Sometimes a project comes along that begs to be followed through, while some others sit around waiting. This striking acid green vs. midnight blue c. 2003 beast had me intrigued – as I’d never seen one, before now.
There was a cast magnesium frame being made by Kirk Precision some time ago, at least until some magnesium dust ignited and the resulting fire destroyed the factory…
It’s quite light for a metal frame, and also seems very rigid. Corrosion was limited to a few surface bubbles here and there, and some snail-trails under the down tube, while there are no visible cracks anywhere. I assumed that fatigue and corrosion would have been the two issues with a 17 year old magnesium frame, so I decided to chance a refurbishment, though the forums say this model can often crack around the seat cluster – so we shall see !
From research, the Road 909 was fitted with OE Shimano Dura-Ace components, although this example was fitted with a 9-speed Ultegra 6500 series group set. Fine, I’d always thought the 6500 crankset was one of the best looking modern cranks made. The splined Octalink 109.5mm bottom bracket was a Dura-Ace 7700, however, and while it initially appeared to be a sealed unit, it is actually adjustable and serviceable.

Is it Campagmano, or Shimolo ? These are the only cranks I have that aren’t either, cottered or square taper !!
The bottom bracket shell itself has some kind of metal ( aluminium ? ) sleeve insert, presumably to protect the magnesium.
However, while the BB was still in the frame, it had spun very roughly, so I had ordered a sealed 105 replacement before realising the original was merely adjusted too tight. Should have done my research, but I now have a spare !
Also included with the acquisition was a lone Mavic Cosmos front wheel, a broken front derailleur, Ultegra 6500 callipers, a Kalloy 27.2mm aero seat post, and 3T ergo bars on a BBB stem.The STI shifters seemed to work but were really tatty. The seat tube has a plastic liner for the 27.2mm post, again, I assume, to keep the post from damaging or corroding the magnesium seat tube.
Problem number one was a broken derailleur hanger, and being somewhat unfamiliar with these new-fangled 21st century machines, I had no previous idea how many different types of hanger there are, seemingly one for every model of bicycle. After some considerable searching, I came across one for a Merida Magnesium MTB, which looked identical to the remnants of the Road 909’s, except it was black.
I assumed the dropouts would be the same between the road and MTB Merida models, to save cost, and no-one seemed to sell a silver version. I think I was lucky to find one at all for a bike this ‘old’ !
Pilo Machining in Israel make the model D106 hanger, and all up, I had to pay a fair bit to import one from the UK – and the postage cost more than the part ! Nevertheless, the bike won’t work without it, even as a single speed, so I bit the bullet.
Although the hanger appeared a good match, it was an anxious wait for the ‘express post’ to arrive two weeks later – well, that’s Covid 19 for you. Not too bad, under the circumstances…the hanger is very well made, and it fitted !
Problem number two was the aluminium and carbon fork, where the clear coat was peeling and yellowing from UV exposure, however a very careful inspection showed no structural damage, so I gently wet sanded off the surface coat and re-applied a clear coat. Not a perfect job aesthetically, but it looks much better.
New bikes now tend to have have a more integrated look between the fork and head tube than the bikes of this era did though.
This frame also has a reputation for ride stiffness, according to the forums, so it will be interesting to compare the ride to the aluminium and carbon Scattante ( above ) from a few posts back. It’s not too jarring, but as with aluminium, it is chattery on rough surfaces compared with good steel. Thick bar tape helps on the front, along with the carbon fork. The tyres are 25mm, and I run them only at around 80psi or so.
I decided to fit Campagnolo 10 speed Veloce shifters and derailleurs so that I could share the same wheels with the Scattante, and also because they seem very well priced, and roughly suit the period of this frame. I kept the cranks and fitted new rings ( 49 / 39T ) as the Ultegra rings were worn. I had a set of Potenza brakes on another bike which I’ve swapped over to this one, they are very fine brakes and also well priced for their level of performance.
This Merida is 8.5kg complete, without pedals, pretty good for an older metal framed bike with a lower priced group set. I weighed the frame alone at around 1.5kg which seems reasonable for a non-carbon frame, though it’s not at all ground-breaking these days. The Dura-Ace versions were less than 8kg complete, but that’s well beyond my budget, or my needs.
Happy Re-Cycling !