Road Cycling - mercier...aluminum?

mercier's website says they're sworn to uphold the sacred oath of all-steel frames, etc etc. but then i heard recently, from a source with unknown cred, that they're making aluminum frames for 2004. can anyone confirm this? and if so, what's the source of your info? i've emailed mercier but it's friday evening so i don't think i'll get a reply any time soon.

I wouldn't think so. I have a Mecier Serpens with 853 steel and check the Mecier web site all the time, they do make a big deal on how they believe steel is the way to go. It is a great ride.:beer:

there's someone selling an alleged Orion aluminum frame. the person claims to be a big dealer of Mercier, and was given/sold the frame from Mercier as a preview to the new 2004 aluminum lineup. i found it peculiar so i thought i'd ask around.

Beats me.......Maybe this seller thinks it alum and doesn't know it's steel. My Serpens has 853 and is almost as light as alum. Try to ask him more about it.

it's an ebay thing...i did ask when i noticed that mercier was steel-only. the seller said it was new for 2004 and most definitely aluminum. weird. anyway, i've decided it seems a bit dicey and am going to skip it. thanks for your input.

"Mercier" is just a label now. The people who own bikesdirect.com, Cycle Spectrum (the Texas-based bike shop chain), and, yes, "sprtymama@aol.com" who sells this stuff on ebay, own the rights to the Mercier brand name in the US. They contract to have "Mercier" bikes manufactured in Asia using generic designs and off-the-shelf parts, and sell them through their various retail and online outlets.

This is not to suggest that there's anything wrong with the bikes or they way they're sold. By most accounts, they're perfectly ok, and buying Asian frames and bolting standard parts on them is a pretty common way of building a bike.

But it is to say that there's no real "legacy" or "commitment" involved in the current Mercier brand name. If a Chinese factory offered them a sweet buy on aluminum frames, there's probably going to be an aluminum bike in their line.

RichC

ah hah! that fits exactly. the seller is 'sprtymama'. now it all makes sense. when i asked the seller how it could be an aluminum Mercier when the company's website said "steel only, all the time", i got the following response:

> Good question.
> Mercier offered to sell me some sample frames from their new 2004 line.
> I am a big dealer of theirs.
>
>
> You can email them to verify this info of course.

kinda funny that i can email "them"...never did get a response.

i agree, it doesn't mean the frame is substandard...after all, that's all my Specialized frame is, an asian outsourced frame with stuff hung on it. works for me.

it was interesting when the bid was $60, but it went out of my 'couldn't hurt' range and into serious money. and i have an aluminum bike.

thanks, rich clark, for clearing up the mystery!

makes me wonder about the Profile Design frame and fork i saw as well. PD makes forks, but no mention of frames. might be a decal slapped on a no-name frame.