Search
Notices
Classic and Vintage Bicycles: Whats it Worth? Appraisals. Use this subforum for all requests as to "How much is this vintage bike worth?"Do NOT try to sell it in here, use the Marketplaces.

Help identifying Mercier Bike

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-15-19, 08:23 AM
  #1  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Help identifying Mercier Bike



CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 08:24 AM
  #2  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by CosminG1


I would really appreciate if you could help me identify this Mercier Bike.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 08:26 AM
  #3  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
This bike has campagnolo gear and it seems weird for a French bike.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 08:29 AM
  #4  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times in 2,079 Posts
That looks like what in the US would have been marketed as a Mercier 300. The parts seem right. I can't make out the sticker but it looks to be a full Reynolds 531 frame. Also the chrome on the fork and rear triangle suggests a higher end bike. Plus the parts are more or less what would have been sold on a Mercier 300 in the US (stronglight crank perhaps a stronglight 93, tubular wheels with what high flange hubs, mafac brakes).

Better pictures would help in particular of the drive side (so we can see the crank and derailleurs) and a good picture of the tubing sticker.

This looks to be a very good bike.
bikemig is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 08:30 AM
  #5  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times in 2,079 Posts
Originally Posted by CosminG1
This bike has campagnolo gear and it seems weird for a French bike.
The derailleurs could be aftermarket. The drop out would have to be modified to work with a campy RD but that is not a bad thing. I have a mercier 300 with a rear drop out that has been modified in this way.

Also I'm assuming that these are simplex dropout which is how Mercier 300s were sold in the US. This could be a different drop out though in which case it would not need to be modified to accept a campy RD.
bikemig is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 09:53 AM
  #6  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
The derailleurs could be aftermarket. The drop out would have to be modified to work with a campy RD but that is not a bad thing. I have a mercier 300 with a rear drop out that has been modified in this way.

Also I'm assuming that these are simplex dropout which is how Mercier 300s were sold in the US. This could be a different drop out though in which case it would not need to be modified to accept a campy RD.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 09:58 AM
  #7  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times in 2,079 Posts
This looks to be a Mercier 300. That drop out has been modified as the hanger has been tapped out. In addition a stop should have been created by filing away part of the drop out hanger.

Also a pic of the drive side (showing the crank and derailleurs) as well as the reynolds sticker would be useful.
bikemig is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 10:17 AM
  #8  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
This looks to be a Mercier 300. That drop out has been modified as the hanger has been tapped out. In addition a stop should have been created by filing away part of the drop out hanger.

Also a pic of the drive side (showing the crank and derailleurs) as well as the reynolds sticker would be useful.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 10:18 AM
  #9  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
This looks to be a Mercier 300. That drop out has been modified as the hanger has been tapped out. In addition a stop should have been created by filing away part of the drop out hanger.

Also a pic of the drive side (showing the crank and derailleurs) as well as the reynolds sticker would be useful.


Will send better pics with the crank.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 10:44 AM
  #10  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times in 2,079 Posts
So the Mercier 300 that was sold in the States had a full Reynolds 531 frameset. This bike has a 531 double butted main frame. That is a very good way to build a bike but rear triangle and the fork is likely not as high a quality as Reynolds. In many French bikes, the fork and rear triangle were high tensile steel even though the main frame was Reynolds 531. This is a fine bike. I can't make out the crank but the parts on this bike are good and the condition of the frame looks good.
bikemig is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 10:53 AM
  #11  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
So the Mercier 300 that was sold in the States had a full Reynolds 531 frameset. This bike has a 531 double butted main frame. That is a very good way to build a bike but rear triangle and the fork is likely not as high a quality as Reynolds. In many French bikes, the fork and rear triangle were high tensile steel even though the main frame was Reynolds 531. This is a fine bike. I can't make out the crank but the parts on this bike are good and the condition of the frame looks good.
Thank you for the info, I will be sharing more pics with the crank.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-15-19, 12:07 PM
  #12  
juvela
Senior Member
 
juvela's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,262
Mentioned: 415 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3811 Post(s)
Liked 3,336 Times in 2,176 Posts
-----

1976

-----
juvela is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 04:30 AM
  #13  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by juvela
-----

1976

-----
Can you provide a catalog, I want to know the name of the European version of this bike.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 09:09 AM
  #14  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
So the Mercier 300 that was sold in the States had a full Reynolds 531 frameset. This bike has a 531 double butted main frame. That is a very good way to build a bike but rear triangle and the fork is likely not as high a quality as Reynolds. In many French bikes, the fork and rear triangle were high tensile steel even though the main frame was Reynolds 531. This is a fine bike. I can't make out the crank but the parts on this bike are good and the condition of the frame looks good.
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 09:10 AM
  #15  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by CosminG1
CosminG1 is offline  
Old 11-16-19, 09:15 AM
  #16  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times in 2,079 Posts
Stronglight 93, nice crank. This bike is set up much like a Mercier 300 sold in the US would have been with 2 key differences: this bike has reynolds main frame (not the full frame) and the campy derailleurs which likely were added later given that the bike has simplex drop outs.
bikemig is offline  
Old 02-13-20, 02:16 AM
  #17  
bfuser191509248
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 106
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 34 Post(s)
Liked 47 Times in 27 Posts
Originally Posted by juvela
-----

1976

-----
juvela seems to have good knowledge of Mercier bikes, but unfortunately never responded to my Mercier topic last summer. Never too late, juvela. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...r-mercier.html

Originally Posted by CosminG1
Can you provide a catalog, I want to know the name of the European version of this bike.
Closest I can come is the 1977 catalog (this link and more are in my Mercier topic linked above): https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30688

Sorry to reply so late, but I don't visit this forum very often, as a result of the lack of responses to my 2019 topic.
bfuser191509248 is offline  
Old 02-16-20, 08:19 PM
  #18  
CosminG1
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bucharest. Romania
Posts: 34

Bikes: Olmo Grand Prix?/Chiorda?/Gitane Sprint 78/79/Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc 14'/

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by JimR56
juvela seems to have good knowledge of Mercier bikes, but unfortunately never responded to my Mercier topic last summer. Never too late, juvela. https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...r-mercier.html



Closest I can come is the 1977 catalog (this link and more are in my Mercier topic linked above): https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30688

Sorry to reply so late, but I don't visit this forum very often, as a result of the lack of responses to my 2019 topic.
Thank you for your response.
I will be sure to check out the Mercier topic.
CosminG1 is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.