The 1978 Mercian Vincitore is Back on the Road!
12-16-23, 10:06 PM
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The 1978 Mercian Vincitore is Back on the Road!
Hello folks,
Well, thanks to gugie for the dropout repair and indirectly to Sedgemop for purchasing my uncle's 1972 Raleigh Professional frameset, which I had collected a number of parts for a restoration that I decided to forgo, I ended up cobbling together the 1978 Mercian Vincitore quite a bit faster than I anticipated. Thanks also go to several members that responded to me about some questions I had regarding appropriate details for a bottom bracket to match the Stronlight 93 crankset. There are a couple of little things that need to be tweaked until everything is working just right, but it's gone out for a couple of swift spins around the neighborhood this weekend and feels great! So, cheers to that... I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season!
Repair/build thread: Mercian Vincitore - stoked but there's work to do! - Bike Forums
-Gregory
Well, thanks to gugie for the dropout repair and indirectly to Sedgemop for purchasing my uncle's 1972 Raleigh Professional frameset, which I had collected a number of parts for a restoration that I decided to forgo, I ended up cobbling together the 1978 Mercian Vincitore quite a bit faster than I anticipated. Thanks also go to several members that responded to me about some questions I had regarding appropriate details for a bottom bracket to match the Stronlight 93 crankset. There are a couple of little things that need to be tweaked until everything is working just right, but it's gone out for a couple of swift spins around the neighborhood this weekend and feels great! So, cheers to that... I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season!
Repair/build thread: Mercian Vincitore - stoked but there's work to do! - Bike Forums
-Gregory
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12-16-23, 10:25 PM
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Happy to do my part. This came out great.
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12-16-23, 11:33 PM
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Beautiful!
12-16-23, 11:55 PM
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The lugs, the pinstriping and the paint is a great combination of fancy-shmancy and understated. Great looking bike. Well done.
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12-17-23, 10:10 AM
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The bike appears overall nice, I would really want tan sidewall tires though. otherwise it looks pretty classic.
I suggest migrate to some true handlebar plugs. Those Benotto caps are the same form factor as the classic Cinelli caps, they went Under the tape, which means one started from there and worked your way up to the stem.
In the self adhesive cloth tape era, a few choices, I usually ended at the brake levers. like Eddy’s Mechanics did.
Later in the 80’s, we taped all the way with Benotto to the stem, heated the tape under the bar and the tail end with a lighter and using a full finger leather gloved hand, pressed and pulled the tape, fusing it closed.
I suggest migrate to some true handlebar plugs. Those Benotto caps are the same form factor as the classic Cinelli caps, they went Under the tape, which means one started from there and worked your way up to the stem.
In the self adhesive cloth tape era, a few choices, I usually ended at the brake levers. like Eddy’s Mechanics did.
Later in the 80’s, we taped all the way with Benotto to the stem, heated the tape under the bar and the tail end with a lighter and using a full finger leather gloved hand, pressed and pulled the tape, fusing it closed.
12-17-23, 10:31 AM
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Good morning and thanks all!
Great information, Repechage. I'm so used to starting at the top with my cloth tape that I was a bit confused by the Benotto bar plugs and didn't take time to analyze a couple of good original advertisements that are floating around the internet which clearly indicate what you're saying to be true. However, this set of tape is actually recycled from another recent build (where I initially put them on in error as well) and there was barely enough tape to cover the bars in this fashion, so I have no excess left to plug into the bars and the tips are already cut to a point for the transition at the ends. Next time around!
As for the tan sidewalls, that would also be my preference but I'm trying not to waste good things lately (as with the bar tape) and I've only put a few hundred miles on these Continental Gatorskins with a previous build, so I think they deserve to be run down a bit more.
-Gregory
I suggest migrate to some true handlebar plugs. Those Benotto caps are the same form factor as the classic Cinelli caps, they went Under the tape, which means one started from there and worked your way up to the stem.
In the self adhesive cloth tape era, a few choices, I usually ended at the brake levers. like Eddy’s Mechanics did.
Later in the 80’s, we taped all the way with Benotto to the stem, heated the tape under the bar and the tail end with a lighter and using a full finger leather gloved hand, pressed and pulled the tape, fusing it closed.
In the self adhesive cloth tape era, a few choices, I usually ended at the brake levers. like Eddy’s Mechanics did.
Later in the 80’s, we taped all the way with Benotto to the stem, heated the tape under the bar and the tail end with a lighter and using a full finger leather gloved hand, pressed and pulled the tape, fusing it closed.
As for the tan sidewalls, that would also be my preference but I'm trying not to waste good things lately (as with the bar tape) and I've only put a few hundred miles on these Continental Gatorskins with a previous build, so I think they deserve to be run down a bit more.
-Gregory
12-17-23, 12:36 PM
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Please let me know when you don't want this one anymore.
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12-17-23, 07:10 PM
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That's a great build. Now, go ride the heck out of it!
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1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
12-17-23, 10:55 PM
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Good morning and thanks all!
Great information, Repechage. I'm so used to starting at the top with my cloth tape that I was a bit confused by the Benotto bar plugs and didn't take time to analyze a couple of good original advertisements that are floating around the internet which clearly indicate what you're saying to be true. However, this set of tape is actually recycled from another recent build (where I initially put them on in error as well) and there was barely enough tape to cover the bars in this fashion, so I have no excess left to plug into the bars and the tips are already cut to a point for the transition at the ends. Next time around!
As for the tan sidewalls, that would also be my preference but I'm trying not to waste good things lately (as with the bar tape) and I've only put a few hundred miles on these Continental Gatorskins with a previous build, so I think they deserve to be run down a bit more.
-Gregory
Great information, Repechage. I'm so used to starting at the top with my cloth tape that I was a bit confused by the Benotto bar plugs and didn't take time to analyze a couple of good original advertisements that are floating around the internet which clearly indicate what you're saying to be true. However, this set of tape is actually recycled from another recent build (where I initially put them on in error as well) and there was barely enough tape to cover the bars in this fashion, so I have no excess left to plug into the bars and the tips are already cut to a point for the transition at the ends. Next time around!
As for the tan sidewalls, that would also be my preference but I'm trying not to waste good things lately (as with the bar tape) and I've only put a few hundred miles on these Continental Gatorskins with a previous build, so I think they deserve to be run down a bit more.
-Gregory
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12-18-23, 10:06 AM
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That came out really nice, and the paint on the dropout works nicely. Almost like an 80's fade.
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80 Mercian Olympic, 92 DB Overdrive, '07 Rivendell AHH, '16 Clockwork All-Rounder
80 Mercian Olympic, 92 DB Overdrive, '07 Rivendell AHH, '16 Clockwork All-Rounder
12-18-23, 08:07 PM
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Looks awesome Gregory,
I'm a huge fan of that model. Love the way you have it equipped!
John
I'm a huge fan of that model. Love the way you have it equipped!
John
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From Illinois. Collector of many fine bicycles from all over the world. Subscribe to my Youtube channel. Just search John's vintage road bike garage
From Illinois. Collector of many fine bicycles from all over the world. Subscribe to my Youtube channel. Just search John's vintage road bike garage
