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Mecacycle?
"Mecacycle" ??
Sorry guys, but I don't have much to go on... A local lady in the Rockies has listed a "racing" road bike that sounds very near my size. Belonged to her uncle and she seems to recall that it was made in California some time back. She doesn't speak English very well (French?) and she stated that the name "Mec_?Cycles" is pantographed into the frame. Apparently not a decal or sticker, but etched in the lugs... This bike is clear across the western slope from me so it is a major PITA drive especially since we have a storm bearing down on the Rockies...Chain laws in effect, etc... I can't justify driving all the way there until I check w/ you guys... Does anybody have any thoughts on what this bike could be..? EDIT: It appears that this bike is French.. Based on Google.... Hmmm, I'm clueless on this one as the writing on the webpage is all in French... Mods, Could you please change the title of this post to "Mecacycle ?" |
Could it be Medici?
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Nope, she is positive and I guess that she's right: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...HB_en%26sa%3DN
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...HB_en%26sa%3DN I dunno Man, think I should grab the keys and head out..?? |
That split seatpost is pretty cool. I'd grab it if the price is right, but then again driving across the front range in a snowstorm might give me pause. :)
I say grab the keys and go on an adventure. You owe it to yourself, and more importantly - us. We need to live vicariously through you. Get going. |
I hope you are driving by now...go man go.
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Thanks BBM,
I was hoping that I'd hear from you.... I agree that it looks pretty exotic and cool....Apparently this was not CA at all but rather a French marquee from St Etienne. I'm grabbing my keys now . I hope this isn't aluminum made for a 120lb guy... I'm going Velomateo... Wish me luck!! |
Originally Posted by bigwoo
(Post 8376432)
Thanks BBM,
I was hoping that I'd hear from you.... I agree that it looks pretty exotic and cool....Apparently this was a fairly exotic French marquee from St Etienne. I'm grabbing my keys now. Wish me luck!! Be sure to bring some sort of internet-capable device so you can log on and give us updates and pictures. And to let us know if the Eisenhower Tunnel is closed....... :) |
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Mecacycle frames are typically lugged steel and were a variant of the Rigi design. They had a split seat tube a lugged BB, as compared to the fillet brazing on the Rigi that was intended to make the BB stiffer and less breakable under heavy stress. Many of them were made of stainless steel if I remember correctly but most were not.
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I bid on a split post Mecacycle frame (and fork) on eBay about a year or so ago, but I was way out of the money. I bid about $150, Reserve ended up being $400, and it went higher than that.
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Got it... Just blew back in and am exhausted..... It is radical in every sense of the word, radical by design. Appears to be a very early example of a Mecacycle Turbo, Columbus tubing.
Full story and pics during my lunch hour tomorrow. Mrs Bigwoo is more upset than usual. I am in trouble....:( G'Night... |
The gal I purchased from was a pleasure to meet & speak with and I am greatful to have inherited the bike. The original owner, her uncle, was training in both CA and FL from 81-87 and was hoping to get a position on the Coors Cycling Team but he hooked up with a different team. He raced this bike hard and put it away wet... And it shows.
The only thing that I have had the time to do so far is change out the crusty Avenir for my crusty Selle San Marco and I had a new set of Serfas tires hanging around, so I'd may as well get some use out of those....I will change from 700 X 23 to 700 X 25 at a later time to take the edge off of this bike The things I like about this bike: This bike feels "very French" even though it's mostly Italian....Geez, maybe it feels "very Italian"?? Split seatposts. There is no seat tube binder/seat post bolt. 3t alloy bars are a great fit for me. It's exactly my size and feels like a perfect fit. It's full Columbus SL and feels very "warm" at moderate to high speeds. Cornering: Is extraordinary and ultra-responsive. The only way that I can describe riding on this ultra-short wheelbase is to say that it feels like my upper body is riding about 4cm off of the ground and imagine having some sort of anti-friction steering system; It's that good. Acceleration is direct and instant, rocketlike and very, very edgy. The drivetrain performs wonderfully despite years of neglect and is the best combination that I can recall ever using; Campy rear and Huret Jubilee front w/ Campy downtube levers. I think that the drivetrain, seatpost, bars, (maybe brakes? Maybe Stronglight headset which would make it late 80's?) are original to the bike. When the quill seatpost height is properly adjusted it seems to be firmly in place w/ no chance of slippage. Ultra-responsive and maybe hyper-responsive; I think that anyone who rides this bike will need to be a bit more attentive than they would on say a Serotta or Waterford from the same era. The bike is flawless at higher speeds as long as the rider doesn't get distracted. Shimano 600 brakes are great, hoods are going to last for a while. The Weinmann Blue Label wheelset is very nice and despite what those crazy young fixed gear guys say about Sovos hubs, they work very well for this type of aggressive road application. (Harris Cyclery has been selling this set for quite some time). Things I don't like about this bike: If anything ever happens to my Jubilee front der mount I am F'd due to the unique twin post mounting system. It's exotic and this Co is long since out of business. There is no seat tube binder/seat post bolt.Adjusting the seatpost height takes longer than rebuilding a 4-barrel carburator, and is less fun. The chainstays are so short that I have to work consciously towards not resting my heel on the Campy derailleur; I have accidentally done it twice so far. The stem is hideous and I am wondering if it's a replacement..? No idea who made it. Peddles are smooth but look MTB'ish and need to go. The paint is shot and I don't have a budget to address that fact this year. The guy didn't have any decent touch up paint in the house and used some artist's oil paint with a rough brush to touch up the bad spots, the kind of oil paint that is only supposed to be used on canvass. (Paging Dr D!) Overall I'm really happy and would recommend grabbing a Rigi or Mecacycle if you ever come across one. I've put roughly 18 (fast) miles on it so far and my shoulder blades and neck feel very good. She's an edgy rocket.... The moral of this story? Always listen to the Bigbossman kids, always Could somebody be a pal and let me know what kind of crankset this is? http://http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6988.jpg http://http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6992.jpg http://http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6981.jpg http://http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6982.jpg http://http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6983.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6984.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6985.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6986.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6987.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6989.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6990.jpg http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l4...2/CIMG6991.jpg |
Originally Posted by bigwoo
(Post 8383599)
.....The moral of this story? Always listen to the Bigbossman kids, always
oh, and it is always easy to waste other people's time and spend other people's money. I really don't think twice about it, any more. :D |
That stylized "s" on the crankset is for Superbe, nice! What's going on under the front derailleur mount, is that just really serious rust bubbling?
