The Power Torque cups came in a week early so it took me a 30 minutes to install the cranks. Most of that time was spent looking for a 16 mm hex. It turned out one of my pullers had the right size so I used it. I really can't remember how I fit the last one. I must have had the same problem but maybe I took it into the local shop. All that is left to finish the bike is the chain, the control wires and the handlebar tape. It is presently 18.3 lbs.. So I suppose the all up weight is going to be a little over 19.5 lbs. Now I've been riding the other titanium bikes around and they are a bit over 20 lbs. So this bike isn't going to be a handicap. Especially since my 2018 Trek Emonda - their climbing bike - weighed 18.5 lbs. I had a Look KG 585 I think, that weighed 16 lbs even and I could not tell any difference between that and the Emonda. So, if you wanted to lighten this bike it would be very easy. Put on carbon cranks and wheels and you could easily knock off as much as a lb and make it lighter than my Trek.

I think that rather than weight, for anyone other than a pro racer, ride quality is probably more important. That is a tossup between the Merlin and the Airborne.

As this bike finishes completion I intend to then build the Eddy Merckx Elite Aluminum bike up. It is the best riding aluminum bike I rode before I got the Trek Alpha.

I managed to get a set of what looks like new Record 10 speed levers and Record Skeleton brakes. They shift exactly like new as well. So assembled the Merlin will not have to be adjusted every 3rd ride like used Record levers often need.

Strange thing, the 10 speeds have 28 tooth largest cog while the 11 spd is redesigned to carry as large as a 34 but I can't tell the difference other than you climb faster for what feels like the same effort. On extremely steep stuff the 32 does make it a small bit easier. But that may be me getting used to climbing hard stuff again.

On Monday, April 4, 2022 at 6:14:53 PM UTC-7, Tom Kunich wrote:
> The Power Torque cups came in a week early so it took me a 30 minutes to install the cranks. Most of that time was spent looking for a 16 mm hex. It turned out one of my pullers had the right size so I used it. I really can't remember how I fit the last one. I must have had the same problem but maybe I took it into the local shop. All that is left to finish the bike is the chain, the control wires and the handlebar tape. It is presently 18.3 lbs. So I suppose the all up weight is going to be a little over 19.5 lbs. Now I've been riding the other titanium bikes around and they are a bit over 20 lbs. So this bike isn't going to be a handicap. Especially since my 2018 Trek Emonda - their climbing bike - weighed 18.5 lbs. I had a Look KG 585 I think, that weighed 16 lbs even and I could not tell any difference between that and the Emonda. So, if you wanted to lighten this bike it would be very easy. Put on carbon cranks and wheels and you could easily knock off as much as a lb and make it lighter than my Trek.
>
> I think that rather than weight, for anyone other than a pro racer, ride quality is probably more important. That is a tossup between the Merlin and the Airborne.
>
> As this bike finishes completion I intend to then build the Eddy Merckx Elite Aluminum bike up. It is the best riding aluminum bike I rode before I got the Trek Alpha.
>
> I managed to get a set of what looks like new Record 10 speed levers and Record Skeleton brakes. They shift exactly like new as well. So assembled the Merlin will not have to be adjusted every 3rd ride like used Record levers often need.
>
> Strange thing, the 10 speeds have 28 tooth largest cog while the 11 spd is redesigned to carry as large as a 34 but I can't tell the difference other than you climb faster for what feels like the same effort. On extremely steep stuff the 32 does make it a small bit easier. But that may be me getting used to climbing hard stuff again.

I'm presently involved with my friend's family flying in from (originally NYC) Illinois. I finally got the real information from the neurologist and it is what I expected - he is functionally dead. There is no brain activity at all. They intend to ween him off of the ventilator and let nature take its course which will be within minutes after the removal of his ventilator. Not that his autonomic functions will be aware since he will be filled with morphine.

The day of the ride, I asked Will if he still had a roommate and he said yes. Turns out he hasn't had a roommate for years. So that tells me that he had probably a stroke during the night without his knowledge. While he was lying on the ground waiting for the ambulance and ERT he was foaming at the mouth, the sign of a seizure unrelated to the heart attack.

So, the results of his poor treatment of his body finally caught up with him. Don't let that happen to you.

On the Merlin front, I cleaned the factory lubricant off with my ultrasonic cleaner and waxed the chain in the hot pot long enough for the entire chain to come up to the temperature of the melt wax and penetrate the entire chain. Then hung it up to cool and dry. Today after touching bases with his sister and helping her break into his condo via a locksmith I can also make arrangements for her to get his Madone from me.

The remaining assembly of the Merlin is perhaps an hour's work and I can then post it on the marketplace. As usual, most people enquiring about one of my bikes for sale never contacted me again. I post mostly on Craigslist but I can see that I am going to have to put the bikes on Ebay where there are fewer idiots.

On Wed, 6 Apr 2022 07:07:15 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
<cyclintom@gmail.com> wrote:

>The remaining assembly of the Merlin is perhaps an hour's work and I can then post it on the marketplace. As usual, most people enquiring about one of my bikes for sale never contacted me again. I post mostly on Craigslist but I can see that I am going to have to put the bikes on Ebay where there are fewer idiots.

