It's great! The only upgrade I've done since I built the bike was adding a dropper post, and now it descends like a beast. I've ridden it about 100 miles so far, and I'm really digging it.
@szakib27 күн бұрын
An impressive variety of crappy bike racks!
@Coastal_CruzerАй бұрын
Train 👍
@Coastal_CruzerАй бұрын
Any ride with a disk wheel:
@Coastal_CruzerАй бұрын
Grade 2 concussion experience
@nonplayercharacter12333Ай бұрын
After a lifetime this meme finds me again 🥲
@NiknamewАй бұрын
@@nonplayercharacter12333 glad you're back 😤😤
@my_vinyls_and_cassettes3 ай бұрын
Look on left bar tape - horrible 🤣
@Niknamew3 ай бұрын
@@my_vinyls_and_cassettes ouch 🥺
@ChristopherLee-o5b4 ай бұрын
Add music would be a better build
@JoeJaJoeJoe4 ай бұрын
Every lane was a bike lane before cars were invented 😂
@jamesrusselleriii82844 ай бұрын
Then a man named John Forester came along, saw the Davis bike lanes, decided bike lanes were no good, and lobbied heavily in favor of his vehicular cycling philosophy which set US bike infra back decades.
@DefaultMale_4 ай бұрын
California: "Weather is okay-ish" Me living in the UK typing this whilst looking at the rain pouring down my window.
@Niknamew4 ай бұрын
At least you don't have to deal with 110° heat too often 🤪🤪
@DefaultMale_4 ай бұрын
@@Niknamew true true xD We had 104F heat last year tho :p (one off it was like a record in the last century)
@Niknamew4 ай бұрын
@@DefaultMale_ YIIIIIIIIIIKES 😬😬
@RobertJarecki4 ай бұрын
@DefaultMale_ There's a book, _The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street_ by Helene Hanff that quotes a London headline of 1970s / 1980s: "England Swelters In 70 Degree Heat." Meanwhile, here in Sacramento, California, about 30 miles east of Davis, California, our high was about 100°F. BTW, it's usually a bit cooler here than in Davis. I used to live and work in Davis. A very nice place to live.
@Niknamew4 ай бұрын
@@RobertJarecki sweltering in 70° heat is HILARIOUS
@primordialsoup41614 ай бұрын
this is the coolest shit i have ever seen. Im going to go there and try it our I think. flights from ny aren't too expensive
@Niknamew4 ай бұрын
Do it, you won't 😤😤
@hello-lb3vf4 ай бұрын
visit davis! it’s the most bike friendly city in USA it’s like nethlands
@ShutUpBubi4 ай бұрын
Hell yeah
@gabeh76554 ай бұрын
Another banger
@OITW4 ай бұрын
Love this. Keep up the bike historian content. I NEED IT.
@gabeh76554 ай бұрын
The coveted broken leg interview edit.
@SuperBlunt5 ай бұрын
Broke mine with a single motorcycle accident
@FortheLoveofCycling5 ай бұрын
Wow. This beautiful. I wanna get one. Tnx.
@wilkinscolonjr18675 ай бұрын
This is crazy, I just broke my scapula while mtbiking and it felt like a dislocated shoulder too and it all happened when I tried to screenshot on my Apple Watch and I didn’t even get the screenshot. My bikes all good though!
@Niknamew5 ай бұрын
It's always the "fiddling with technology" that causes the worst crashes 😭
@AMAli-ct5df3 ай бұрын
I ain't touching one
@LancsCyclist887 ай бұрын
Great Video!, what do you use to secure the cables to the frame? are they just regular cable/zip ties? thanks
@Niknamew7 ай бұрын
Thank you! I used a mix of small zip ties and little C clamps
@Bike_Guy7 ай бұрын
Great video and a beautiful looking frame. I love the retro look.
@psclassy11238 ай бұрын
Very nice bike and build. I have and older B side and love the bike and incredible quality that most frames dont offer today. The Riff was on sale half off that I thought was a mistake but it was not. Having one already how could I justify another but at half off I should of because the sale was legit.
@annikagastelum8 ай бұрын
CLOSE THAT DOOR
@Niknamew8 ай бұрын
I DID!
@OITW8 ай бұрын
Nerds 📸☕️🤓
@karlwylie80388 ай бұрын
What is the dog doing
@Niknamew8 ай бұрын
What da dog doin
@JOHNGIBS9 ай бұрын
STEEL 😞
@olivergrundtwormjensen97869 ай бұрын
I am considering getting this frame. not sure what the ride quality is like though, can you give a bit of input?
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
I haven't been able to ride it unfortunately so I can't say anything definitive about the ride quality, but it's high quality steel, so I doubt it's anything overtly bad
@BounceBackWesterner9 ай бұрын
Well done. I enjoyed the video. Your dad's contribution was the Thompson.
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
Thanks Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
@NonLegitNation29 ай бұрын
Tan walls on a bike always look awesome. I got some Maxxis Ardent Tan walls and after getting those ended up going with a bronze/tan/gold type color scheme for my bike including tan pedals, grips, Brooks saddle, copper colored titanium bolts on my gold brake rotors, ti bolts on my brake calipers and brake levers and an absolutely gorgeous, aged copper colored ZTTO stem that I got off Amazon for like $20. Oh, and can't forget the gold chainring and gold chain, lol. I went all out. I eventually plan on doing a video just looking at all the parts on my bike, but that'll have to wait til spring or summer since it's currently covered in dirt, road salt and dried slush.
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
That sounds like an awesome build! I'd love to see it
@TheLemon3339 ай бұрын
Nice, bro! For the price of a single Enve wheel.
