Originally Posted by andre nickatina
Merciers can be had on eBay for the 300 dollar special, full bike setup. Just about every component other than the frame is crap, but paying 300 for a new frame is not so bad. You'll want to trash the hubs immediately, as they're prone to stripping.
a friend of mine has messed for upwards of a year, all weather, new york city, on a mercier. he had a ton of miles on it prior. without handbrake. he just got a new rear wheel, and he needs a new BB at this point, but pointing out the fact that the mercier's components are cheap is not the same as they'll fail and suck immediately.
also, i don't think that saying the hubs are prone to stripping is accurate. i think that working them hard with crappy cogs may lead to higher-than-normal stripping. throw a decent cog and lockring on there and they'll be fine.
really, i'm getting more and more convinced that it's crap cogs that strip hubs, not low end hubs. you're just more likely to find - or put - a crap cog on a lower end hub.