Introducing the newest addition to my stable

As of today, I am the proud owner of a 2004 Merlin Camena! This is Merlin's women's specific model; its frame was designed by Tom Kellogg. The frame is titanium with carbon seatstays, and yes, it rides like a dream. I knew from the first pedal stroke that I was going to end up buying the bike. :cool: Components are a mixture of Dura Ace and Ultegra. The previous owner outfitted her with a Kestrel carbon fork and Spinergy wheels.

I can't wait to get her home and clean her up. I have an appointment on Friday to dial in the stem setting.

I'll try to post pics after I clean her up. In the meantime, here are some pics from the Merlin site:

Profile view:
http://www.merlinbike.com/images/2005/camena_lg.jpg

(Head) Badges?! We don't need no stinkin' (head) badges! ;)
http://www.merlinbike.com/images/200...a_htube_lg.jpg

Engraving by bottom bracket:
http://www.merlinbike.com/images/bik...bracket_lg.jpg

I wish they had a shot of the hourglass-shaped seatstays -- it looks really sexy!

I now own 4 bikes -- I think I am now officially a bike addict. Since the first step is admitting you have a problem, I guess I'm on my way to recovery. But no, I have no intention of selling any of my bikes.

That's one gorgeous bike. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

That's really beautiful!! Congratulations!

its one of the bikes I really wanted. They are just so luscious. years ago, I settled for the next best thing, a Litespeed.

BTW, I love the old world touch of engraving. So beautiful.

Enjoy the bike.

That is a G O R G E O U S bike. You must be very proud! Congratulations!!

Beeee-ooooo-ti-ful!!!!!!

Absolutely delicious! Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyy

lovely!!!!!

Nice!!! :D

Alex

Can't wait to see pics of YOURS! Congrats... it really is pretty Sexy!

that is a good looking bike with a nice set of parts.

Oh wow, now I want one! That engraving is gorgeous! Very nice.

Awesome. If you love your Merlin half as much as I love mine, you are going to be one happy lady!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by melissam

I wish they had a shot of the hourglass-shaped seatstays -- it looks really sexy!

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Are they like these? Those seat stays are were a huge factor in my decision to get a Spectrum. Tom sent me this picture when I asked for a better view of the seatstays; I knew I didn't want straight ones.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...mPIC000021.jpg

Bubba is gonna be so jealous. He lusts after the engraved Merlins.

Ohhh, that's purty. Congrats.

SK--I know you had some discussion on RBR about curved seatstays when you were trying to pick a builder, but could you explain their benefit to me. I may be having my own conversation about it with Tom one of these days. :)

That is one helluva nice looking bike. Is that yours or are you waiting on your bike from Spectrum? Mine in a Kellogg designed Merlin and now you have me scratching me head over whether it has the curved seatstays.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...mPIC000021.jpg

Wow!:)

Wow - what a great find and a great addition to any stable. Anxious to see pictures and to hear ride reports.

Thanks for all the well wishes! As I read your responses, so many things popped into my mind -- I feel like I could have a conversation with each of you.

BleeckerSt_Girl -- I've been meaning to tell you - your Luna is a mighty sharp bike! Hopefully you've been able to put many happy miles on her.

dachshund -- hey, I see you're getting a Seven from Chris Robinson. Have you spec'd it out? When's the delivery date?

smilingcat -- a Litespeed is certainly no slouch. I haven't had the chance to ride the Merlin after the test ride, but luscious is a great description for its ride and looks.

sundial -- I can't tell you how extremely fortunate I feel to have found this bike. Found it on craigslist. I rarely find a bike in my size (thank God, or I'd have a gazillion bikes). This bike was the right size, right material, and the seller was within walking distance of my workplace. It was pretty much meant to be.

KnottedYet -- I hear congratulations are in order to you & Trek!

Bad JuJu -- Delicious indeed! And luscious too!!

jesvetmed -- alas, no pics yet. Soon!

madscot13 -- Good job on building up your bike -- I see that you picked out some mighty fine components and hope you're enjoying your steed.

aka_kim -- welcome back from Colorado you slacker. ;)

ilima -- what kind of Merlin do you have?

SadieKate -- The seat stays are shaped exactly like the ones in the picture you attached. Well, except they're a lot shorter. And they're a combo of ti and carbon. And there's a little bit of engraving right where the ti meets the carbon. But that pic! OMG - I want *that* bike too!

Oh, and tell Bubba that he can borrow my Merlin any time. He can fit on an XS frame, right? :)

indysteel -- sounds like you might be getting a Spectrum build. I'll watch for it right here on TE.

Ann G & KatyLady -- Pics and ride reports coming soon. (Work permitting.)

- Melissa

No, that is not my Spectrum and I won't post a pic here because this thread is about the glory that is melissam's new Camena which should have the same stays (edited to add) but in carbon and ti.

