posts about guys who got black forest and love it.

Captain Turok

It's true the value of Merlin bikes doesn't seem as good at the mo.

But another reason for picking one IMO, is the way they build them up. Don't think I've ever read a review on one of these bikes where they didn't comment on it in some way..

misterdun

The Focus does look pretty sweet, I guess the only thing is people ALWAYS say ride it before you buy it but there is no way round that here. I have seen people recommending the RH alot before but is it worth spending that little bit extra on the Focus?

GSDog

I have the Focus Black Forest and it is an awesome bike, you get a lot for your money.
Wiggle do a 7 day test ride so if you're not happy with the bike for whatever reason you can send it back within 7 days.
More info here;
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/h/option/testride

They have a sizing chart on their website which seems pretty accurate. I am 6'1" and went for the L frame which is perfect size.

The only thing I am going to upgrade is the pedals, everything else is staying as it is for now because I am so pleased with it.
Wiggle set it up very well too and were helpful.

It's definitely worth considering especially with the 25% off offer which could be ending soon.

Let me know if you have any questions or want pics, etc.

misterdun

Thanks GSDog, what other bikes did you consider/test before settling on this one, my friend recommended the RH as I am just under 6ft and have long arms and legs (well not abnormally long) and thought the layout would suit me.

GSDog

Initially my budget was around £400 and I considered the Carrera Fury and the GT Avalanche 1.0 disk but I wanted something a bit lighter and more towards XC.

I then upped my budget and started looking at bikes around the £600-700 mark. I looked at the Merlin Malt 1 which had loads of great reviews but I felt it wasn't such a good deal anymore since the reviews and I didn't like the look of it.

I then went to my LBS and the only decent bike they had around my price range was the Specialized rockhopper comp but I didn't like the look of the frame and it just didn't feel right to me. I'm not sure exactly what it was, it just didn't feel right for me...

I looked at a load of other bikes such as the Cube Acid but they had poor forks which put me off.

Then I saw a thread here on the forums about the Focus Black Forest which looked very good for the price. I waited until someone bought one to hear feedback, etc. then went ahead and ordered it and I'm very pleased I did.
As soon as I unboxed it and took it out it just felt right straight away.

The only other bike that I wanted to test was the Boardman Comp from Halfords but they didn't have any available to try and I've had bad experiences with my local Halfords in the past.
I think it is worth trying out though, Boardman bikes have been getting decent reviews recently and it looks like a decent spec for the price.

blablablacksheep

what is the black forest frame like?

i got a rockhopper and so far i think the specialized frame very very good and very light, so far havent seen a better one for the under 700 pound mark.

is it like a GT 1.0 avalanche frame?

owen908

My mate has got a Merlin Malt one. The spec is good for the price but as mentioned earlier in the thread now the price hikes have come into affect it doesnt seem like much of a good buy. The cockpit felt a little cramped when i had a go and downhill it was bloody scary! Seemed to be very twitchy. However it was good uphill and seemed to be very quick to react and steer, just maybe abit to much for me.

GSDog

blablablacksheep wrote:

what is the black forest frame like?

i got a rockhopper and so far i think the specialized frame very very good and very light, so far havent seen a better one for the under 700 pound mark.

is it like a GT 1.0 avalanche frame?

I'm not an expert but the frame feels spot on. The geometry feels just right and it is very light and well built.
I never actually tried out the GT Avalanche but I think the frame is quite different with the 'triple triangle' design.
The rockhopper frame was very light. I personally didn't like the design of it but that comes down to personal choice. It is a good frame though and the rockhopper was one of my top 3 choices. In the end the better forks and look of the Focus is what swayed me.

I got a pic of the bike when I first got it so you can see what the frame, etc. is like.
I didn't like the pedals much so I have ordered some Wellgo MG1's instead which should arrive tomorrow.

red09

I know naff all about bikes (but I'm learning)

That's one nice looking bike ye got there mister.

giz a go :P

blablablacksheep

what was the final spec then you got? good value though the fork i think is like 500 quid alone..

GSDog

blablablacksheep wrote:

what was the final spec then you got? good value though the fork i think is like 500 quid alone..

The spec was exactly the same as the one shown on the Wiggle website.

I think one guy on here got an SLX front mech on his (lucky ****!)

Clockworkali

HI misterdun

I live near Bury St Edmunds and one of the best shops near by are JT Cycles just outside Ely. They deal in Merida bikes and are about 15% cheaper than the internet.

I had my eyes on the 900d but decided to get a new Boardman Pro ht 08 and its fantastic. The spec is very high and i managed to get it for £765.