non-fixie 

When I bought this some years ago I knew even less about bikes than I do now and because of the sorry state it seemed to be in I stripped it of the useful parts, stuck the frame in a dark corner of the attic and forgot about it. Until yesterday, when I went looking for a frame to build up for C&V rides with a certain risk of damage or theft involved, and it appeared in the beam of my flashlight. I thought it might just the frame for the job.

Since then I've been trying to find out what it is by searching this forum and other Internet sources. I found that the color scheme is from the early seventies, but other than that I'm drawing a blank. Maybe some of you can tell me more? I'd appreciate any help.

Some data:

• seatpost size: 26.6 is a tight fit, 26.4 a little loose
• dropouts are Campagnolo
• fork is butted Reynolds 531
• frame size is 61cm CT
• the serial number is hard to read, but looks like 07 713
• it's got a ZEUS headset and a Tange BB (with Campagnolo crank bolts)

non-fixie 

auchencrow

I suspect it is a Raymond Poulidor model or a 300.

But I don't know what it original to the bike. ( I would have expected to see Simplex Dropouts on either of these models, but from what I understand, a Campagnolo conversion was not unheard of BITD to mount NR derailleurs. )

A really sweet looking frame in any case!

non-fixie 

Thanks. I'm pretty sure it didn't come with Campagnolo parts, I would probably have remembered that. Huret is more likely. It did have MAFAC brakes. I know, I should have documented things better before I took it apart.

ozneddy

Could be a sweet build !

non-fixie 

I'm still in two minds about that. While it would be very nice, and in keeping with the stature of the frame, to build it with all nuovo record parts, it would probably not be the bike I would happily leave outside the bar during happy hour. Which is what my project was about.
The alternative is a build with whatever period-correct components I have sitting around that are light and functional, sort of a racer/beater.

auchencrow

Find another beater bike. This isn't it.

sykerocker 

Definitely. If it's Reynolds 531, it deserves better than to be an urban bar hopper on a Friday/Saturday night. There's lots of gas pipe out there that will do the job just as well, and when (not if) it get stolen you won't cry nearly as much.

jyl

I agree. Save this frame for a better fate. Or, tell me what bar you hang out at . . .

auchencrow

CMAW 

Better go check the barn too, NF, things seem to come your way these days... Virtually no 70ies Mercier catalogues online, that is a problem. French Tontonvelo forum lists lots of Merciers, but rarely with a model designation, there seems to be a void there. It would be great if someone who knows the history of Mercier chimes in to clarify. Mercier called their basic tubing Luxtube, 28-20 or Tubes Allégés Mercier and used combinations of Vitus, Reynolds and from the early 80ies on also Columbus butted tubes. Added to that a profusion of lug type/lug cutout/engraving/chroming combinations, so there must have been a lot of models or at least model variations. Just my personal gut statistics here, based on watching a million Mercier pics on the net and what I learned from other posts: the white bands on the seattube of your frame indicate late 60ies/early 70ies (they disappeared around 74 or so). Mercier lettering is missing from the white panel and from the downtube. Campagnolo dropouts are very rare, AFAIK only team bikes had them. Just like Peugeot, Mercier preferred all French and outfitted most of their bikes with Simplex. Verktyg and other knowledgeable people here often point out the 'random factor' with French manufacurers, so maybe the box with Simplex dropouts happened to be empty when your frame was made?! After 75, Mercier top models typically came with Simplex SLJ derailers (the famous pink and gold set-up). The chrome fork may have lost its paint (with chrome socks matching the stays) or could be a replacement. Anyhow, this is one of Mercier's top frames from the early 70ies, maybe not elaborate enough to be a Mercier Pro, so Simplex, Stronglight and Mafac would be the way I'd go.

^^^^ posters have been very polite in advising you not to use this frame as a beater, I'll add YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND JUST CONSIDERING IT NF!!! Just take 2 or 3 of your Raleighs to the pub.


https://www.flickriver.com/groups/158...1/pool/random/

On Poulidor's 75 team bike

non-fixie 

OK, OK, I get the message. Thanks for trying to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Actually, I shouldn't have used the word beater. What I meant was a bike to take to Italy to ride L'Eroica but not have to worry about a scratch or two during transit or from leaning against a wall during lunch. So it has to be period correct, light, dependable and provide 42x28 (or even better: 39x28) gearing for the hilly bits.

non-fixie 

Thanks for your elaborate reply CMAW. It's about as far as I got on the internet as well. Same conclusion on the fork: I think it's a replacement that hasn't been painted.
Regarding the build: MAFAC brakes for sure, the rest will depend on what I have in the parts bin. The only Stronglight cranksets I have found so far are 50-47 or something similar, and you have witnessed how well that works for me uphill (not). I have, however, a pre-aero Thun Coronado that weighs next to nothing and will take a 39 ...

