Came across this lovely, elderly Raleigh Merlin recently. 40 years old in amazing, original condition.
It’s a 5 speed with the Positron indexed Shimano system, alloy bars, stem, Weinmann centre-pull brakes & levers.
Has clearly been little used & stored very, very well. The gumwall Michelin World Tour tyres are original & look unused. The brake blocks tell a similar story. (But see below for more detail on this…)
The paint has a few minor nicks, but lovely overall. These decals are so easily damaged, but look 98% here.
Only negative is that the front guard has been damaged.
To date it has had a modest clean/service & done a few local miles. When it’s not raining: )
Can only say it rides & looks like a one year old. A lot of people say beware of the Positron early indexed system. Well, they should try this one then.
When I got the bike & checked it over before riding it, I didn’t notice the mis-aligned front LH brake pad. But it squealed loudly in use & I therefore looked more closely…
This pad was in that position from new. You can clearly see the tiny amount of wear on the rear portion of the pad. The shiny bit is untouched. Proof that this machine has very few miles on it from new!! Must have squealed so much it was left in the garage.
It is riding very well now, with its new Stainless Steel guards. I keep the old guards, just in case: )
