non-fixie 

Some of you may have seen the thread preceding this one: An Altra, eh?

Since the title doesn't help those interested in Méral bikes, I thought I'd start a new thread, with a new title, on the rebuild of this machine for mrs non-fixie.

For those who haven't read the previous thread, or have never heard of Méral, a short introduction:

As a fan of French bikes I'd previously come across Méral, the brand of Albert Metayer, a French bed manufacturer, cycling enthousiast and cycling team sponsor, who'd started his own bicycle factory in the mid-seventies. He'd appointed 24-year old Francis Quillon as manager, who turned out to be a bit of a talent. Inspired by the likes of Herse, Singer and Routens, Quillon set out to produce hand-made quality bikes, but at a factory-made price. His operation was sometimes referred to as semi-artisan.

One thing he came up with was a frame design that would combine the lower stand-over height needed for ladies, with the rigidity of the classic double triangle: the cadre spécial Méral. The design was patented, so you can be sure that a bike from that era with this frame design was produced by the Méral works in Savigné-sur-Lathan, even if it carried another name on the down tube.

From a ca 1980 Méral catalogue:



These are pretty rare here in Holland, but I like them. A lot. So when this Altra (in itself a Dutch LBS house brand of limited interest) turned up for sale in mrs non-fixie's size, I bought it.



A quick check confirmed its identity. The Méral patte forgée double deport:



Long story cut short: mrs non-fixie liked the unique frame design, but not the hearing aid beige color, so after a long think (it's only original once!) I decided on a repaint in one of the other - much nicer - Méral colors, a light aquamarine.

I did my best to find the right color paint and decals, paint the frame (not easy with my limited painting experience and even more limited patience) and this is the result:



The really big decisions (what parts to build it up with?) will have to be made quickly, as it will have to give acte de présence in Gaiole in a month or so. Current build plan (which could change at any time):

Cranks: Stronglight 99 (or comparable SR Apex-5 in 86 BCD) compact double 50/32
Dérailleurs: Simplex, S061 & SJ A02
Brakes: CLB GL sidepull
Brake levers: Weinmann 136
Bars: Philippe semi-surbaissé
Stem: Atax
Saddle: Brooks B17S imperial
Wheels: whatever period-correct set I have available with low flange, smooth hubs and hooked clincher rims in 700C.
Tires: 28mm Paselas

I'll keep you posted on developments.

TenGrainBread 

Nice. Will it fit any bigger than 28s?

Wildwood 

"Hearing aid beige"???
AustroDaimler called it 'Sand'.
Don't let my Olympian 'hear' that description, it's only getting close to 40years,
and maybe sensitive now that it's middle age.

beautiful bike @non-fixie. and most unique.

JaccoW

That's a cool frame and should make for a very nice bike.

Nice bit of background too. You know we like those almost as much as pics around here.

non-fixie 

Thanks. I haven't actually measured the exact clearances, but by the looks of it 32 mm will fit pretty comfortably without fenders. No plans for that, though. So far, 28 mm has turned out to be a good compromise between look and feel.

non-fixie 

Time for an update.

The bike is close to being back on the road again. It took quite some time and ample consultation with mrs non-fixie before deciding how to build it, in terms of parts and colors. My plans for using a Simplex transmission ran aground because the derailleurs in my bin all have short cages and frankly just weren't nice enough for this newly painted machine. The result would have been subpar, both in looks and usability. Since the bike is destined for L'Eroica next month, this was not acceptable.

I did think of going full Shimano "arabesque" (which I love, would have been period-correct, and I have a long cage RD), but finally decided to build a SunTour GT out of the broken Vx's in my parts bin (vintage long cage derailleurs are pretty rare in this flat country) and use that. With the 50/32 chainset and 14-32 freewheel, mrs non-fixie will have a low gear progression of 26.4 gear inches, which should at least get her up to Brolio castle.

In terms of color we decided to follow the Méral style of the era: duotone. Which means everything in black, with the frame providing the spot color. The alternatives were either too modern-retro (brown matchy-matchy) or faux-Bianchi (red, blue, white) or both.

Anyway, this is where we are now. Alpha test this weekend, followed by final tweaks and finishing the cable ends. Beta test next week, and then it's off to Italy.




One reason I decided on the SunTour transmission is the nice black covers on these shifters:



Mrs non-fixie's favorite saddle, the Brooks B17S Imperial. In black, of course:



One thing I like about Méral are these proprietary "pattes Méral double depart". You can see why:



Another are the cable exits on the top tube:



More on this bike next week.

Oh, and I expect the result to weigh 21 lbs, which is not bad at all for what is basically an entry level frame, made of yet unknown-to-me tubing.

alexnagui

It turned out nicely! I like the colour, in your previous post it looked almost white, at least on my phone, but it's not.Very cool!
Which bike are you taking for yourself to L'Eroica this time?

mpetry912 

that's a really nice bike, very unusual !

thanks for sharing. Can we send you a cable cutter :- ) ??

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

TenGrainBread 

Well done. It looks fast and comfortable. I think you really nailed the paint and color scheme.

bertinjim 

non-fixie -

Looks terrific. Going with a full cloth tape wrap of the bars from stem to ends in the French style?

non-fixie 

Thanks! I intended for the color to be even lighter, more towards blue and more metallic, but apparently a half inch square in a paint sample book doesn't work well enough for me.

