[Tracerboy]

Any of those nice frames with elevated stays also have forward facing semi horizontal drops? Or, full on horizontals?

I'd love to set a frame up like that.

But, alas, not Yeti Ultimate type of cash. So, any cheaper versions?

And, what are those super cool Merlins going for? And, where could I find one? (yeah, I know they're spendy)

 

[ssmike]

Virtually all are horizontal. And virtually all are more flexy than standard rear triangles which make ss use a bit more risky if the rear cog is swaying in relation to the front ring - especially on the ti frames. A Yet might be okay because they're pretty stout.

 

[Tracerboy]

A bit more flexy?

I'm 140 soaking wet, you think I'll twist it all up?

Any idea what those Merlins go for? And, what is the name of the frame?

 

[ssmike]

A bit more flexy?

I'm 140 soaking wet, you think I'll twist it all up?

Any idea what those Merlins go for? And, what is the name of the frame?

Then dry off and git going! E-stay Merlins? You're better off hooking up on an e-stay Yeti as far as the cash-ola goes. The Merlins get pretty pricy. I don't recall the last one that popped up on ebay but it wasn't too long ago. I don't remember a model name for them. I think it might have been pre-model names. They made a road frame, a mtn frame and then an elevated stay mountain frame. This was prior to the Extralite which was their first frame they actually named. I think.

Search for elevated Merlins here. There have been a few postings.

 

[ssmike]

Speaking of ti e-stay frames...

I unearthed this one yesterday. Litespeed made about 150-200 of these in the early 90s for Haro. I'm going to need to find a bunch of era appropriate XT parts and a Mag 21 now.

 

[Fillet-brazed]

I unearthed this one yesterday. Litespeed made about 150-200 of these in the early 90s for Haro. I'm going to need to find a bunch of era appropriate XT parts and a Mag 21 now.

Its hard to tell which end of that seattube the bb shell was supposed to go on.

 

[Tracerboy]

That is a nice looking frame!

What about Nishiki, didn't they do one?

I'm looking for a bit cheapers...

 

[ssmike]

That is a nice looking frame!

What about Nishiki, didn't they do one?

I'm looking for a bit cheapers...

The Nishiki was the Alien and it was crmo - the Richard Cunningham design. It was different that this one in that the guys at Haro did these kind of outside the loop of the Raleigh/Nishiki/Haro group scope. They had them made for team riders and then made a limited amount for sale. Most seemed to end up in the UK as there have been several on the ebay.uk site within the past half year or so.

F-B: Yeah, I'm wonering which end of the head tube the fork sticks out of

 

[Boy named SSue]

The Nishiki was the Alien and it was crmo - the Richard Cunningham design. It was different that this one in that the guys at Haro did these kind of outside the loop of the Raleigh/Nishiki/Haro group scope. They had them made for team riders and then made a limited amount for sale. Most seemed to end up in the UK as there have been several on the ebay.uk site within the past half year or so.

F-B: Yeah, I'm wonering which end of the head tube the fork sticks out of

Nishiki also made an aluminum/steel alien called the Alien ACX. It was another RC creation and had an aluminum front triangle and a bolt on steel rear triangle like that one Mantis. I was never fond of them back in the day but I found one a few months back for $30 and I am pretty impressed with the quality and the frame details. Seeing as the rear trianlge was steel for compliance, it might be a bit flexy for a SS.

I think Nishikis and Alpinestars are going to be the most affordable ones.

 

[Zanetti]

That is a nice looking frame!

What about Nishiki, didn't they do one?

I'm looking for a bit cheapers...

Nishiki made several e-stay bikes. I owned four of them back in the day -- Two Prestege Aliens and two Alien ALs. I broke one of the steel frames and also one alu frame too.

Like mentioned, there's the Alien ACX - Aluminum main triangle/CR-Mo rear

Then there's the Alien, full Tange Prestege CR-Mo, then later made from rectangle tubed aluminum, dubbed the Alien AL.

And of course, the Ariel, generic CR-Mo tubed e-stay bike priced a few hundred below the Ailen.

Edit: I think the cascade model had e-stays for a few years and was priced below the Ariel.

At the time, I thought they were such cool bikes. But looking back, they were such flexy POS frames, I'm glad I went back to double diamond frames by 1994.

 

[DeeEight]

Ediscountbike had a bunch of these on ebay a year or so back...they're basically the old Rocky Mountain Cirrus frame jigs, rendered in 6061T6 (instead of 7005T6), with a slight geometry update for suspension forks, and also not being a bare aluminium clearcoated finish. A friend is running one as a singlespeed.

 

[NuMexJoe]

At 140, you'd probably be OK. But I'm 200# and I weight-train as my other hobby, so I could see some frame cracking being in my future if I ran an E-stay bike as SS. That's why I sold my Merlin. I replied to your email from earlier.
- Joe

 

[Rumpfy]

Any of those nice frames with elevated stays also have forward facing semi horizontal drops? Or, full on horizontals?

I'd love to set a frame up like that.

But, alas, not Yeti Ultimate type of cash. So, any cheaper versions?

And, what are those super cool Merlins going for? And, where could I find one? (yeah, I know they're spendy)

Using 'cheap' and 'merlin' in the same post. You're silly.

Here's E-say, cheap, and local:
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/114943104.html

 

[nwmtb]

another fairly decent looking one over at that one auction place:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1989-Ha...200593520QQcategoryZ98083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

later, Chad

 

[Rumpfy]

another fairly decent looking one over at that one auction place:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1989-Ha...200593520QQcategoryZ98083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

later, Chad

Or buy one for $80
http://www.craigslist.org/eby/bik/115471583.html

 

[Tracerboy]

You guys rock. Thanks.


Now, if only the local Haro was the paint scheme of the Ebay one...

 

[Rumpfy]

You guys rock. Thanks.

Now, if only the local Haro was the paint scheme of the Ebay one...

Picky, picky.

 

[dirtdrop]

Why not finish building that ti Retrotec of yours first