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Merman Bicycles just opened pre-orders on a limited run of their made-in-USA Unholy Diver steel hardtail, a bike they describe as “the ultimate shred sled.” Find photos, specs, and some insight into their partnership with Lunchtime Bike Co. in Portland here…
Arkansas-based Merman Bicycles launched earlier this year, promising “fun forward” bikes and the ultimate shreddy hardtail, as well as a mix of Taiwan- and US-made frames. The time has finally come to release their latest made-in-USA Merman Unholy Diver, which will be produced by B and Sean of Lunchtime Bike Co.
The latest version maintains all the specs from the previous Unholy Diver, including clearance for 29 x 2.6″ or 27.5 x 2.8″ tires and 140mm travel fork optimization, and it now features US-made sliding dropouts and UDH compatibility. It’s based around a steel frame, custom yoke, internal cable routing, and according to Merman, “welds that shine like dimes, even in the darkest corners of hell.”
We reached out to Merman to hear more about their collaboration with Lunchtime Bike Co. and this limited edition run. Here’s what they had to say:
“Merman’s made-in-the-USA frames are a result of an ongoing partnership with B and Sean of Lunchtime Bike Co (and MADE fame). Merman has always set out to make cool shit with their friends, and Lunchtime is definitely in that boat. The relationship has been easy breezy from the outset, as Merman and Lunchtime bounce ideas back and forth to find those sweet spots that make sense for both builders and riders. Merman wants the personalities of the people who build their bikes to shine through, and they are ultra stoked to be working with Lunchtime and look forward to sharing more projects with them in the near future.
Now, let’s talk about this color. A limited number of the already limited number of frames will be available for custom finish work. A local friend of Merman Bicycles and cerakote-ist put together this custom clear coat on a pre-production model. MB wanted to showcase the absolutely stellar welds that Lunchtime laid down while giving it that Merman buried treasure flair. This cerakote sparkles in the sun, disappears at other angles, and is one of the coolest finish jobs we’ve seen on a bike in a while. Merman’s presale is aimed at those folks who want to take advantage of the custom finish options, and it’s available at Merman’s website for a limited time.”
As you can see below, the Unoly Diver is being offered in five sizes from extra-small to extra-large. All sizes feature a rowdy 64° head tube angle, 75° seat tube angle, reasonably low 56mm bottom bracket drop, and 425-437mm chainstays. The frame uses a 73mm BSA bottom bracket, 31.6mm seat post, has two bottle mounts, and features boost hub spacing. There aren’t any additional mounts or bosses beyond two standard bottle mounts and some additional mounts under the down tube.
The Unholy Diver frame is available with a custom powder coat with up to two colors for $2,399. But this option is only available for the first two weeks of the pre-sale window. After that, stock powder and custom Cerakote options are the only offerings. The stock color frameset costs $2,299 and a custom Cerakoke (single color) version is $2,499. Check them out at MermanBicycles.com.
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