Jicafold

So I picked this up. I don't know why. Maybe Covid boredom. It had a flat bar on it which I took off. Mismatched wheels. However, It has Campy brakes and front derailleur. Galli rear derailleur....which I know nothing about. Nervar crankset and Sugino bottom bracket. Vitus rear dropout and LG front. So...what kind of Mercier is this and what is it made of? Might just part it out. Not sure. Thank you.

Insidious C. 

Good luck finding a model name. My guess is '84 or '85 Columbus Aelle or Aelle tretubi. Examples I have seen (including one in my garage) had all chrome fork and chrome DS chain stay, TT decal "Prix de Cannes," DT decal "le Velo de Mercier," Seat tube decal "Mercier." Yours may be repainted.

Jicafold

Thank you. But the marks you see on the downtube are actually decal residue rather than scratches. Still could have been repainted though. I would like to put new decals on it....not sure what the correct ones are.And what generation, model, of Campy brakes are these?

Insidious C. 

My bike has a Campy Triomphe group. The decals were not durable, apparently. I removed what remained on the TT ans ST. You can buy reproduction DT decals. I thought I could see chrome peeking out here and there on your bike- which made me think it may be repainted. I did a fair amount of searching for a model name myself but eventually gave up.

T-Mar

Seat post diameter? Serial number?

bfuser191509248

https://labibleduvelocataloguesmercier.blogspot.com/p/mercier-198x.html
https://fotos.rennrad-news.de/p/328656
50 years later, another Mercier
50 years later, another Mercier

steve sumner

your brakes are Gran Sport circa 80-82

Jicafold

Are they not supposed to have a G.S. on them on the other calipers arm?

Jicafold

Seatpost diameter appears to be 26.0 or 26.2. I do not see a serial number on the frame...particularly under the bottom bracket. Nada.

Insidious C. 

Same as mine. 26.2 and no obvious s/n.

Jicafold

Might be that Saleve.

carldrost

I think this may be a Mercier Bordeaux-Paris about 1984. I have one and am trying to find stuff to rebuild it. I was in an accident years ago on it and kept the frame and the jacked up fork. I think i may be able to straighten the fork and the frame is good. I gave all the components away to a friend years ago. I bought the bike new in '84. From what i gather, some of the campy stuff looked like Triomphe but supposedly that was not in Campy catalog until '86. It was a low end model but still a great bike. I found this page on the bike nut since this is my first post i cannot send the link but if you email be i can send it to you. The title was Mercier Bordeaux-Paris Road Bicycle. If you find out anything let me know, i can use some help as well. You can find all new decals online except for apparently the logo that was on the headtube in '84.

T-Mar

I missed this response earlier for some reason. Regardless, this would be appropriate for Columbus Aelle if it is metric tubing (i.e. 28.0mm seat tube outer diameter) but in the range for a lightweight hi-tensile steel if it's imperial tubing (i.e. 28.6mm seat tube outer diameter). I'm not sure when Mercier switched but most French manufactured changed tubing standards in the mid-1980s, which looks to be about the frame's age, so it could go either way.

Jicafold

I think I sold this like a year ago.

carldrost

Insidious C. Do you have a picture of the decal on the headtube of that red Mercier. I believe they were different to the filagree ones i have seen on the later bikes. Thanks.

Insidious C. 

Sorry, no. I checked but found no pic of headtube. I do recall the decal was a cyclist on bike with arms raised evoking victory. "Decals" may have actually been inked/painted on - they were not durable by any stretch.

verktyg 

T-Mar I've been messing with French bikes for almost 50 years and I don't recall seeing many if any that had imperial inch size tubing.... But is it wrong or just French?

My 1974 Gitane Tour de France came from Australia and has a British BB and headset!

My French bikes from the 80's all have metric tubing but from about 1984-85 on most of them have British threads.

Here's my early 80's Mercier with a Columbus SL frame. The threads are BSC.



Gitane started using these Vitus forged dropouts on their better models as far back as 1982 so that can help dating Jicafold bike.



Judging from the components, it looks like maybe it's a kludged together co-op bike.

The original Columbus Aelle tubing from 1978 through the mid 80's was straight gauge with 0.8mm wall thickness main tubes. A 26.2mm or 26.4mm would be the standard seatpost diameter.

During the late 70's, early 80's most of the French makers also used various flavors of Durifort and Vitus tubing on mid range bikes. They also took 26.2mm seatposts.

I've never seen a headset like the one on the OP's bike? It's looks "inexpensive" and maybe a replacement??? Also LG dropouts.

Don't recall ever seeing a rider with his arms up decal on a Mercier either.

All in all, it should be a nice rider.

verktyg

Insidious C. 

carldrost, verktyg, You may have to zoom in, but this pic recently posted by marius.suiram has the same head badge as the 84 I once owned.

carldrost

Thanks, that is exactly the 'decal' i had on the headtube of my 84 Mercier. Your red one is the Prix de Canne i think and my friend bought that one as he made more money then i did and so one upped me, ha ha ha. Another friend and I got the Bordeaux de Paris model.

carldrost

Also, if you know of anybody that might have a font fork for these 80's Le Velo De Mercier, i be looking for one. Think it is like 220mm stem or so as it was a 56 or 58 frame. Pretty soon i will have enough posts to put pictures up, Whoop.

carldrost

post #8

carldrost

Post #9

carldrost

Post #10, sorry about that but i did that so i can post pictures, etc.

carldrost

Insidious, I found the image Mercier used to make the headtube decal for my bike and probably the years from like 83-85 until they went bankrupt. along with a writeup on the company. Also found this site that had good history of Mercier. It is in French so i have to go through and translate and put back together again but nonetheless it is here (5 pages)

carldrost

Verktyg, I am just saying Hi. I have an 84 Mercier Bordeaux-Paris that i am going to try and rebuild and looking for anybody that has any info from that time of Mercier. I found this picture which is what i think they used to make the headtube decal.