Indy, the discussions were on the Serotta forum where Tom and Dave Kirk have both articulated the merits of curved stays far better than I could. It's pretty easy to find them, but PM me if they don't show up on a search.

SK,

Feel free to post a pic of your Spectrum here! When I saw the pic you posted, I had to find the pic of your bike to remind myself of the color scheme, etc. that you chose. That is one gorgeous bike!

- Mel

Okay, here she is. Still without a name.

I might be swapping out the Record crank for a TA Carmina so I can run a smaller middle ring more appropriate to these hills.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...8_07010058.jpg

Hey! What's this picture of the Spectrum doing in my Camena's thread?!?!

Just kidding! :)

SadieKate, I said it before and I'll say it again: that's one gorgeous bike! Tom Kellogg does beautiful work.

What kind of gears are you running? 52-42-30 in the front? What cassette?

The Camena has a 53-39-30 in the front and a 12-27 in the back. You know what else? She has a Dura Ace crank arm on the right side and an Ultegra crank arm on the left. :confused: The PO said she swapped out the double for a triple. When she did that, she may have gone from Ultegra to Dura Ace on the crankset, but didn't swap out the left crank arm.

Melissam - congratulations on the new bike. That sure is a beauty.:)

Ah, sweet!

Bummer about the crankset though - hope you get it sorted (or that it's innocuous and just something that makes the bike YOURS ;))

Quote:

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Originally Posted by melissam

dachshund -- hey, I see you're getting a Seven from Chris Robinson. Have you spec'd it out? When's the delivery date?

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Yes ma'am I am, thanks for asking. We're about to put in the order for the frame. I guess it'll be done sometime in August. I have Chris's recommendations on the components, which I'm researching now. Campy for me, it looks like Centaur for the most part. I may try a compact double... or not. :p Fortunately I feel well-versed on this topic, largely due to the help of one SadieKate, who is a walking encyclopedia on gearing. Madame, thank you very much! Wheels are a different story. (I'm referring to my lack of knowledge, not SK's.) Wheels are just the big round things that decorate the ends of the bike. Now I'm reading about wheels.

Wow - Friday yours will be done? So we know what you're doing over the 4th! :D

OK, as promised, here are some pics of the Merlin and her stablemates. Disclaimer: the quality of these shots pales in comparison to the ones that SadieKate uploaded. Oh well, I won't quit my day job!

Shot #1: a profile view of my Merlin. I'm going to swap out the stem and find shims for the brake levers. We'll see how I feel about the saddle -- it might be in the TE For Sale section.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0Yok...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #2: Seatstay - where titanium meets carbon. Look at the engraving!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0Yo0...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #3: Hourglass shaped seatstays. One day I hope to get a nice pic of this.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0YpK...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #4: Camena decal. Engraved headtube in foreground and Merlin logo on the seat tube collar.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0YpT...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #5: Napoleon - my faithful steed during the AIDS/Lifecycle Ride! Will be getting new handlebars and bar tape this weekend, as these hurt my hands when I brake while in the drops. (Yes, it took me 4 years to figure this out.)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0Zfi...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #5: My bonecrusher, er, I mean Bianchi. Faithful trainer bike. Look at that lugged steel goodness!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0YrN...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #6: My stable of 3 road bikes.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0Yru...JPG?imgmax=512

Shot #7: A photo shoot wouldn't be complete without Gizmo!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/moose964/SG0YpJ...JPG?imgmax=512

That is a very nice stable of bikes you have there. And your pup is cute, too. I think you will love the Camena.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by melissam

ilima -- what kind of Merlin do you have?

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I have a Merlin Atreus. It was only made for 2005 and then morphed into the Works line. I got it for a pretty good end of the year deal.

Gorgeous, just gorgeous. Love the paint job; nice touch on the fork. She definitely deserves a nice name!

My Merlin is bare Ti, but I'd like to have the front end painted some time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by melissam

Hey! What's this picture of the Spectrum doing in my Camena's thread?!?!

Just kidding! :)

SadieKate, I said it before and I'll say it again: that's one gorgeous bike! Tom Kellogg does beautiful work.

What kind of gears are you running? 52-42-30 in the front? What cassette?

The Camena has a 53-39-30 in the front and a 12-27 in the back. You know what else? She has a Dura Ace crank arm on the right side and an Ultegra crank arm on the left. :confused: The PO said she swapped out the double for a triple. When she did that, she may have gone from Ultegra to Dura Ace on the crankset, but didn't swap out the left crank arm.

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Nice stable there! The Camena is very, very classy.

Wow, weird on the crank. Did you contact the seller about that? I'd feel a little cranky about that (pun intended). However, if you post over on the Serotta forum that you're looking for left arm, someone just might have something. That group has an amazing collection of "stuff" stored up. Guess I shouldn't talk.

