Meral
07-26-15, 02:56 PM
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Meral
Hi Everyone
I've built up a 22.5" Meral frame and forks (Columbus Aelle) with the following mostly french related parts and was wondering what valuation folks might put on it:
Diacompe "Edge" brakes and calipers
Sachs Huret RD, FD, shifters.
Sugino Crankset
Lyotard pedals
Wheels: Alesa rims (almost..Belgium) Suntour hubs (ah!)
Miche Headset and (tired) Miche BB.
Hopefully the photos will do the bike justice..insofar as it certainly has a patina to the point of most of the decals are worn including the Columbus Aelle decal (just a corner left) and it really could do with a respray..the bike's been used but not abused (apart from and tired Alesa rims off of another bike and mentioned the BB ..but will be delving into my oily bits box to rectify this).
Bit of history...."MERAL was a small company of about fifteen staff working out workshops at La Fuye, just near Tours
in the Loire valley. The company had a full range of bikes for all types of cycle sport, and most were very
elegant, well brazed and nicely finished. The company also had a custom shop. Although models were
produced in small series, the build was excellent and the price sensible.
"Their foreman builder was Francis Quillon who, when MERAL was bought out in the early 1980s and some
worked moved nearer to Le Mans, stopped in La Fuye and set up his own frame shop. (He enjoyed) a
tremendous reputation especially with the racing fraternity. He is supposed to have built for Laurent Fignon,
Cyrille Guimard, other of the Renault-Gitane teams of that era, Alain Prost. etc. He is now (considered) one
of the gurus of modern French frame-building."(....courtesy of Classic Rendezvous)
I've googled Meral and the made some highend Randonneurs..but this hasn't the braze ons and it's Aelle so I'm guessing Meral's lower end..even so it's a stylish looking bike.
What do you reckon....Thanks All in advance.
V
I've built up a 22.5" Meral frame and forks (Columbus Aelle) with the following mostly french related parts and was wondering what valuation folks might put on it:
Diacompe "Edge" brakes and calipers
Sachs Huret RD, FD, shifters.
Sugino Crankset
Lyotard pedals
Wheels: Alesa rims (almost..Belgium) Suntour hubs (ah!)
Miche Headset and (tired) Miche BB.
Hopefully the photos will do the bike justice..insofar as it certainly has a patina to the point of most of the decals are worn including the Columbus Aelle decal (just a corner left) and it really could do with a respray..the bike's been used but not abused (apart from and tired Alesa rims off of another bike and mentioned the BB ..but will be delving into my oily bits box to rectify this).
Bit of history...."MERAL was a small company of about fifteen staff working out workshops at La Fuye, just near Tours
in the Loire valley. The company had a full range of bikes for all types of cycle sport, and most were very
elegant, well brazed and nicely finished. The company also had a custom shop. Although models were
produced in small series, the build was excellent and the price sensible.
"Their foreman builder was Francis Quillon who, when MERAL was bought out in the early 1980s and some
worked moved nearer to Le Mans, stopped in La Fuye and set up his own frame shop. (He enjoyed) a
tremendous reputation especially with the racing fraternity. He is supposed to have built for Laurent Fignon,
Cyrille Guimard, other of the Renault-Gitane teams of that era, Alain Prost. etc. He is now (considered) one
of the gurus of modern French frame-building."(....courtesy of Classic Rendezvous)
I've googled Meral and the made some highend Randonneurs..but this hasn't the braze ons and it's Aelle so I'm guessing Meral's lower end..even so it's a stylish looking bike.
What do you reckon....Thanks All in advance.
V
07-26-15, 03:25 PM
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As you say, not a lot of information about Meral out there. I've not heard of them before.
That being said, I see a mish mash of average parts on a decent, but nicked up frame. In my market, $250 - $300.
That being said, I see a mish mash of average parts on a decent, but nicked up frame. In my market, $250 - $300.
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