2017 Merlin Empire Road Bike w full Enve & Campy 80th Group

Merlin Empire Carbon Frame. Hand built in Italy from Sarto.
Frame Size: 57 cm

Comes with Limited Edition Campagnolo 80th Anniversary Groupset
Enve stealth bars, stem, seatpost. Prologo saddle.
Enve 3.4 Smart Clincher Wheelset with black Chris King R45 hubs.

Easily a $10K-$12K USD build here.

*Pedals and toolkit not included.

Ridiculously light, fast and beautiful execution of one of the last hand built in Italy frames.

Only 1000 km's of use (half a season in 2016), almost brand new, pristine condition.


About the Merlin Empire:

It's common for any new project's name to evolve with the development process, with the final selection organically arising near final production. So when you have a label known as much for its manufacturing material of choice as its actual machines, it's crucial that any departure from the norm wears a title to match. That said, enter the Empire. Standing as Merlin's maiden voyage into the carbon realm, it comes fully armed with the engineering prowess revered by so many, along with a platform that's been built from the ground up by a team of cyclists and composite experts determined to deliver the best carbon road machine on the planet.

The new design pays homage to Empire Pass, one of the most difficult climbs in North America, which served as prime testing grounds for the new this UCI-approved, EN-certified frameset. Coming from the world of titanium, Merlin knew that the root of any sound frame design begins not only with material selection, but also tube shape. So, for its inaugural carbon fiber endeavor, Merlin's US design team partnered with a group of Italy's top carbon engineers at for the handmade construction of the Empire.

First glance reveals that, while not titanium, the Empire's sleek tubes flow in a manner reminiscent of metal. Absent are the aggressive swoops and curves commonplace on so many of today's road bikes, which, to Merlin, are seen as unnecessary to the overall function of the machine. Starting with the most obvious in appearance, the Empire's pencil-thin seatstays draw inspiration from those of the Extralight, but carry a modern ovalized curvature. These have been paired with chainstays that flow from the dropouts into stout, box-section tubes as they move into the bottom bracket junction, resulting in a rear triangle that provides the tuned-compliance necessary for hours in the saddle, along with incredible torsional rigidity.

The bottom bracket itself wears an oversized BB86 profile, contributing to an ultra-stiff platform that directs pedaling forces directly to the rear wheel. From this junction, the Empire's large down tube moves up to the tapered, 1 1/2 to 1 1/8in head tube, which is responsible for its rock-solid tracking and stability at speed. Supplementing this razor-sharp handling is ENVE's Road 2.0 fork, which has been given a custom graphic treatment to perfectly match the Empire's stealthy matte-carbon finish.

Continuing with the Merlin tradition is the iconic metal head badge, but the Empire gets the royal treatment in that every one is handmade in Pennsylvania. The details continue, complete with a Thomson seatpost collar, replaceable hanger with ultra-rigid sandwiched construction, internal cable routing, and clean graphics throughout.

The build kit is equally impressive, as Merlin paired the Empire with ENVE's proven ultra-light Smart System 3.4 Carbon Road Wheelset, road handlebar, seatpost, and stem, along with the previously mentioned 2.0 fork.

For the drivetrain, Campagnolo 80th Anniversary 11-speed mechanicle group received the nod, complete with a compact (50/34t) crankset. The machine rolls on Schalbe One clincher tires.