I'll actually be taking the same bike as last time, my slightly scruffy Jacques Anquetil, albeit with a new drivetrain. I replaced the Campagnolo NR that was on it with a Simplex-Stronglight combination.

Thanks for the offer. But I cut and finished the cables this morning, so I'm fine.

Thank you. I expect it to at least feel fast to mrs non-fixie, as the bars are lower than on her other bikes. The frame is also more than an inch shorter, which is why I hadn't taped the bars yet. I want her to test ride it first and tell me it's OK.

WRT the color: mrs non-fixie already "noticed" that this pump is not all black, which I'm taking as an instruction to arrange for one.

Thanks. Yes, black cotton Velox. Over something that will give a little more substance to the grip and some padding without looking bloated.

non-fixie 

Ready for beta testing:



I hope the bars are not too low, as that probably means having to lose this nice stem & bell combo:



Found a space for the water bottle, if only just:

bikemig 

You can't beat suntour derailleurs on a vintage build.

21 lbs with a leather saddle is amazing. What kind of tubing did this use? When I weighed my 1970s Fuji Finest (chrome moly frame, fully chromed underneath the paint + leather saddle), the weight was right around 24 pounds. Granted mine is a larger frame (58 cm) but I suspect that only explains part of the weight difference. You said that the meral was handbuilt quality at factory prices so I'm guessing this is a lightweight tubing set.

Nice paint job.

juvela

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Yet another wonderful non-fixie project!

Mrs. non-fixie will be so delighted. And just in time for Gaiole as well.

Lug pattern is BOCAMA Competition 75 with cutout Nr. R1.

Does anyone know the designation for the BOCAMA crown exhibited here?

It was widely employed by Puch/Austro-Daimler, amongst others.

Hoping thar be a washer behind the nut on the ALGI...

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non-fixie 

I've weighed it again today. Several times, just be sure, and with the - admittedly cheap - scales I've got, the results I got were all between 21 and 22 pounds. Which is still quite decent, I think, for an entry level model.

WRT the tubing: I recall having read online posts about Méral using Camus tubes, but whether they were used on this particular model, I don't know. Here's a bit by Norris Lockley on Camus tubing.

non-fixie 

There is now. Thanks.

non-fixie 

BTW, mrs non-fixie tested the Méral today. She posted this pic on Strava :



No comments, other than that after 10 miles or so, her neck complained that the bars were a bit too low. This means I need to find another stem, as this one is at its limit. A little more reach wouldn't hurt either, I think.

JaccoW

Very classy bike non-fictie. :Thumb:
Shame about the stem but that's a relatively minor fix. Shame about the bar tape though.

That reminds me of this (slightly gaudy) bike I came across today.
Seller claims it is a Piet de Jongh made out of Reynolds 531 tubing but I've never seen a bike put the decals on the top tube.

non-fixie 

Pity the ad has been removed, but I did see the pics this morning. Definitely a Méral frame. The 531 decal is not correct, though.
And 'gaudy' is a rather friendly description. 'Circus-bike' would have been mine.

juvela

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In original build plan for a tutto francese drivetrain was wondering why the replacemenet of the original TS with a quatre vingt dix-neuf.

Decided it must have been because you wished to be able to use a smaller inner than the limit of the TS, since you would have been limited to twenty-eight denti astern.

Me thought for the day -

non-fixie 

The TS will probably show up another time on another bike, as I like its looks. But you are correct. With the 32T inner plateau on the 99 she would have had at least a fighting chance in those Tuscan hills.

Anyway, with the current prise-directe setup she has a low gear development of 26.4 inches and a transmission that shifts very quickly and smoothly, which also helps a lot to actually be in that low gear when you want to.

non-fixie 

The Méral has a seriously short top tube, which put mrs non-fixie in a rather cramped position, and after te miles or so, she also complained that the bars were a bit too low and her neck felt strained. I found a 100mm Dia Compe ENE stem that allows an extra inch upward and also an extra inch outward. We did a 60k test ride today and now everything is pretty much perfect.

juvela

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WOW. she definitely looks road ready now!

Beatific arbeid.

We have had all of these posts with technical questions and answers yet no one has yet mentioned threading.

Am thinking that with her estimated date she is just early eno' to be yet toute francaise rather than ISO.


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juvela

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Have found myself a-wonderin' as to the dispensation of the appurtenance...

For repurposement some of the ideas which glided in included doorstop, door handle, use in an objet trouvee sculpture, fountain spillway, wall planter (with modification) and miniature golf hazard.

With your most nimble mind you have no doubt thought of much better ones...

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Additional views of cycle in its final form, and its pilot, appear here -

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ca-2019-a.html


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non-fixie 

Time for an update. As @juvela did not fail to notice, the Méral made it to Italy:



Afterwards mrs non-fixie said the bike had performed well and she loves it. Pheww!

She also asked me to change the brake levers, as these Weinmanns have slightly too big a reach for her hands.

Two weeks later, as I was going through my stash and presenting some options to her, she also mentioned that, maybe someday, she would like to try drop bars ....

Wel, someday will be sooner rather than later, as this is what I finished yesterday: