Merlin (bicycle company)

[2] In 1988, Mike Augspurger left Merlin to found One-Off Titanium in Florence, Massachusetts, a company specializing in experimental and custom-designed products for bicycles.

In 1990, the Subaru-Montgomery team, consisting of Lance Armstrong, Steve Hegg, and Ken Carpenter, began its successful three-year relationship with Merlin.

[2] In 1991, a year after winning his third Tour de France, Greg LeMond's Z Team came back to the race on prototypes of the Merlin Extralight.

The first titanium bike to fully achieve the metal's promise, it was as strong as steel but lighter, and possessed a unique and pleasing road feel—slightly more forgiving, with a little extra spring and, somewhat counterintuitively, also more stiffness.

[4] After the company became acquainted with Bob Hall, the first person to enter the Boston Marathon in a wheelchair, they began making titanium-racing chairs for him.

As a result of Saucony's ownership, sales of Merlin frame declined, as stocks were left piling high.