Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - alpha mercury?

hi. i'm trying to research a bike posted on ebay that my girlfriend wants to buy. it's an "Alpha Mercury" track bike. It has a really strange frame. both the top tube and down tube have a curved shape. the top curves intoward the bottom near the seat post and the down tube up toward the top. it was designed by frankinstien (sp? - gotten from site) bike worx. i'm wondering af anyone has any info on one of these, since i couldn't find anything on google or bike reviews, or anywhere. their post has only positive reviews, but i'm looking for a little more info than that. thx.

Have one Ok if cheap consider but not much of a bike

yeah, built by frankenstien on spruce. You should hold out. They have a new color coming soon, if you don't dig the mustard job. Funny people to deal with, but down to earth.

not to talk smack, but those things are really pieces of crap, it looks like a child or possibly a monkey welded those things together... also all the components on them are crap, too. although they are cheap, it would be a far better investment to buy a quality rear wheel (dura ace, phil, campy hub) and good solid crankset and work from there... find a lightweight road frame with horizontal dropouts and then youve got yourself a quality conversion way better than the alpha

...also this is just my opinion, so make up your mind for yourself

hmmm, i think he was looking for a bike, not a crankset and an expensive rear wheel?????? lol.. oh but then u just find THE REST of the stuff... and, several hundred dollars later you have a better bike than the alpha, but, you also paid a lot more. so, maybe he should just buy a nice completed track bike :D
u get what you pay for, but can your girl tell the difference between a suzue and a phil wood besides the compliments she might receive from bikers? they both spin around and around, if she knows she wants to ride for 10+ years get her the phil wood :D lol.

I worked at the neighborhood bike works with the guy that designed that. andy dyson. we always gave him a hard time about it.

can your girl tell the difference between a suzue and a phil wood besides the compliments she might receive from bikers? they both spin around and around, if she knows she wants to ride for 10+ years get her the phil wood :D lol.

Somewhere, terror_in_pink is clenching her fists.

hi. i'm trying to research a bike posted on ebay that my girlfriend wants to buy. it's an "Alpha Mercury" track bike. It has a really strange frame. both the top tube and down tube have a curved shape. the top curves intoward the bottom near the seat post and the down tube up toward the top. it was designed by frankinstien (sp? - gotten from site) bike worx. i'm wondering af anyone has any info on one of these, since i couldn't find anything on google or bike reviews, or anywhere. their post has only positive reviews, but i'm looking for a little more info than that. thx.

I'd stay away.
That frame is made from 1020 gas pipe. heavy heavy heavy stuff. fitted with craptacular components. and personally, i think its hideous.
If you're looking for a cheap complete track bike off ebay, spend the extra $20 and get the mercier. You'll get equally crappy components, but at least you'll have a frame that's worthy of hanging upgraded parts on.

I worked at the neighborhood bike works with the guy that designed that. andy dyson. we always gave him a hard time about it.
yeah, I always get a laugh dealing with him whenever I stop in for some bearing grease or something.

I'd stay away.
That frame is made from 1020 gas pipe. heavy heavy heavy stuff. fitted with craptacular components. and personally, i think its hideous.
If you're looking for a cheap complete track bike off ebay, spend the extra $20 and get the mercier. You'll get equally crappy components, but at least you'll have a frame that's worthy of hanging upgraded parts on.

I thought that I was the only person who used the word "craptacular".

