Originally Posted by
buzzman
Ha! I was right- thought it was the Giro but the gruppo looked wrong. I had a blue Bottechia Pro that I raced with for years back in the 70's. The Columbus tubing was a nice feel in the large frame size. For good classic British frames I also had an RJW Reynolds. Very nice bike.
Your Mercian is in great shape- what a cherry of a bike that is.
Lovely Jackson Tarwheel! Looks like it's well spec'd for commuting.
There's an early 70s Bottecchia catelog somewhere online that shows the Pro as blue and the Giro white---so I suspect it was a Giro. It's a very sweet riding bike--I think the old Italian geometry is awesome. It has a lower BB than my Merc even with 27 x 1 1/4--so with tubies it would have been about 10" BB height when new.
The Mercian is a keeper--many years of fond memories associated with it.