Originally Posted by
mikestr
That's great, Jim--thanks for the heads-up on that earlier thread. I see you are also in the Bay Area and apparently of my generation. And perhaps that's a key to this interest in these bikes. In that period these French bikes were most often the ones we knew best, and in their better models ll, the ones we might aspire to own. Whether a Mercier 300 or a PX-10, they were both serious and possibly affordable bikes for a younger person. They were real racing bikes, with sewup tires, man! True, the Merciers never had the following here the Peugeots did, but that was simply because they weren't promoted nearly as much in North America, and I suspect that for more documentation we would need to reach out to our French friends, for whom Mercier was an extremely popular brand, having perhaps the most admired racing team and star, M. Poulidor. In any event, these old French racing bikes do have an undeniable allure for those of us who came of serious riding age during the great Bike Boom. And a Mercier can usually be found at a reasonable price.
Yes, Oakland was one of the few U.S. locations where the Merciers were imported in those years, so there is an increased connection for those of us who lived (or live) in this area. For me it wasn't about having a racing bike vs a non-racing bike. I was 13 when I got my Mercier in 1969, and I rode it in the neighborhood and to school. I've never raced a bike in my life, and knew nothing about sewup tires. My 1969 Mercier was a beautiful thing to me, a utilitarian work of art, and also very special in that it was a significant gift from my dad (who treated us sparingly to things like new french bicycles, and never spoiled us). My bike wasn't a model 300, nor is my "new" Mercier, so I guess there are many readers here who will turn up their noses at the thought of talking about them as part of Mercier history. Oh my god, they're too heavy to race! Change those rims! How can you ride a bike with steel rims?
Jeez. My main bike for years has been a Schwinn cruiser, and it weighs a hell of a lot more than my Mercier. I'm 64 years old, and I'll actually be lucky if I can stay healthy enough to even ride a bike again. There's no racing in my past, or in my future. I just want to enjoy and appreciate my bicycle, which brings back some great memories. If at all possible, I'd like to learn as much as I can about the history of the company and their models, and maybe connect with others who share my interest. I really put a lot of time and effort into that thread. I scoured the web for info and images; and scoured this and other forums for weeks in an attempt to bring together all the information I could about the Mercier brand. I hope people will read it like a general reference source, and find a question to answer, or perhaps ask a new question. My Mercier thread began with me and my story, but I went on to try to make it about the brand in general.
Thanks for responding. Oh, and I know about Poulidor, of course, and have tried to engage French members who briefly joined in. Cheers.