Classic & Vintage - New Acquisition (British Stuff Inside)

Well, I've had a sudden influx of bike projects recently. Everything from making my neighbor's Schwinn World Sport into an awesome, fast riding machine, to last night's acquisition.

It's my first ever British project, as well as my first ever 531 frame.

My neighbor has learned how much of a bike nerd I am, and he loves that fact. He grew up right in the area, and bought this bike back in high school (the 80's, I believe). He ended up giving it to me last night, and I promised I'd turn it into something he'd be proud of.

So, here she is:

http://a.imageshack.us/img839/3671/img1006q.jpg

http://a.imageshack.us/img824/4923/img1007m.th.jpg (http://img824.imageshack.us/i/img1007m.jpg/) http://a.imageshack.us/img576/1075/img1008sj.th.jpg (http://img576.imageshack.us/i/img1008sj.jpg/) http://a.imageshack.us/img576/1591/img1009v.th.jpg (http://img576.imageshack.us/i/img1009v.jpg/) http://a.imageshack.us/img337/2554/img1010q.th.jpg (http://img337.imageshack.us/i/img1010q.jpg/)

The owner of my LBS is willing to bet money on the fact that it's from the 78-82 range. The frame is made for 27" wheels, but the front has a 700c on there (kind of cool...Suzue hub with sealed bearing laced to a nice Mavic rim). I figure I'll get a nice set of 27" tubies on here and maybe switch over to a dedicated Shimano group (it's currently a mismatch) or maybe a nice Campy set up. The dropouts are Shimano, which I found odd.

She also has a Sugino crankset, an Ideale 80 saddle, and Schwinn Approved long reach centerpulls. I figure I'll get at least some single pivots on there...

very worthwhile project: I say clean, clean and clean, plus maybe an oxalic acid soak. It might be as late as that, but with the nutted brakes, 27" wheels and split cable housing guides/pump peg, it seems earlier...or a very conservative bike.
If by "tubies" you mean tubulars: they are NOT going to be 27", they will be 700C...and if you want a pair I might have something (local, too).

A pair of 700c tubulars? Or a wheelset? I've got a lead on a nice 700c wheelset for cheap, but I think I might look for some nice Mavic 27" hoops for this ride, even if they are clincher.

And I agree on the oxalic soak. It needs some lovin'

nice score.

what a friendly neighbor

mmmmm, British bliss :)

nice!

Thanks guys! It's gonna be a fun project.

love it

With that tubing decal, don't bet against the guy at your LBS. :) The T.I. decal with the gold band underneath the 531 logo might have come out in '77.

A pair of 700c tubulars? Or a wheelset? I've got a lead on a nice 700c wheelset for cheap, but I think I might look for some nice Mavic 27" hoops for this ride, even if they are clincher.

And I agree on the oxalic soak. It needs some lovin'

I meant wheels, not tires...I may have a pair of tubular wheels of approximately the right vintage, might also have a pair of nice 27" clinchers that would be very at home on this frame...but have to see about a few things before I can offer details. I'll PM you.

With that tubing decal, don't bet against the guy at your LBS. :) The T.I. decal with the gold band underneath the 531 logo might have come out in '77.

The thing is, the owner of my LBS used to work for a famous bike shop owner in Alameda when he was a teen. Also very local. Apparently, my LBS owner built the wheels for this very bike. You can tell, because on the rear rim, there's a sticker with his wheelsmith number on it. It was a very awesome find, and the story behind it is super cool.

Unworthy1 suggested in a PM that the frame might be partially custom due to the fact that it has Shimano dropouts. I find it weird that this bike may have come with Shimano. Is it possible that it was a custom order? There are no serial numbers to be found, at least in the usual spots (BB shell, dropouts).

Also, one last question. I am going to give this bike an oxalic soak because of the internal rust. I know how to apply framesaver, but the oxalic will take the surface rust off the exterior as well. How do I keep that from rusting while maintaining the patina?

Very nice! Mercian would build bikes pretty much any way the customer wanted, so Shimano DOs are not necessarily out of line. What's the serial number? Email it to Mercian, and the can tell you model, year, and who built it. They're a very friendly bunch, and have records for bikes built after 1970 (previous records were lost).

I'll be unveiling my '65 King of Mercia very soon....

That's the thing, I can't find a serial number.

Have you checked the Mercian website for info?

http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/history

Neal

seems that the catalogs contain this clue: '70s specs (no specific year) list most frames available with either Campag or Shimano ends, but the '81 catalog lists Campag ends only, even the budget Campionissimo bike has Campy "Sport" model ends in '81.