Thanks for the comments. I've certainly posed the questions on French retro vélo forums, and found a promising near-mis on: veloretrocourse.proboards.com/thread/714/mercier-vert-de-1974
Quality components there, but rear stay eyelets, too. Hmmm...
As for the Stronglight TS, it's just something I had around and mounted to get an idea of how the bike might look when built-up. It's certainly not OEM, although was a very popular feature in the period you mention.
The cable routing under the BB is certainly a potential dating clue.
Thanks again!
Originally Posted by
T-Mar
I seriously doubt that the "3" has any correlation to the model number. The bicycle appears to have a Stronglight TS crankset. If so, and it is OEM, this would place it circa 1976-1983. The TS was typically spec'd on upper entry level to lower mid-range models. The lack of dropout eyelets suggests a sports/racing model, while the derailleur cables being routed under the BB shell, suggests it is likely from the latter end of the time range. Consequently, it is from the period when it should still be metric gauge tubing and French threading.
Unfortunately, Mercier's presence in the American market diminished greatly after the bicycle boom. Consequently, I can't help with the model but I'm fairly certainly they had dropped the number designations by this time. Given your location, perhaps you should try some of the French forums