That is beautiful, Neal. My current plan is to send my Raleigh International off to Gugie to make a few changes, get it chromed and then, possibly, repainted chartreuse with the lugs and socks remaining chrome. This will have to happen after I finish grad school and get back into the full time employment world, though. Of course, that means the plan could change 57 times.

Andy, I finished grad school almost 30 years ago and can tell you from experience that life afterwards is much improved!

The last two digits of the serial number will tell you the year, a separate single digit indicates the builder. Mercian have been very responsive of late to build detail requests, which will give you the model and particulars for a given frame as long as it's post 70's.

Great build and stunning color, Mark.

Ooh, shiny! How much weight did the chrome add? (You don't have to answer that.)

Oh is this a good place to say I finished grad school in December?

I don’t recall weighing it before, but I finished building it up today, and weight with fenders, AW hub, pedals, and bottle cage is 23.75 lbs.

And congrats on finishing grad school. Let us know in 30 years if it was worth it.

I hope to be dead by then. My goal is to teach for five years and retire. I hope my health holds up that long.

I started at 55 (a month before I turned 56) and will finish this summer at 58. I love what I am learning (recreation and park administration) and plan to finish my days with much less time at a desk. It will be a big improvement if that happens.

Yup, I spent most of my adult life sitting at desks. It's terrible for the health. One feature of teaching that I love is that I'm on my feet almost all day.

Is this related to public parks or state/national?

It could be any of those and more. Parks at all levels, national and state forests, Wilderness Areas, summer camps, adventure programs. It could be retail or private recreation businesses. I am currently working part time at a city owned 700 acre nature reserve that has hiking trails, a nature center and nature based programming. Last year they were able to buy a track chair for folks with limited mobility to get out on some of the trails. First time in my life that I have ever looked forward to going to work. I'd like to stay more natural areas focused but I could be convinced to go other directions.

Mercian content-I traded that lovely Mercian frame to Andy Scherer for his old Raleigh International frame. We were both happy with the outcome.

Can confirm!

I posted a Mercian on the sale forum. Way too small for me or I'd keep it. Comments welcome on model (here or there).

Sent you a PM ; )

I just wanted to chime in here and congratulate you for pushing yourself to go into natural resource management work in general and in particular at the stage of life you're in! I found my fork in the road in my late-20s and went back to school for an AS in natural resource then an MA in cultural resources. I transitioned out of a career in agriculture to do conservation work when I joined a regional land trust in 2021. Now I manage a portfolio of 7,000 acres of agricultural land that is slated to be restored to riparian and upland habitat across central California and have the privilege of working on some incredible deals to purchase property and also transfer restored land into long-term stewardship with state and federal agencies and Native American tribes. I couldn't imagine doing anything more rewarding with my time. Keep at it and welcome to the community!

In other news, I've still got my '79 Mercian Campionissimo and have decided to upgrade it. I've purchased some new wider handlebars to install, am on the lookout for a 700c wheelset, and will make replacing the cheap suede saddle the next priority.

-Gregory

I am tempted by that one, but at 6'4", I'd have to use an extended seatpost and Technomic stem to make it work. Which is not the end of the world, but it's also maybe not optimal. The top tube length is good for me, though.

Thanks for sharing about the work you're doing, Gregory. Restoration to natural habitats is some important work.

Glad you're holding on to that Campionissimo too. It's a good looking one.

Yeah, don't buy that bike if you're 6'4". I'm 6'3" and I was able to test ride it without discomfort, but getting a nice bike that doesn't fit defeats the purpose. I have a bunch of nice taller bikes including two taller Mercian frames that will get listed eventually (unless I decide to keep one).

Closed to finished on the newly chromed Campionissimo. Need to fiddle with that rear fender line, tilt the saddle up a bit, etc. Brakes and gears seem to work fine on my short test ride. That’s a new S-A bar-end shifter pulling cable on a vintage AW hub.

Hoo-wee! That's nice, Neal.

Beautiful!

Can't remember if I posted this here before or not...

Please feel free to post this one as often as you like. It's a best in show type bike, for sure.

Was that one of the Retrogrouch Mercians?

Here’s my ‘82 Mercian. When I started riding in England in the early 1970s, a Mercian is what the older guys with money rode. This one came to me with the ESGE Chromoplastic mudguards (which have since exploded), and Gali sidepull brakes (retired for reasons of safety).


1982 blue Mercian