Is this worth building up ? [/IMG] I will or wont depending on how many yes /no answers i get ! It was originally all campy but should I go all French ?

That looks like it was middle or lower middle level bike. Definately lots of work to restore. If you decide to take it, it will surely be quite a large project(finding components(that fit the bike's specs!), cleaning up, removing and polishing races, and so on. I personally don't have the time or money to take on a project like that right now.

However, you are not me. If you have the time and money to do this, do by all means! But only if you will proceed to post pictures of before and after.

fixed gear

I'm a sucker for French steel, and all the real hard to find parts are still there...I think. Plus, I guess if you wanted a fixed...there is nothing to remove.

Go for it!

Steel wool, new stem, single speed or fixie on the cheap...Ride the snot out of the frame

Do it - but see how inexpensively it can be done. It doesn't look like it needs all that much to become a pretty sweet beater. Wheels, chain, bar tape, cables, front brake, derailleurs (optional). I bet you can get it back on the road for under $75.00.

Lower end, but one of the earlier Merciers I've seen, maybe 60s. If the price is right and you like French, go for it!

It looks like a perfect candidate for an internally geared hub. It has long horizontal dropouts and no derailer hanger. No shifter bosses on the downtube.

It's in much better shape than my Carlton was when I started.



I wonder if that saddle can be saved? It looks pretty cool.