Anyone have a Rock Lobster Team Tig SL from Merlin Cycles?

[Chris Brown]

Hi,

I'm on the market for a £1000 hardtail to use for XC and commuting and have found the Rock Lobster
Team Tig SL from Merlin Cycles for £959 with the following:

"frame is built from Easton Elite tubing to give a very light frameset. Forks are 2004 Marzocchi MX
Comp. Groupset is full XT with the added feature of Hope Mini disc brakes front and rear. Easton
EA50 bars, stem and seatpost. Wheels- XT disc hubs with Mavic XC717 silver disc rims fitted with
Panaracer Fire XC tyres."

The bike weighs 26lbs. I would upgrade the forks to MX Pro ETA.

This looks like a super spec for the money. The only problem is that I am in Cambridge and they
are 200 miles away in Lancashire. I'm a bit nervous about spending so much money for a bike I
haven't seen!

Does anyone living in East Anglia, the Midlands or the SE have one of these bikes that they would be
willing to let me have a look at?

Anyone have any comments about the bike, its components, or Merlin?

Cheers,

Chris Brown
--
Remove the numbers from my email address to reply.

 

[Sarissa]

I bought a similar MTB from Merlin almost 2 years ago - reynolds 853 frame , same fork as you intend
to get with an LX/XT mix and the same brakes. The bike has taken everything I could (ineptly) throw
at it from desert and rocky trails in Morrocco to purpose built Mtb circuits in Mabie Forest. I
especially like its agility and utterly dependable braking performance. No quibbles about quality or
initial setup either.

Go for it - you'll be glad you did!

Sarissa

Chris Brown wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm on the market for a £1000 hardtail to use for XC and commuting and have found the Rock Lobster
> Team Tig SL from Merlin Cycles for £959 with the following:
>
> "frame is built from Easton Elite tubing to give a very light frameset. Forks are 2004 Marzocchi
> MX Comp. Groupset is full XT with the added feature of Hope Mini disc brakes front and rear.
> Easton EA50 bars, stem and seatpost. Wheels- XT disc hubs with Mavic XC717 silver disc rims fitted
> with Panaracer Fire XC tyres."
>
> The bike weighs 26lbs. I would upgrade the forks to MX Pro ETA.
>
> This looks like a super spec for the money. The only problem is that I am in Cambridge and they
> are 200 miles away in Lancashire. I'm a bit nervous about spending so much money for a bike I
> haven't seen!
>
> Does anyone living in East Anglia, the Midlands or the SE have one of these bikes that they would
> be willing to let me have a look at?
>
> Anyone have any comments about the bike, its components, or Merlin?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Chris Brown
> --
> Remove the numbers from my email address to reply.

 

[Zaphod]

[email protected] (Chris Brown) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi,
>
> I'm on the market for a £1000 hardtail to use for XC and commuting and have found the Rock Lobster
> Team Tig SL from Merlin Cycles for £959 with the following:
<..>
> Anyone have any comments about the bike, its components, or Merlin?

I've had one for a couple of years- 853 frame, XT groupset, 'zocchi forks. It's a sensibly designed,
fairly traditional hardtail frame, ideal for my combined XC/commuting use. Worth checking for
rack/mudguard mounting points though- mine doesn't have any, which means I have to use a rucksack..

No complaints at all, excellent bike, sensibly priced and very good service from Merlin. Buy one.

z

 

[Ben]

On 23 Feb 2004 07:16:19 -0800, [email protected] (Chris
Brown) wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I'm on the market for a £1000 hardtail to use for XC and commuting and have found the Rock Lobster
>Team Tig SL from Merlin Cycles for £959 with the following:
>
>"frame is built from Easton Elite tubing to give a very light frameset. Forks are 2004 Marzocchi MX
>Comp. Groupset is full XT with the added feature of Hope Mini disc brakes front and rear. Easton
>EA50 bars, stem and seatpost. Wheels- XT disc hubs with Mavic XC717 silver disc rims fitted with
>Panaracer Fire XC tyres."
>
>The bike weighs 26lbs. I would upgrade the forks to MX Pro ETA.
>
>This looks like a super spec for the money. The only problem is that I am in Cambridge and they
>are 200 miles away in Lancashire. I'm a bit nervous about spending so much money for a bike I
>haven't seen!
>
>Does anyone living in East Anglia, the Midlands or the SE have one of these bikes that they would
>be willing to let me have a look at?
>
>Anyone have any comments about the bike, its components, or Merlin?

Some slightly indirect comments I hope are of use...

...I bought a Rock Lobster 853 frame from Merlin in the middle of last year. The quality of the
frame for the money is extremely good. Well built, good paintwork, nice touches like Ritchey
dropouts. Good, strong, light steel frame basically, ok so you're looking at the aluminium one but
the build quality is going to be the same and the weight is too, I think.

On the Merlin Cycles front... I've ordered a fair few bits an pieces from them, the service has
always been prompt, the goods well packaged and the prices very good. If I was every going to buy a
built bike I'd seriously consider them, as it is I'll probably always build my own, but they'll be
on my list of suppliers.