You only have one bicycle for sale on both Craigslist and eBay:
<https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/eby/bia?sort=pricedsc&query=san%20leandro>
<https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/d/san-leandro-2015-colnago-clx30-size-xl/7465855616.html>
<https://www.ebay.com/usr/tomk37>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 7:07:18 AM UTC-7, Tom Kunich wrote:
> On Monday, April 4, 2022 at 6:14:53 PM UTC-7, Tom Kunich wrote:
> > The Power Torque cups came in a week early so it took me a 30 minutes to install the cranks. Most of that time was spent looking for a 16 mm hex. It turned out one of my pullers had the right size so I used it. I really can't remember how I fit the last one. I must have had the same problem but maybe I took it into the local shop. All that is left to finish the bike is the chain, the control wires and the handlebar tape. It is presently 18.3 lbs. So I suppose the all up weight is going to be a little over 19.5 lbs. Now I've been riding the other titanium bikes around and they are a bit over 20 lbs. So this bike isn't going to be a handicap. Especially since my 2018 Trek Emonda - their climbing bike - weighed 18.5 lbs. I had a Look KG 585 I think, that weighed 16 lbs even and I could not tell any difference between that and the Emonda. So, if you wanted to lighten this bike it would be very easy. Put on carbon cranks and wheels and you could easily knock off as much as a lb and make it lighter than my Trek.
> >
> > I think that rather than weight, for anyone other than a pro racer, ride quality is probably more important. That is a tossup between the Merlin and the Airborne.
> >
> > As this bike finishes completion I intend to then build the Eddy Merckx Elite Aluminum bike up. It is the best riding aluminum bike I rode before I got the Trek Alpha.
> >
> > I managed to get a set of what looks like new Record 10 speed levers and Record Skeleton brakes. They shift exactly like new as well. So assembled the Merlin will not have to be adjusted every 3rd ride like used Record levers often need.
> >
> > Strange thing, the 10 speeds have 28 tooth largest cog while the 11 spd is redesigned to carry as large as a 34 but I can't tell the difference other than you climb faster for what feels like the same effort. On extremely steep stuff the 32 does make it a small bit easier. But that may be me getting used to climbing hard stuff again.
> I'm presently involved with my friend's family flying in from (originally NYC) Illinois. I finally got the real information from the neurologist and it is what I expected - he is functionally dead. There is no brain activity at all. They intend to ween him off of the ventilator and let nature take its course which will be within minutes after the removal of his ventilator. Not that his autonomic functions will be aware since he will be filled with morphine.
>
> The day of the ride, I asked Will if he still had a roommate and he said yes. Turns out he hasn't had a roommate for years. So that tells me that he had probably a stroke during the night without his knowledge. While he was lying on the ground waiting for the ambulance and ERT he was foaming at the mouth, the sign of a seizure unrelated to the heart attack.
>
> So, the results of his poor treatment of his body finally caught up with him. Don't let that happen to you.
>
> On the Merlin front, I cleaned the factory lubricant off with my ultrasonic cleaner and waxed the chain in the hot pot long enough for the entire chain to come up to the temperature of the melt wax and penetrate the entire chain. Then hung it up to cool and dry. Today after touching bases with his sister and helping her break into his condo via a locksmith I can also make arrangements for her to get his Madone from me.
>
> The remaining assembly of the Merlin is perhaps an hour's work and I can then post it on the marketplace. As usual, most people enquiring about one of my bikes for sale never contacted me again. I post mostly on Craigslist but I can see that I am going to have to put the bikes on Ebay where there are fewer idiots.

I only got to spend about 30 minutes on the Merlin yesterday since I had to get together with my friend's sister and plan out some things. He passed away around 5:30 pm yesterday and I'm trying to arrange a dinner for the group and Will's sister and niece. I'm also setting up packing and mailing his bike back to Illinois. Do i got up this morning and wrapped the handlebars.. Then I slow 25 miles to see if my new XXL gloves would work without killing my fingers (success) and if the Bontrager Montrose saddle would be comfortable. I guess I just can't get along with padding because the saddle felt real good for the first 10 miles and then got progressively worse.

So the superlight hard saddles seem to work the best.

And I appear to be back to a couple of years ago where I cannot maintain a cadence and have to stop pedaling every 20 or so strokes. I know this goes away when I get enough riding in and I haven't been doing that.

It turns out that the fitting on Power Torque cranks is not 16 mm. It is either 15 or 14 so I ordered a small fortune in large 1/2" drive metric Allen head sockets. I did have a way to tighten that fiting up so the socket wasn't necessary unless I wish to so it different next time.

I've been wondering - as far as I can tell, the 11 speed rear derailleur has the same spacing between gears and the same cable pull ratio. Does anyone know if you can install an 11 speed rear derailleur on 10 speed levers so that you can shift a 32 rather than a max of 28?