CMAW 

I like the Stronglight 99, you can set it up as a double or a triple with anything between 28 and 54, sort of the poor man's TA pro 5 vis. BTW I have a spare Stronglight 93 and Mafac Dural forgé calipers if you decide to go that way for the Mercier.

T-Mar

This is very interesting. The Campagnolo dropouts suggest a team replica model, which used Campagnolo components from at least 1971 onwards, yet the workmanship looks mass volume and I've never seen one from this period with chrome. It looks more like a 300 frame with the exception of the dropouts. All the boom era model 300 I've seen used Simplex dropouts. I'll have to do some more digging.

non-fixie 

Well, it wouldn't be the first expensive French bike to look sloppily built, but the absence of chrome on high-end Merciers really surprised me. You'd think that with the PX10 as the major competitor they would add a bit of bling to their top models.

non-fixie 

Thanks for the offer CMAW, I'll keep it in mind. Meanwhile I spent the afternoon raiding the parts bin and I came up with a 49D with 50T an 42T chainrings. A set of MAFAC "RACER" brakes should be in there as well, and I recently bought a set of MAFAC levers, with half-hoods in good shape, so I'll be fine for now, I think.
Now about the derailers: it seems that Simplex would work pretty well with those Campagnolo DO's so tomorrow I go digging for one of these:

dbakl

Looks pretty nice for a Mercier. Italian spindle in BB?

sykerocker 

Another vote for the Stronglight 99. I've been running one for four years and a bit over 3500 miles on my Magneet tourer, and absolutely love it Running it as a triple, it's 48-38-28 (I think, too lazy to walk down to the garage and look) and I've yet to find a hill I can't conquer. Will start climbing trees next.

verktyg 

I've wanted a "pretty in pink" top of the line Mercier for a long time. I finally got a Mercier pro model frame a few years ago. It's about a 1984 model, red not pink, made with Columbus SL tubing. The workmanship is excellent!

Who says real men don't ride pink? I used to know a guy with black belts in judo and karate who took ballet lessons to improve his balance for competition. He wore a pink tutu as a joke... No one ever said squat to him about his attire!

I guess I'll just have to be happy with my 2 Miami Vice pink and yellow Centurion Ironman bikes!

Back to NF's Mercier frame, it's probably a very early 1970s pro model. I agree with other's opinion that the fork is probably a replacement.

The 26.6mm seatpost usually indicates that the frame is made of lighter gage 0.9mm x 0.6mm Reynolds tubing. The standard 1.0mm x 0.7mm tubing used on most French production models took a 26.4mm seatpost.

You can gently spread the "ears" on the set lug and the 26.6mm seatpost will fit easier. Also, go to an auto parts store and get a brake cylinder brush hone with a 1 1/8" capacity. They cost about $15.00 USD. Mount it in an electric drill and run it down into the seat tube to polish the internal surface. You can also use it to clean up the inside of the steering tube.

A piece of sandpaper attached to a wooden dowel will work too but it takes a lot longer to use by hand. One last thing, take a round or half round file and remove any burrs inside the seat tube. It will prevent "snake" marks on the seatpost.

Top of the line French bikes usually had Campagnolo dropouts. It allowed the makers to use Simplex, Huret or Campy derailleurs. I've seen lots of top line French bikes with Huret Allvit derailleurs. The French thought highly of them - it was their answer to all metal Campy derailleurs - Gallic pride you know!

Up through the mid 70s Simplex dropouts were used on a lot of mid range and upper mid range French bikes, especially those imported into the US. In Europe you could find the same models equipped with Huret derailleurs and proprietary Huret dropouts.

While the PX-10 was Peugeot's top model back then, it was still a mid range model!

Chrome plated "socks" on the forks and rear stays besides being decorative eliminated the problem of paint chipping from installing and removing the wheels. During the early 70s bike boom many Belgian bikes plus a few French ones came with silver painted socks instead of chrome plating.

There was an embargo on chrome ore coming out of several African countries back then plus chrome plating produces a lot of dangerous waste products. Both of these issues increased the cost of plating which in turn reduced the amount of chrome plating used on bikes for a while back then.

non-fixie 

Thanks Verktyg! Indeed, it seems to be from the 1970-1973 period. Before and after the graphics were different. Thanks too for the 'brake cylinder brush hone' tip. I'll try that. I have spread the ears a bit, and cleaned the inside of the seat tube, using one of these, as far as I could get my finger in, but it's not optimal:


I've also been in touch the previous owner of the bike, but he doesn't know anything of its history. He's offered to try and find me the address of the previous PO, so I'm hoping that will lead to some more info. There were quite a few Dutchmen in the Mercier team in the early seventies: