Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - 79 Mercian road bike

I am looking to buy a bike for a tour of the Oregon Coast. There will be lots of hills, and corners, and I am looking for something that is responsive, and feels stable. The ride is nothing terribly hard core, I'm new at this, but I'd preferably like to not die on the trip. I also have a somewhat limited budget, so I need to buy something used. I've talked to a few people in town and gotten some general advice, but it's tough to get specifics on used stuff beyond the basics like making sure the components come from the Shimano, Suntour, Campy triad.

I found a 79 Mercian road bike for sale, and at least one person has told me it's a reasonable purchase. The components are mostly Campy Record. Is this a reasonable purchase?
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1199740497.html

On a more general note, is looking in this basic range, high quality early 80s touring bikes, a reasonable idea? I've come across a couple of other's like this in my early searches. I also know very little about what's a reasonable price for a used bike. Any advice on this?

Used bikes can be a good deal. But (and this is a big but), if you're buying used, and especially a 30 year old used bike, you really need to know something about maintaining your own bike. A bike that old will almost always need some work, and it's probably going to need parts that you won't be able to find at your local bike store. From your post, it sounds like you probably don't have a lot of experience wrenching on bikes. If you're mechanically inclined and willing to dive in and do some learning, it may be a good deal (personally I have no idea what a '79 Mercian is worth). But I suspect you'd be better off with something newer.

Also, you may get better response in the touring forum.

Thanks for the reply.

That bike will be really easy to maintain. It probably has friction shifting(easy to replace and repair), sidepull brakes(again easy to replace and repair). The head and BB will most likely have loose bearings but any shop can repack them for you. The biggest problem to me is that it appears to be a road bike. A touring bike will have longer chainstays allowing for a more comfortable ride and attaching panniers. If possible I would look for mid 80s touring bikes. Just as easy to repair but more suited to a long day in the saddle while carrying gear.

I am looking to buy a bike for a tour of the Oregon Coast. There will be lots of hills, and corners, and I am looking for something that is responsive, and feels stableForget that bike. You have no business fooling around with Vintage equipment if you have to ask about it.

And there is no information in the ad - that gives any indication of the actual model, or amount of usage the bike's frame has endured.

Mercian bicycles are high quality, and Mercian is a trusted, respected brand, but it would help to know how and why you want to ride such an old out-dated bike - and then not even discuss frame characteristics or materials, let alone how to make a this particular bike into a touring, long distance bicycle.

I am looking to buy a bike for a tour of the Oregon Coast. There will be lots of hills, and corners, and I am looking for something that is responsive, and feels stable. The ride is nothing terribly hard core, I'm new at this, but I'd preferably like to not die on the trip. I also have a somewhat limited budget, so I need to buy something used. I've talked to a few people in town and gotten some general advice, but it's tough to get specifics on used stuff beyond the basics like making sure the components come from the Shimano, Suntour, Campy triad.

I found a 79 Mercian road bike for sale, and at least one person has told me it's a reasonable purchase. The components are mostly Campy Record. Is this a reasonable purchase?
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1199740497.html

On a more general note, is looking in this basic range, high quality early 80s touring bikes, a reasonable idea? I've come across a couple of other's like this in my early searches. I also know very little about what's a reasonable price for a used bike. Any advice on this?

Can you provide a bit more information? Is this a supported tour (not carrying your own stuff), a credit card tour (carrying some clothes, toiletries and staying in a motel), or fully loaded (camping and cooking out)? How many miles per day are you thinking about?

My impression, also, is your questions would probably be better asked on the Touring Forum.

Forget that bike. You have no business fooling around with Vintage equipment if you have to ask about it.

Not sure I agree with that sentiment, but I would say that $500 is too much for a bike that old.

Vintage bikes are great, even for beginners. It's how I got started (80's Miyata, bought in '03).

...I would say that $500 is too much for a bike that old...

It's tough to say without good close-up photos. But if the bike is in good shape, I'll bet it would fetch more than $500 on Ebay. I was bidding on an old Mercian King--frame only--that went for over $500.

If it was near me, and fit me, I be going over there with $400 cash in hand to check it out, at least.

Much of whether the bike is worth $500 has to do with what model of Merican the bike is. For that matter, whether or not it was a custom build as well.

The way the question about this bike was posed, is evidence enough that this thread is currently worthless, to the original poster as well as anyone else.

I tend to agree with RC in this instance. Bike is high end for its era and likely present asking
price is not far from what it sold for new. It is likely 5-6 spd and hence any kind of load on the
bike for touring would be a chancy affair unless you are a 200watt + rider. It appears to be a
double CW setup and the frame doesn't look to have the clearances between the rear wheel
and the seat tube to qualify it as a 'touring frame', not that it can't be adapted. If you are a
vintage enthusiast, this is the bike for you. If you have ridden bikes built in the last 10yrs with
brifters and 8-9 spd it will be a bit of a stunner to go back to downtube shifters and 5-6 spd
freewheels.

It's a pretty nice bike, with nice parts. Assuming it is in decent shape it certainly is worth the asking price, and maybe quite a bit more. Of course, it may be trashed, and the low quality photos just don't show it. In that case $500 is indeed too much.

While I grew up riding and racing such bikes, I readily admit that they are not as "convenient" as modern bikes, especially for folks who do not already have experience with them. Downtube friction shifters, in particular, come with a learning curve. Unless the new rider is looking to get into the "vintage" scene, he is probably better served with brifters.

Beyond that, it has already been pointed out that the pictured bike is not a touring bike regardless of the seller's claims. It looks like a plain old racing bike to me, which means that there will be no good way to attach baggage, and the gear range will be hopelessly small.

As to the last question regarding the suitability of 80's touring frames for the OP's needs, I say yes, absolutely. These can be wonderful bikes, perfectly suited to this sort of riding. But as pointed out, you have to be prepared to do some maintenance on an old bike to ensure that it will function correctly, and you may be well served by replacing many/most of the parts with more modern stuff. If you have limited knowledge in this area, and/or are looking for a "turn-key" bike, then you are probably better off buying new(er).

HTH!

If the ride is unsupported loaded touring, where your house is carried on your bike, this is probably not the right bike. Mercian makes (and made) true touring frames, but you're not saying enough to tell if this is one. If it's not, it will be a light, quick ride with good compliance in terms of handling road irregularities, but it might be hard to set it up quickly and cheaply with a wide gear range, which one usually wants for credit card or hotel to hotel touring. Over long distances you have a greater chance for large terrain variations.

With some pictures, the C&V folks can probably nail down what model this is, fairly exactly.

Duhhh, I finally looked again and saw the link. This is definitely not a touring bike. It's a very good bike, and would be a great addition to your stable for other riding. I don't think $500 is necessarily bad, but you need better pictures.

Road Fan