Need help identifying this mercian
 

Please can i have help identifying this Mercian my dad gave me
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Gonna try restore it and keep it to ride but i guess it would be helpful to know what im looking at
Forks have already been sanded down (600, wet + dry)

If I'm not mistaken, Mercian maintains a database of what they sold. If you contact them with the serial number, they should be able to tell you what it is, when it was made and who it was originally sold to.

Thank you, will drop them an email right now
Is it true that they dont have the data from before the 70s?

It could be the angle of the photo, but it looks like that frame was in a nasty head-on collision.

Notice the bend bend and rust immediately following the "N" in Mercian on the downtube.

http://i.imgur.com/P77lAFO.jpg

I don't know

Yes my dad drove it into a skip (dont ask my why or how)
Gonna send it back to them to get the tube fixed, then sand it all down myself and repaint it... You think its a waste of time?

If you're going to send it back to Mercian, and it is repairable, you may as well have them repaint it, too. They have a reasonably-priced repaint service for their own bikes, from what I have heard. Contact them and see what they say.

Plus, the bike has some history. Your pops would probably be happy to see it riding again.

Sourcing a fork to match the frame might be a little tricky, though. At least for a reasonable price.

Yeah, badly bent. No, it's not a waste of time to have a quality framebuilder repair it. It's a sentimental frame, and good quality too. I'd fix it.

edit: If you're sending it to Mercian, I agree, have them paint it too. They do nice paint.

I have the fork already sanded down.
If i remember correctly, its 120£ for a full repaint and strip down etc, and i think even more for the stripe things. Also 95£ for the new down tube

If you like the bike and it fits you, those prices are very reasonable.

Are you in the U.K? May have to factor in transport/shipping costs to-and-from Mercian.

But like I mentioned earlier, if it's fixable, I'd be all about it if I were you.

Also, welcome to BF.

120£ for a repaint is reasonable??
And yes, the plan was to drive down to derby next weekend with the frame
Why would it not be fixeable? would it be because of the way its all fixed in the bottom bracket?

EDIT: thank you

It's fixable. Have them check the top tube also. Although not visible, there may be some damage there as well, from the crash. Cracking of the paint behind the headtube would be an indication of this.

Since you're having Mercian repair the frame, you may want to consider additional work to update it as well. If you're inclined to do so, they could add shifter braze-ons, bottle cage braze-ons, a pump peg, widen the stays for larger cog clusters, etc.

Before doing any more with the project it would be good to have someone examine the fork alignment. An impact great enough to cause that deformation to the downtube could have also caused deformation to steerer and/or to blades.

If you have not done so already you may wish to contact the VCC marque enthusiast for Mercian.

Frame constructed with Nervex lugset Nr. 45/159:

http://velobase.com/VeloImages/Frame...57A7F149D.jpeg

Its all fixable and they are the just lads to do it, paint price is a bargain as it can be very expensive normally. They will align everything when they do the tube as well and will give a full assessment before they start. Go all the way, you will not be disappointed as they do, did and always take great pride in their work. Do it up, make it so! ;)

top tube is ever so slightly bent, i can get a pic if you need it

If you have the fork, bring it with you when you go to Mercian, it may be damaged as well. Actually it is likely.

Would pics do it for checking alignment or should i take it to someone physically
Also, what is a VCC thing for mercian?

One easy check you can make without recourse to special tools is to check the steerer with a straightedge. When they deform in an impact it typically takes place just a bit above the crown. You can get some idea regarding blades by looking at them in relation to the steerer but fork should be checked in an alignment jig such as the Park for an accurate reading.

Veteran Cycle Club:

http://www.v-cc.org.uk/

Classic Lightweights

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/mercian.html

By all means take it to Mercian - they are masters of renovation. There is no question that they can fix it; if it fits you, by all means make it roadworthy. I don't think Mercian ever made a bad bike. At first blush I thought '60s Campionissimo or Olympic; now i am not so sure. Let them paint - it is worh the money and their paint is very durable - don't sand anything else off!

If you're not familiar with them, Mercian has been around since 1946, and the two times the company has changed hands (c. 1965 and 2005) it has gone to long-term employees. Their builders tend to stay with them a long time, too. My 2002 Vincitore was built by Derek Land, who had been there since the 70s.

Even without the family history, this would be a worthy restoration project. Seek out the Mercian Register maintained by Chris Barbour to see the multitude of ways old Mercians are set up - period parts or resto-mod or somewhere in between.

I want to see the "after" pix.

VCC is the Veteran Cycling Club, an organization that specializes in the history, preservation and renovation of vintage bicycles. Members include the marque expert on a given make of bikes.

and everyone is all for asking them to redo the top tube, bottom tube, and a full repaint rather than leave top tube, get bottom replaced and do the paint by myself?

Yes, them to do it all. The top tube is half done during the downtube, and will be a bargain at that. Their paint will be much better than anything else and be correct as well. Bicycle paint is very difficult and many excellent painters struggle with them, I have a very good friend who is an expert painter and he wont even talk about it because it is such a pain.

You need to compare the cost (and time) for doing this against buying a used mercian, or similar quality frame, in similar condition to this frame. That would be, more or less, an apples to apples comparison. You may be better off buying a new used Mercian.

That's really cheap. In the states it'd be twice that--at least, for both the repair and the repaint. Unless you have access to a pro paint shop, I'd save my shekels and have them repaint it. As others have said, they do a good job.

New top tube £95.00
New down tube £95.00
Extra bands on seat tube (all same colour) – each £14.00
The transfers/ decals are also about 35 pounds i think

The top tube im not sure if it needs replacing/ if its worth 95 to get it redone