I thought that I was the only person who used the word "craptacular".

must be the simpsons..
in my opinion, "craptacular" ranks slightly above "asstastic" :D

I'd stay away.
That frame is made from 1020 gas pipe. heavy heavy heavy stuff. fitted with craptacular components. and personally, i think its hideous.
If you're looking for a cheap complete track bike off ebay, spend the extra $20 and get the mercier. You'll get equally crappy components, but at least you'll have a frame that's worthy of hanging upgraded parts on.
The mercier or the windsor, ive had a windsor for a little over a month and ive put 1500 or so miles on it, aside from the ding on the top tube from some jackass knocking it into a bike rack the thing is a SUPER solid ride. The mercier is a rebadged KHS and the windsor a rebadged fuji track, both solid starter frames that you wouldnt be embarrassed to throw some nice components on saving up for a nicer frame if you really like riding fixed.

hmmm, i think he was looking for a bike, not a crankset and an expensive rear wheel?????? lol.. oh but then u just find THE REST of the stuff... and, several hundred dollars later you have a better bike than the alpha, but, you also paid a lot more. so, maybe he should just buy a nice completed track bike :D
u get what you pay for, but can your girl tell the difference between a suzue and a phil wood besides the compliments she might receive from bikers? they both spin around and around, if she knows she wants to ride for 10+ years get her the phil wood :D lol.

ok mr. smartypants, when i set up my first fixie i got a old complete bike from the 70s (for less than $100 yes $100) and put a nice crank and nice rear wheel and i still can ride it today, total cost of build: $300, yes that is less than the piece fo crap alpha. meanwhile my friend bought an alpha last year and now essentially has to throw it away because all the components have failed. try skidding on the quando, my friend did and stripped the threads and now has a piece of garbage. meanwhile my $200 dura ace i bought on ebay has outlasted 200 quandos. people who buy their food at the dollar store and walmart should consider buying the alpha because it goes hand in hand with their spending ideals.

people who buy their food at the dollar store and walmart should consider buying the alpha because it goes hand in hand with their spending ideals.

Poor people are stupid jerks. Pass the fillet mignon.

m.

i was talking about foolish people who think they are saving money, but are losing in more in the end. its like someone thinks they are clever because they discovered food at the dollar store is less expensive, then 2 years down the line they are fat and have cancer and their hospital bills cost 1000% more than if they had bought something good to begin with.

i have the mercury. i bought it mainly because i live in philly, and frequented bike worx for my bike needs. i have ridden it every day for 9 months, and nothing has failed. however, it is really heavy. but, as a starter bike, i think it's alright. i know the hubs are basically considered crap, but my roommate (who has an alpha as well) and i have had no problems with them, skidding and all.

knowing what i do now, i would have definitely picked up a mercier. but since i live in philly and bike worx will fix small things on the alpha for free, i'm alright with the alpha. if you're in philly, it might be worth it just because you can go in if things start failing. for ordering online, i think the mercier would be the way to go.

ps. i have been lurking these forums for...oh about 8 months now haha. maybe now i will start posting.

did you or your roommate get cancer from the bike?

i think it would be better to get a rear track wheel and convert a bike, and then get a track bike. if you were to get a track bike, and you wanted a relatively cheap one, i like the mercier a lot. i don't think the stock components on that are that great either, but they are def way better than the mercurys.

sorry tasha.

did you or your roommate get cancer from the bike?

haha. no. but i got a case of an empty wallet cause i bought an iro. should be here next week.

i am probably going to buy a mercury. i know people don't think they are the best, but listen to this idea of mine...
buying it, and if something breaks, replacing the broken part with a new, quality part. if the bike is as bad as people say it is, then over time, the bike will evolve into a quality machine. if not, it's a good investment.

how about buy a bikesdirect bike, any of those can't possibly cost more than the alpha mercury..

1. i don't like buying things via internet
2. i am from philadelphia, and would like to support the local economy
3. i want to get riding and stop driving asap

i am probably going to buy a mercury. i know people don't think they are the best, but listen to this idea of mine...
buying it, and if something breaks, replacing the broken part with a new, quality part. if the bike is as bad as people say it is, then over time, the bike will evolve into a quality machine. if not, it's a good investment.

except its heavy as hell and a mercier, windsor or motobecane, well, isnt...bad idea doodz.