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Originally Posted by purevl
(Post 8383919)
That stylized "s" on the crankset is for Superbe, nice! What's going on under the front derailleur mount, is that just really serious rust bubbling?
It is a little bit of rust bubbling with some sort or honey-like, sticky/gravel-y petroleum goo... It does not come off very easily, but it does come off.... |
Originally Posted by bigwoo
(Post 8383959)
SWEEEEEET!! Thanks Purevl....I thought it may be but didn't want to get my hopes up!
It is a little bit of rust bubbling with some sort or honey-like, sticky petroleum goo... It does not come off very easily, but it does start to come off.... |
No, the price was right and I think that the frame can be saved if I get on it right away...
My guess is that the salty sea air in FL did this to the bolts because I know CO weather doesn't do this to bikes and I don't imagine that CA weather would do it in a few years either... :ride: The sticky gravel-y gooey stuff is very stubborn, like frozen mollasis or something....No idea what somebody used it for/on unless it came from the road?? |
"The stem is hideous and I am wondering if it's a replacement..? No idea who made it."
LOL! That's one of those Modolo 'death' stems. The look of them is either loved or deeply hated by bikers. I guess you fit the latter group. ;) I happen to adore the different look of them. Even though they turned out to be a flawed design. They snapped with no warning at the binder and the handlebar and rider would go flipping forward onto their face. The fix is to replace it with a safe stem. Should you toss it, please send it my way. I can use it for my garage queen. |
OOhh, oohh! Light bulb goes on.... WNG, While it matches the headset nicely, I would prefer a more vintage looking plain alloy Cinelli or maybe even a Nitto. I don't suppose I could persuade you into considering a trade? :)
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Unfortunately, I don't have any to trade you. Only have a bunch of SR Customs from project purchases. But they are 25.4, not your 26mm. :(
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Great find. I'm glad you grabbed it.
My C&V collecting has moved to the more unique bikes and the Mecacycle clearly qualifies. After all, although many will disagree, after a while, old road bikes tend to all kind of look alike. BTW, I lived in Denver for 10 years. Where were the photos taken? |
Originally Posted by RFC
(Post 8385412)
Great find. I'm glad you grabbed it.
My C&V collecting has moved to the more unique bikes and the Mecacycle clearly qualifies. After all, although many will disagree, after a while, old road bikes tend to all kind of look alike. BTW, I lived in Denver for 10 years. Where were the photos taken? It's good to hear from you. You bring up such an excellent point and I agree with you; I am actually eliminating a good chunk of my collection, but this one is/was unique enough to make it worth the trip. I am hoping to get down to maybe 4 "core" road bikes and 2 MTB's and 1 BMX that I will end up keeping (but that doesn't include fillet-brazed Schwinns because they are very special and dear to me) and everything else will go. I don't want to do this anymore if it will cut into my riding time and feel like a 7 days/wk job. Plus, I'm already becoming bonded to 1 or 2 bikes like I never was before I began letting go of other bikes. RE: the location... You may recall that Washington Park gets very overcrowded around the "racing circuit" where all of the Tri/TT riders train on their $5K c/f machines....So when I feel too surrounded by too many riders and too much hypertechnology I ride north thru Capital Hill to a spot that virtually nobody knows about, where the asphalt is smooth as silk and you can let it rip.....Do you remember the big park near The Museum of Nature and Science? ;) |
If you like the Mecacycle short wheelbase, you might like my 11 year-old daughter's bike: http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...6_inch_wheels/
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Of course! City Park!
I lived in Wash Park and rode many miles in the daily Wash Park Midlife Crisis Criterium. Actually, it was a lot of fun. That's where my bike lust first developed. I had my then new 1989 Trek 660. I was in my early 30's and my wife was a good sport and would pat me on the head when I would come home with stories of grinding 19-year-olds into protoplasma on the course. My wife and I were also part of the protest at the Park that resulted in car traffic being substantially eliminated from that intercity 2.4 mile loop. I am working on a similar effort regarding the West World 2.35 loop here in Scottsdale, although I won't be able to eliminate car traffic, I might make it more bike friendly. Rock On RFC |
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