If you want to know more than you really want about my crank situation on that bike, read here:
http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthr...ghlight=cranky

I'm running a 26-40-50 Record crank and will probably be replacing it with a TA so I can run 26-36-50. I bet your custom crank will use TA rings because you can get so many sizes in so many BCDs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dachshund

Yes ma'am I am, thanks for asking. We're about to put in the order for the frame. I guess it'll be done sometime in August. I have Chris's recommendations on the components, which I'm researching now. Campy for me, it looks like Centaur for the most part. I may try a compact double... or not. :p Fortunately I feel well-versed on this topic, largely due to the help of one SadieKate, who is a walking encyclopedia on gearing. Madame, thank you very much! Wheels are a different story. (I'm referring to my lack of knowledge, not SK's.) Wheels are just the big round things that decorate the ends of the bike. Now I'm reading about wheels.

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Ah, shucks. Thanks, ma'am. Your can read my thread over on Serotta about the Carmina crank if you really want to make your head swim.

Next to the frame, wheels are the next most important choice for ride quality. Consider carefully, especially since you're a lightweight (no pun intended here).:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trekhawk

Melissam - congratulations on the new bike. That sure is a beauty.:)

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Trek -- hey, good to hear from you! I hope you're enjoying life down under!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Ah, sweet!

Bummer about the crankset though - hope you get it sorted (or that it's innocuous and just something that makes the bike YOURS ;))

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I'm more embarrassed that I didn't notice it when I was test riding, checking the bike out. It seems rather harmless -- didn't notice any issues during the test ride. Besides, I'm in the process of getting a custom crankset due to my leg length discrepancy, so the whole thing's likely to get replaced.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dachshund

Yes ma'am I am, thanks for asking. We're about to put in the order for the frame. I guess it'll be done sometime in August. I have Chris's recommendations on the components, which I'm researching now. Campy for me, it looks like Centaur for the most part. I may try a compact double... or not. :p Fortunately I feel well-versed on this topic, largely due to the help of one SadieKate, who is a walking encyclopedia on gearing. Madame, thank you very much! Wheels are a different story. (I'm referring to my lack of knowledge, not SK's.) Wheels are just the big round things that decorate the ends of the bike. Now I'm reading about wheels.

Wow - Friday yours will be done? So we know what you're doing over the 4th! :D

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Friday I'm getting the fit dialed in. We think that since the Camena has a shorter top tube than my Trek, I can use a longer stem and the bike will handle better. Funny, I really don't have any complaints about my Trek or its handling. But hey, if it can be even better, who am I to argue!

What kind of wheels are you thinking of getting? I'm pretty sure that SK can give good wheel advice as well as gearing advice...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ilima

That is a very nice stable of bikes you have there. And your pup is cute, too. I think you will love the Camena.

I have a Merlin Atreus. It was only made for 2005 and then morphed into the Works line. I got it for a pretty good end of the year deal.

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Thanks, ilima -- I'll let Gizmo know that you've joined his fan club! Atreus - very nice! I had to go to the Merlin site to check it out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

Nice stable there! The Camena is very, very classy.

Wow, weird on the crank. Did you contact the seller about that? I'd feel a little cranky about that (pun intended). However, if you post over on the Serotta forum that you're looking for left arm, someone just might have something. That group has an amazing collection of "stuff" stored up. Guess I shouldn't talk.

If you want to know more than you really want about my crank situation on that bike, read here:
http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthr...ghlight=cranky

I'm running a 26-40-50 Record crank and will probably be replacing it with a TA so I can run 26-36-50. I bet your custom crank will use TA rings because you can get so many sizes in so many BCDs.

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SK, thanks for the tip on the Serotta forum. I think the whole thing will be replaced by the custom crankset, so I'm not that worried about it. (Which reminds me, I should call Tom Slocum and see if I get a discount for a second custom crankset. It's only money, right?)

Hey, Tom makes custom chainrings - you could probably get a 36 from him. Not sure how far along you are in switching out your crankset, but just in case, here's a link to his chainring page:
http://www.hscycle.com/Pages/chainring.html

Looks like he uses FSA rings or makes his own.

While we're waiting for the - Ahem - report from milissam,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

Ah, shucks. Thanks, ma'am. Your can read my thread over on Serotta about the Carmina crank if you really want to make your head swim.

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I am... it is. :rolleyes: Glad to see you got that Bocce ball thing under control. :D But I digress.

Quote:

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Next to the frame, wheels are the next most important choice for ride quality. Consider carefully, especially since you're a lightweight (no pun intended here).:)

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Yes, that's next.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dachshund

While we're waiting for the - Ahem - report from milissam,

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I have a great report to give, but it'll have to wait as we're about to have a party at our house!