By The Takeaway: Merlin's gravel bike is everything you want - quick handling yet stable in rough terrain; efficient feeling yet all-day comfortable.
- Who’s It For: Riders who want a premium, American-made bike that will last for as long as they can swing a leg over the saddle.
- What We Love: Tight handling characteristics mean this gravel bike still feels sharp when riding on pavement.
- Something We Don’t: The 42x32 low gear can be limiting for long, steep climbs.
Price: $7,500 (as tested)
Weight: 19.3 lb. (size XXL)
If you've been around the bike world for a while, Merlin is a very familiar name. If you're newer to cycling, here's what you need to know about. In the 1990s, titanium was the hottest material, and Merlin built the most desirable frames in the world, renowned for their perfect welds and smooth ride.
Titanium's moment was short, and carbon soon took its place as the most premier frame material. Merlin stumbled, changed hands a few times, and even went away for a while. Recently resurrected by the loving arms of Janus Cycle Group (the parent company that also owns Dean titanium bikes), Merlin's owners are working diligently to try and re-establish Merlin as the preeminent builder of American-made titanium bikes.
Built from oversized 3-2.5 round titanium tubes, the Sandstone is everything you want from a titanium gravel bike. It's light, and offers a supple and springy ride that takes the edge off road vibrations. And in keeping with gravel zeitgeist, it has oodles of tire clearance—up to 48mm tires on 700c hoops. The Knight carbon clinchers on this review bike give it a racey kind of vibe, as does the surprisingly quick handling characteristics. This isn't a long and low bike meant to dull the ride, it's bike that's designed to be pushed as hard as a racer dares. But because it's titanium, it's all-day comfortable for a casual rider as well.
Custom Geometry for No Up-charge
In a world where most high-end road bikes have moved on to carbon, gravel's demands are well-suited to the characteristics of titanium. Stiff yet springy, 3-2.5 titanium offers strength and durability that aluminum can't match, and weight savings that steel struggles to combat.
A Merlin's tubes get their shape through a process called cold working, whereby they start with straight and round tubes but are bent and swaged at low temperature into the desired shape. Merlin's representatives claims this increases the tensile strength of the tube. Additionally, they assert that the bead blasting process employed to give the frame its satin finish hardens the exterior more than a brushed, glossy finish.
Merlin Sandstone Detail Gallery
Flared Handlebar
The compact drop bar is slightly flared, but not excessively so.
Internal Routing
Internal routing looks great and keeps cables from rattling on rough terrain.
ENVE Fork
ENVE's G-Series Gravel fork looks sharp and offers plenty of tire clearance.
Big Clearance
The frame and fork will fit 700c tires up to 48mm wide.
1x Drivetrain
The simplicity of a 1x drivetrain for gravel is hard to argue with.
There are six stock sizes—extra small through double extra large—but Merlin does something cool with its sizing: They offer custom geometry at no additional charge. Merlin isn't the only brand that offers this freebie, but it's still surprising and welcome.
You can schedule an in-person fitting at the Merlin/Dean factory in Boulder, Colorado, or send in your measurements from a system such as Retul and Guru. If neither of those options work for you, Merlin will send you a Body Measurement Assessment form to help create your custom ride.
They also don't up-charge if you want a glossy, brushed finish instead of the stock satin finish. Nor do they bump up the price if you wish to add rack and fender mounts, or internal cable routing. And even though the bikes comes standard with 700c wheels, just let the team at Merlin know if you'd like the option to use 650b as well and they'll tweak the design for you (you can use 650b on the bike as it is, but the bottom bracket will be lower than is ideal). One of the few add-ons that will get you a surcharge is the addition of S&S couplers.
Other options when buying this bike include the choice between a 27.2 or 31.6 seat tube (31.6 is preferred if you want to use a dropper seatpost). And even though this bike is set up with a 1x drivetrain, you can easily mount a front derailleur if you wish to have two chainrings.
The Sandstone also boasts massive tire clearance - the roomy rear triangle and ENVE G-Series Gravel fork allow for tires up to 48mm wide on 700c wheels.
SRAM Force 1x and Knight Carbon Hoops
Though not shown on Merlin's website, complete bikes are available. "We want to build the clients bike to the level that works best for them," said Merlin's brand mangager Brad Swaim.
Parts on our review bike included a SRAM Force 1x drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes. The 42t chainring and 11-32 cassette is a combination we typically find on cyclocross bikes, giving riders limited options on the low end of the spectrum. If you like to spin up steep climbs, you'll need to make some adjustments to the gearing.
Knight 35 Disc Clincher TLA carbon wheels - tubeless ready, with their silver decals and matte black finish, look sharp against the gunmetal grey of the satin finish of the frame. They're also light and stiff, adding to the racy feel of this bike. Compact drop bars with a subtle flare are almost standard on gravel bikes by now, and this bike also sports an aluminum stem and seat post from Deda. Price for the bike shown here is $7,500 according to a Merlin representative.
Sandstone Family
You can order an unplugged Sandstone frameset for $2,800. But if you want a little more pep in your pedal, order the Sandstone with the optional Bosch motor and battery. This jumps the frameset price to $4,450; custom geometry and many options are free, just like its unplugged sibling.
Quickly, Lively, and Sparks Joy
I have a decidedly old-school slant to my bike preferences, and because I'm not that far removed from my racing days, I still prefer an aggressive riding position and fast-handling bikes. Bikes with short reach, high stack, and dulled handling certainly have their place, but this isn't one of those.
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While the Sandtone does favor a riding position that's a little shorter and higher than a road racing position, it is still aggressive by gravel standards. 68mm of bottom bracket drop on the two largest sizes isn't uncommon on road bikes, but longer 438mm chainstays add an excellent level of stability and security on rough and uneven terrain.
High-Performance Feel with All-Day Comfort
Whereas early gravel bikes felt like sluggish and lazy road bikes with big tire clearance, the Sandstone is part of a growing number of gravel bikes that are quicker handling, and more like a race-influenced road bike. This bike drives like a racing bike designed for off-road riding, which helps it feel lively and sharp on the pavement. You can cut hard into corners and make quick line corrections in the rough stuff with ease. Despite the quick-handling nature of the bike, the Sandstone still offers a remarkable feeling of stability.
What sets this bike apart is that it has something for riders at both ends of the spectrum. The hardcore and highly skilled riders will enjoy that they can push this bike hard. Casual riders will enjoy the sense of safety and security they get while navigating rough and uneven terrain, and all riders will appreciate the comfort of titanium as well as the pedaling efficiency. If you're looking for a high-end gravel bike that will stand the test of time, look no further.
Pros
- Customize for free
- Smooth ride
Cons
- 42 x 32 smallest gear