@mangzrc9 ай бұрын
Nice build man. A dopper & a Z1 Bomber/Fox Performance would make it even better.
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
Oh absolutely, but I was pretty tight on cash, so this is what I could scrounge up
@ondrejmanych56889 ай бұрын
awesome build man. How are these brakes? Have seen them but it is not that well known brand. They seem a good fit for a gravel bike.
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
I love these Juintech brakes! They were so easy to set up, and they stop the bike really really well
@ondrejmanych56889 ай бұрын
you have very similar taste for components as I do. I put Wicked Will in the back but a lot of the rest is very similar as mine bike. Cheap and great stuff.
@EatMoreBananas9 ай бұрын
I dont like the black stem spacers and handlebar, tbh. Nice frame colour, fits nice to the bronced Hans Dampfs. Am curious how it would look with "classic skin"s on it. good job
@509bunnyhaven9 ай бұрын
i would have saved my thomson seatpost money and just bought a dropper, its probably the most meaningful upgrade on a mountain bike you can make. everything else looks great
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
Oh I completely agree, but I already had the Thompson seatpost so it was free
@OITW9 ай бұрын
I've never watched a bike build before, and I'm glad you popped my cherry. Makes me miss working on my bike.
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
I can't believe you used "pop my cherry" in regards to watching a bike build 😁😁😁
@TheLemon3339 ай бұрын
Made me light a smoke.@@Niknamew
@michelleyiv55219 ай бұрын
Amazing build (&dog)! Love the color!
@gabeh76559 ай бұрын
If only all of our bikes' bearings were as free-spinning as that damn ceiling fan MY GOD that thing GOES ON AND ON
@gabeh76559 ай бұрын
Better than any of Gee's dreambuilds by far
@Niknamew9 ай бұрын
Here's all the specs for all you bike nerds out there: Soma Riff frame (2021) - size M 27.5 Brand-X alloy wheelset RockShox Recon Silver fork 120mm (15x100) ROLLCii headset (ZS44/EC44 tapered) 27.5x2.35 Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires M5120 Deore derailleur M4100 11-46t Deore 10 speed cassette HG56 Deore 10 speed chain M4100 Deore 10 speed shifter TRP Slate T4 hydraulic brakes RT26 180mm rotors (front and rear) Oury V2 Grips Thomson 30.9 seatpost WTB Speed Saddle (steel rails) MT-511 Shimano crankset (170mm cranks, 32t chainring) RaceFace Chester pedals Brand-X alloy handlebars Brand-X Enduro stem (35mm length)
@obiwan579 ай бұрын
Thank you for your great video. I have the very same frame set which I ordered last year. It is a very good set and a beautiful frame. I love your stem for your handlebar. The chrome is beautiful! The Merlin the Merlin is my first steel frame, and now I know what people are talking about when they say a steel bite rides very nicely! Be safe out there. Thank you for the video!
@aaronmichael679210 ай бұрын
Dude this is cool as hell. I’ve been using Kafkas letter in my own therapy sessions. It’s amazing how someone who lived so much longer before myself, can have experienced so much of the same. Generational trauma hasn’t changed a bit!
@OITW10 ай бұрын
I watched this in the rain, and now I’m wet. Love the shot with the cat perched next to the window ❤
@tinaparker997410 ай бұрын
Only if he had therapy back then 😮
@simonnyanje375511 ай бұрын
this novara bike l have it
@hanjovdberg11 ай бұрын
Really like this frameset. Can you tell me the height of your saddle? Because Merlin doesnt mention the stack height I need to know if a 47 or 50 will be the best. I'm 1.68 but short legged. Normally I go for the smallest but maybe the 50 will fit better. Saddle height top to center crank? Would help me a lot. Nice build btw 👏
@Niknamew11 ай бұрын
I don't have the bike with me currently and I wouldn't be able to measure it for a couple of months, but I can tell you that I'm around your height (5'6") with short-ish legs, and I got the 50cm, and it fits me great
@hanjovdberg11 ай бұрын
Tnx for the quick response. I will sleep on it. Cant imagine myself somewhere without my bike though. Good luck 👍
@mikeputney Жыл бұрын
Hi there, nice bike ! was the star nut pre installed in the steerer fork ?
@Niknamew Жыл бұрын
Yeah, it was pre-installed, but I still had to push it further down into the steerer tube
@JohnSmith-ox7xc Жыл бұрын
Can I ask what size frame you went with and your height? I figured the 47 would be right for me (5'7"), then I read a comment elsewhere where someone opted for the 50 for 168cm and they were happy with that. I would rather go short than too big, but I don't want to go too short that it feels cramped. Also what size spacers did you use for the steerer tube? EDIT: I'm curious to know how much steerer tube was exposed so I can buy the right number of spacers without having to cut any off.
@Niknamew Жыл бұрын
I'm 5'6" and I got the 50cm, and it fits me perfectly. I think if I remember correctly, I used 10mm spacers. And I think there was about 80mm of steerer tube exposed. I didn't cut any of it
@JohnSmith-ox7xc Жыл бұрын
@@Niknamew Thank you for that. Going to try the Merlin Malt G2x frame. Not sure why the steel frame is considered a 1x frame, but I like 2x for it's range, prefer the paint colour, and want to try for the clean internal routing look. Might try the all steel in future to see how steel rides as well as try out 1x. Cheers again.
@anubhavmishra4840 Жыл бұрын
Thanks Nick! It was very helpful
@skynoodlerfpv8643 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video! Do you remember the bolt pattern for the calipers - is it flat mount, post mount or IS?