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The Mercian is finally done!

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The Mercian is finally done!

Old 01-27-08, 08:40 PM
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The Mercian is finally done!

After much foot dragging I finally got the fenders installed. A few tense moments with drill, a Dremel, and a hacksaw, and here it is. Big thanks are due to this bike's former owner and bikeforums member Jay Andriot for sending me these beautiful fenders.





Specs and more pictures are here.
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Old 01-27-08, 08:44 PM
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Spectacular work, marqueemoon.
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I explained that he could never pay me enough cash for the amount of work I had put into that bike and the only way to compensate me for it was to ride the hell out of it.
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Old 01-27-08, 08:52 PM
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Beautiful bike. That's got some style. I look forward to spotting you on the streets of Seattle once I'm back on my bike. Is that a black Suntour Cyclone on the rear? I haven't seen that before. FYI - Your stash of performance enhancing drugs in the secret seat compartment are showing...
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Old 01-27-08, 08:58 PM
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Nice bike!
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Old 01-27-08, 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by intheshop
Beautiful bike. That's got some style. I look forward to spotting you on the streets of Seattle once I'm back on my bike. Is that a black Suntour Cyclone on the rear? I haven't seen that before. FYI - Your stash of performance enhancing drugs in the secret seat compartment are showing...
Yes. That is black Suntour Cyclone. Good eye.

I suppose that bag under the saddle would be a good choice to stash some coffee beans. This will likely be my ride for Chilly Hilly, so you may see it there.

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Now it's time to ride it and get ready for the next project....
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Old 01-27-08, 09:17 PM
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Very nice!

Now find a nice shiney quill stem!
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Old 01-27-08, 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Hocam
Very nice!

Now find a nice shiney quill stem!
I had a Cinelli on it for a few weeks and hated it. I know the Salsa looks wrong, but it feels so right.
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Old 01-27-08, 09:25 PM
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I'm a fan of TTT, I think I have a 110 with 26.0 clamp laying around here somewhere
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Old 01-27-08, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Hocam
I'm a fan of TTT, I think I have a 110 with 26.0 clamp laying around here somewhere
PM sent.
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Old 01-28-08, 02:51 AM
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Very nice. The stem looks slightly fugly, but if it fit you well, that's good. Enjoy your ride.

My Mercian has just arrived and I'll take it to the LBS to have the headset tightened so I can ride it.
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Old 01-28-08, 06:54 AM
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I was the first owner of this Mercian. Seth has done a great job with it. I am so pleased to see that it is such good hands. The wood fenders was my last purchase for the Mercian. The front fender wasn’t a great fit when I had them. In fact I didn’t include the fenders in the sale of the Mercian to Seth. I sent them to him after I saw my old bike posted on the Bike Forums. He said that fenders was the only thing missing from the bike, I had them and sent them out to him. He added more bracing to the front and made it curve nicely to the front wheel. I do hate to think of my old bike out in the rain but I know that Seth will take very good care of it.

This is how the bike looked before I sold it,
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Old 01-28-08, 07:44 AM
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Wow!

This is awesome!
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Old 01-28-08, 09:06 AM
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Allow me to add my kudos...gorgeous bike. I've always liked Mercians. Nice build.
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Old 01-28-08, 09:12 AM
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The bike looks great to me. That SunTour is a great derailleur -- purists be damned!
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Old 01-28-08, 11:07 AM
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The bike was a mix of parts when I built it in the early 80's. The Suntour Cyclone derailleurs were on the the bike when I built it. The cranks are Sugino, the shifters Campy. The wheels are the second set I made for the bike and had them built in 1985. Seth swapped out the saddle, seatpost and handlebars/stem. I also did not have a bell on the bike when I owned it. The ding on the toptube is mine.

Jay
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Old 01-28-08, 11:58 AM
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Very, very lovely bike!
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Old 01-28-08, 12:38 PM
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Nothing like a happy ending! The wood mudguards are gorgeous with that bike, and the brass bell is a nice touch, too .

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Old 01-28-08, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Jay Andriot
The bike was a mix of parts when I built it in the early 80's. The Suntour Cyclone derailleurs were on the the bike when I built it. The cranks are Sugino, the shifters Campy. The wheels are the second set I made for the bike and had them built in 1985. Seth swapped out the saddle, seatpost and handlebars/stem. I also did not have a bell on the bike when I owned it. The ding on the toptube is mine.

Jay
It's a nice setup. I figured most of the components were original to the bike even if they don't "match". There was not much of a "build" on my part other than repacking the bottom bracket and rebuilding the rear wheel. The drive side spokes had some wear from chain drop and I snapped one. I figured I might as well just rebuild the whole thing.

I needed to swap out the stem and bars for fit reasons. The Dura Ace post I found at a yard sale. The pedals sat in my parts bin with broken clips for years until I located some NOS steel clips at Recycled Cycles a few months ago. The blue ALE straps are from Velo Orange. The bell I bought at a local shop. Good thing it's a pleasant sound because it rings constantly.

I did consider swapping out the cranks at one point (I'm tall and they're 170mm), but decided to keep them on there. I wanted no toe overlap issues with fenders and I've gotten used to riding 170s on my fixed gear. Plus they are really nice looking.

Obviously I wasn't deterred by the ding. Bikes are meant to be ridden. Stuff happens.
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Old 01-29-08, 01:30 AM
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How do you like those 177s?
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Old 01-29-08, 02:20 AM
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Originally Posted by yellowjeep
How do you like those 177s?
I'm not 100% sold on the way they look, but in terms of comfort and usable positions I like them a lot.

The Nitto 115s are nice too, and cheap. I wish they were 26.0 clamp but otherwise great.
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Old 01-30-08, 07:42 PM
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It was such a treat to see the old Mercian pop up here on Bike Forums a year after I sold it to Seth. There were, and still are, many times when I regreted letting the Vicintore go, but now I can see that it was ment to be. It was a sweet riding bike and I bet it's even better now. Those are still the best looking lugs I've ever seen on any bike.

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