1. i don't like buying things via internet
2. i am from philadelphia, and would like to support the local economy
3. i want to get riding and stop driving asap

go to bicycle revolutions at 4th and bainbridge and buy an SE. Seriously. better than the alpha, comparable price.... or just spend an extra 200 and get a good bike. (you'll make up that money in gas easily...)

if you lift weights to get strong, do you lift heavy ones or light ones?

i thought the lager is in the $500 range

if you like stopping your fixed gear bikes before a car plows you would you like to stop a light or a heavy one... its not about "getting" strong. it's about quality bikes. if you find a light bike is too easy to pedal, jack up the gear ratio.

isn't the lager like $500? the draft isn't a fixed, either.

****ty bike, get her something better.

i'm willing to bet that the OP's question was answered, like, two years ago.

edit. whoops, look at me being hasty. there were recent questions in this thread. nevermind, and apologies.

isn't the lager like $500? the draft isn't a fixed, either.

right, but you like to support the local economy and i was just giving you some options. in that price range you wont find a better bike around town, (/sarcasm)

im just sayin that if it came down to it, id rather buy online if im getting a better deal. (i do ride a BD bike, but did not pay retail for it, so i couldnt pass it up) but hey, have fun on the alpha. you seem die hard on buying it.

if you lift weights to get strong, do you lift heavy ones or light ones?

Bad analogy. Better one:

What's more fun to train with, a 50 lb. gym-quality barbell, or two 25-lb. buckets of cow dung hanging on a piece of rebar?

PS, why support a local merchant who sells crap?

There are up to a dozen bikes I can think of that will be 50% more expensive than the alpha mercury, and several times better in value... lighter, more durable, prettier, quieter, etc.

Are you someone that knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing?

It is an absolute piece of crap and I would stop a friend from buying one but luckily my friends are not stupid so it's never come up.

how about buy the fuji track if you absolutely want to support them (note: not sure they have it, but many LBS do)

i opted for the schwinn madison. more expensive but probably a better bike. thanks for everyone's help. happy trails.

I bought a used Alpha on ebay last month for the sole purpose of using it for a couple months while I'm in school down here in Miami.I Just quit my last job and am not being paid while here in training so the price was right. I have ridden to class every day but one really rainey one where i hitched a ride. I use it to buy my groceries and to take long weekends rides around the city. The bike is heavy,rugged, cheap and so far fun and dependable. In fact it has been a blast riding a fixie down here where you see so few of them and having a bike I'm not afraid to take out for fear of denting it or having someone steal it. It is just what it is advertised to be . Just don't tell my friends back home I bought one.

alphacoughvomit- def. much better w the madison

http://frankinstienbikeworx.com/images/mercfeatures.jpg

dont start and dont remind me

I'm not sure how the components could magically fail on any of the entry level fixed bikes. I think mentions of things like crank failure (what is the obsession with replacing cranks here?) are a little exaggerated - I'm big, strong and heavy and I'm surprised at how much stuff I don't break.

If this bike will get ridden hundreds of miles a week (or even just over a hundred), the bike's probably not going to be a value because you will wear stuff out quickly. You might also get pretty strong and get a huge boost when you move to a pricier one, because these bikes are pretty heavy - feel like they're in the 28-30 pound range, not far off from a beginner mtb. If the rider wouldn't know the difference when they're riding it anyway, save the Dura Ace and Sugino dough for later and go with the Alpha if you think it looks cool or it's inexpensive - beginner/casual bikers don't become better/stronger/whatever bikers because of the bike unless maybe in like extreme mountain biking or something else that demands complex equipment.

I know two people who've been on them for a year, and I think their use is probably pretty typical - commuting and errands and 100% city riding. No sign of anywear or damage besides sticky brake cables from riding in rain, and maaaaaaaybe they could use new chains. Both riders are satisfied with the bikes they got for 300 bucks, both having previously ridden tank-heavy Target bikes and singlespeeded tank-heavy department store road bikes.