Sedgemop 

Ah, I remember when this was for sale on CL a good while back. Glad it went to a good home, or did you just decide to hold onto it? Really thought about pulling the trigger on it back then, but it seemed a little small for me. Anyway, hope you're enjoying it. It's a great looking bike.

bfuser191509248

The Beacon catalog lists the available colors for models 100/200/300 as red, orange, yellow, kelly green, sky blue, purple, and white. Custom orders were also available, but I'm not sure that explains some of the variations I've seen. For example, I've seen plenty of basic red, but also burgundy (which my '69 was). I've seen a lot of basic blue also, in addition to the sky blues. Anyway, I thought I would post some images of some good 1960's and early 70's examples that appear to be original, including some "custom" colors.

Red



Burgundy





Orange is a relatively uncommon color, from what I've seen.



Gold was available in the 60's and 70's, and also seems relatively scarce.




Yellow seems to be a relatively rare color for the Merciers imported in that '69-'72 era. This is the only photo of a yellow bike that I've come across.


More to come...

bfuser191509248

Lime Green



We've seen Kelly Green above, but for the sake of completeness, I'll add some here, including what seems to be a slightly darker variation.



Light Blue




Blue




Purple

bfuser191509248

White

bfuser191509248

A darker green I forgot to add...

bfuser191509248

I finally managed to get over to my LBS today, and had a nice chat with the owner and one of his employees. The shop has been in business since 1963, and they're really nice folks. I just took my ipad over there and showed them a couple of photos and got some discussion going. It went very well, and hopefully they can start working on the bike soon. They were pretty surprised at how clean she is, but I assured them that my clean-up job was purely amateur in nature!

An overhaul it shall be, especially since I don't know anything about the bike's service record, and haven't even had a chance to ride it yet. The good news is that after showing them a close-up image of the rear derailleur, they informed me that what I thought was damage on the idler pulley was not damage at all. Just a different design, I guess (? it's a Huret). The rear rim (Rigida) has a very slight dent at one edge point, which I'm sure they will correct easily. They said they will check the chain and the cables (naturally) and also the spokes. I told them I will keep my original bar tape (still pretty nice) and brake hoods (not so nice, but I don't want anything other than old CLB hoods on there, because I'm a vintage nerd). As for the white spray paint on the upper seat stays, they didn't sound too confident that they could remove it safely. That's okay, because I got most of it off with a damp paper towel and an absolute ton of "elbow grease" (fingernail grease, more like).

bikemig 

Are those steel or alloy rims? If steel, you may want to think about having aluminum wheels built for that bike one day or you may want to hunt around for period correct 5 speed alloy wheels.

I'm looking forward to seeing the bike when it has undergone a spa treatment!

Narhay

My Mercier 300 in "as found" condition. Not sure of year.

bfuser191509248

Oops- I should have specified, they're chromage / superchromix, just like these (not mine):

Ever so slightly pitted, and a magnet sticks firmly.

It's a bit confusing to note that the spec sheets I posted above for the models 200 and 300 indicate Mavic alloy rims for those two models (albeit of two different designs), while the model 100 indicates Rigida steel rims. I don't think my bike is a 100, and my gut tells me that it is nearly all-original (the way this bike was kept so nice, and apparently not ridden all that much), so I'm not sure why the Rigida rims rather than Mavic on what I thought was a 200 (and CLB brakes, rather than Mafac*).

At any rate, I'm not really planning to put a lot of miles on this bike, or climb many hills, or go very fast. It will be a joy to just tool around a bit, and get back on the more level stretches of the local bike trail after seven years (I've had a health issue that kind of altered my bike-riding habits for awhile). So, I'm not too concerned about maximum performance or minimizing weight, and being kind of a "collector"/nerd type, I kind of like the idea of keeping the Mercier as close to original appearance and specs as I can. And who knows, if my wife isn't watching me too closely, I might even get another road bike that I can not only ride, but customize (I already have some fantasies brewing in that regard). So I may get a chance to compare the feel of a bike with different features, including alloy rims.

If you can't tell already by the way I've bombarded this thread with posts (mostly a conversation with myself), there's a very strong chance that I'll continue to share more pics as this adventure continues.

* By the way, someone at the bike shop suggested that my brakes are Mafac, and that the hoods were changed. My amateur research thus far would seem to contradict that, as mine only say "Racer" without the Mafac name (and the fact that my CLB hoods are clearly as old as dirt, and probably one of the most aged/distressed parts on the entire bike). I've seen vintage center pull brakes that look like mine advertised as being made by CLB, and I've read that CLB provided brakes for Mercier around the same period as Mafac was doing so.

bfuser191509248

Thanks for sharing that, Narhay. Hey, I've seen that photo before (and already saved it to my Mercier folder on the Mac ). Lovely bike, and a part of me still envies you 300 owners.

Dating it precisely is still beyond my abilities, but learning how to more accurately date these bikes is actually a significant part of why I'm keeping this thread going. Certainly appears to be in that latter 60's to very early 70's period. I wish I knew more about the origins of the pink finish, which isn't listed among the color options for the bikes imported to the U.S. from 1969-72. Regardless of that, it wouldn't really have struck me as one that was part of the mass U.S. import process anyway. The lack of any chrome on the front forks (an eye candy spec which seems to me like it would have been designed to excite buyers in the U.S. market) suggest to me that it began it's useful life in France; and that rear rack kind of strikes me as something practical that you saw more on European bikes of the era. A "racing" bike being used to carry stuff on the back? Well, I don't know much about what trends were happening in Europe 50 years ago, so... I'm going largely with my gut here. There are probably people here who can tell us the manufacturing details and the history on that specific rack. Anyway, I'm here to learn as much as I can, so I wouldn't mind being corrected on anything I'm clearly wrong about.

Giuanin

This paint scheme = 1969-1974

bikemig 

If this is a Mercier 200 (and it looks higher quality than a 100 with the half chrome fork and rear triangle), it may have come with tubulars which were swapped out at some point for clinchers.

You've likely seen this:

Model 200:
Luxtub tubing - frame, front and rear forks.
Chromium plated front fork ends.
Simplex Prestige front and rear gear changers and frame mount shift controls.
Normandy Dural QR large flange hubs
Precision fork ends.
3 pin steel chainwheel 46 x 52.
Brazed-on cable clips.
Steel rattrap pedals with reflectors.
MAFAC brakes with hooded levers and adjusters.
Normandy freewheel 14 x 24.
Sedis chain.
Mavic Sport alloy rims.
Butted rustless spokes.
Hutchinson sew-up tubular racing tires.
Molded vinyl covered saddle.
Dural handlebar stem.
Dural handlebar.
Tornade Dural ringed pump with AFA express connector.
Brazed-on pump clips.
Toe clips and straps.
Cloth handlebar tape.
Special hand striping.
Approximate Weight: 25 lbs.
Colors: Orange, Red, Sky Blue, White, Yellow, Kelly Green, and Purple
Frame Sizes: 19 1/2", 21", 23", 25"

Your bike is not Kelly Green but I'm guessing it's earlier than this set of specifications which date from the early 70s. Your bike may be from the 60s.

bfuser191509248

Uhhhh, I guess it's indeed quite likely that I've seen those specs. I posted them (and the specs for the 100 and 300 models) in this thread, above (post #21 ). I also just got through saying (post #34 ): "It's a bit confusing to note that the spec sheets I posted above for the models 200 and 300 indicate Mavic alloy rims for those two models (albeit of two different designs), while the model 100 indicates Rigida steel rims." We can only guess how consistent Mercier was with what they manufactured and exported, but as I already said, based on what I know I lean toward the idea that my french rims and brakes are original to this bike. The overlap in specs between the three models is also something to take into account.

Note also that the 200 specs indicate a "molded vinyl covered saddle", which jibes with what I have (and have seen on quite a few Merciers and Peugeots), and does not jibe with your observation that a leather saddle would be "right" on this bike. But leather wouldn't be "wrong" either, in my mind. I just think we have to keep our minds open to variances here.

I'd say that my bike is absolutely Kelly Green. Naming colors can be very subjective, but google Kelly Green and I think we're right in the ballpark. There are minor variances in the (aged) green models I've seen, but almost all of them are similar. Those that aren't could be re-paints, I suspect. The only other designated green from the period is Lime, which is easy to distinguish.

As far as dating, I think it's extremely likely that my bike dates to that 1969-72 period when these were imported into just a few locations in the U.S. I'm only about 50 miles from Oakland, CA, which was one of those locations, and I'm told that my bike has been owned locally since new (still has a local license sticker that expired in 1975). The Merciers I've seen that are indicated as being pre-1969 are typically a bit different from the '69-'72 imports. Here are a couple of examples:

bikemig 

I'll buy all of this and I missed your earlier post with the specs but I'll stand by my first observation that a leather saddle would look better on this bike than the vinyl and more importantly will be more comfortable.

bfuser191509248

Thanks. I don't necessarily disagree that a leather seat would look better. But I don't hate the appearance of my seat, still think it could be original, and am anxious to see how comfortable it proves to be. If it doesn't work out well, I won't feel any hesitation to try an Ideale or a Brooks. On the other hand, at my age I don't know if I have any chance of staying comfortable on this bike no matter what saddle I use. My cruiser was always comfortable for the 20 years I was riding it 15-20 miles pretty regularly, and I may still be riding that bike more often than my Mercier in the future. The good news is, my wife seems pretty cool with the present location of the Mercier- in the family room, where I can stare at it frequently (and the seat is even blocking part of the tv screen!). I guess she has good taste in art too.

bfuser191509248

Can we assume that you're referring to Narhay's pink bike? Also, could you please provide some more information about this? I'd really like to learn more about these Mercier bikes. Thanks.

bfuser191509248

Giuanin, after visiting your profile pages and noting your background and experience, I'm sure that we can probably learn a lot from you. I know that there may be a lot of details in this discussion about U.S. imports from Mercier that you might not find so interesting, but any other general knowledge you can share with us about this brand would be very much appreciated.

Giuanin

My dating (1969-1974 for Narhay's bike) is based on team bike photos, which is more accurate than catalogs that often use old photos.

At that period, usualy the team riders received 1 or 2 new bikes at the beginning of the season and then a bike for the Tour de France at the end of June.

So, with pictures dated with certainty we can see the evolution of the paint scheme.

I am not very present on the forum because I am in the middle of a move and often far from my computer.

bfuser191509248

Thank you Giuanin. It is great that you can share your valuable experience here. I fully agree with your comment about catalogs. I posted catalog information about Mercier earlier, but there is so little documentation on these bikes that we take any info we can find about them. But catalogs can't always be trusted for accuracy in every detail.

I hope that you will find time to return to this discussion and help to educate us more about Mercier. I think my greatest fundamental curiosity is with regard to the dating of the company logos used on the down tubes. For our purposes here, mostly discussing vintage bicycles produced in the 1960's, 70's, and perhaps early 80's, it is these Mercier logos that I would like to know more about in terms of when their use began and ended:

First, the classic Mercier logo dating back to the (1940's and 50's?), through the 1960's and early 70's:



Not sure when these down tube logos with background lines were used. Maybe 1973-74 period?



The large block logo is shown on the down tube on both bikes in this photo, but the gold bike seems to be slightly earlier due to the seat tube decal. Perhaps 1975 for the gold bike, and 1976-78 on the pink? I am also still not sure when the use of "Special Tour de France" decals began and ended.


And finally, did this attractive script logo begin in 1978? 1979? 1980? Was it originally used in an earlier era of the company? (it has a vintage appearance to it)

bfuser191509248

An exchange taken from the "Show Us Your French Bikes" thread:

Thanks. I guess the tricky part is figuring out whether our rims are original when we acquire bikes that are already decades old. This was part of my analysis above, and I'm still not sure... I may have a 100 or a 200, I guess.

bfuser191509248

I was following a few search links here at BF tonight, and I finally found a source for the complete (1971) Beacon Supply catalog, including a scan of the page for models 100 and 111.



I also have come across a couple of long-existing european bicycle discussion forums, one of which may have a lot more info on Mercier history. Haven't had a chance to go through them yet, but I'm hoping to find a lot of good info, so stay tuned if you're interested in this.

TejanoTrackie 

So, based on the description and picture in that catalog, my Mercier is indeed a Model 100 (Rally Sport). The only part that appears to be different is the saddle. The catalog picture appears to be solid leather, whereas the saddle on mine when I received it was padded plastic. Also, note that the rear dropouts and frame stays in the picture appear to be chrome plated as well, unlike what you reported with your bike.

bfuser191509248

Did your original seat have the diamond pattern on top, like the seat on my green bike? Hard to be sure from your photo.

Yes, the catalog photo of the 100 with the chromed rear stays is different from my original 1969 bike. I can only wonder whether something changed between 1969 and 1971 (and that 1971 date isn't actually shown on the catalog scans, so I'm trusting the info I've read online about it). Also, as Giuanin correctly pointed out, catalogs can not always necessarily be relied on for absolute accuracy in every detail. But in this case I suspect that something could have changed with the specs/manufacturing between '69 and the end of the import boom.

I might eventually try to get my old slides digitized, but for now I'll just go ahead and share the fuzzy images I managed to create recently using the camera on my Mac. Not worth much for analysis, but what the hell. All I ask is that nobody laughs at the hat.

TejanoTrackie 

Yes, it did. I removed it along with the seatpost, and replaced them with better parts. Note the broken piece of derailleur pulley.



Parts removed from Mercier Model 100 (Rally Sport)

bikemig 

I'm thinking it's time for you to track down another Mercier but one in red.

Cool pics and great memories no doubt.