Probably Not Fit For A King
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Probably Not Fit For A King
Last week, Neal posted a 1981 Mercian King of Mercia bicycle for sale in the C&V sales forum. Upon seeing the ad, I immediately posted a message to Neal. After some back and forth, justifying another purchase in my mind (and to my wife), and organizing a way to pay for it, I decided to make the jump.
There were two specific things about the machine that appealed to me: 1) It was running 650B wheels and 2) it was an English built bicycle. Of course, there were other things that impressed me, full aluminum fenders, Huret Jubilee derailleurs, leather bar wrap, etc. Basically the bicycle came ready to ride. I didn't even adjust the seat height when I rode the bicycle the first time. My first impressions are quite positive. Neal mentioned it was a good climber and based on the climbing I did this evening on the bicycle, I concur. The 650B conversion works very nicely, with a supple ride, nice handling and good manners. I look forward to spending more time on this bicycle in the near future as I wring it out to see its capabilities on the road.
Whether this bicycle is fit for a King or not, matters not. It is a fit for me.
1981 Mercian - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 4 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 5 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
There were two specific things about the machine that appealed to me: 1) It was running 650B wheels and 2) it was an English built bicycle. Of course, there were other things that impressed me, full aluminum fenders, Huret Jubilee derailleurs, leather bar wrap, etc. Basically the bicycle came ready to ride. I didn't even adjust the seat height when I rode the bicycle the first time. My first impressions are quite positive. Neal mentioned it was a good climber and based on the climbing I did this evening on the bicycle, I concur. The 650B conversion works very nicely, with a supple ride, nice handling and good manners. I look forward to spending more time on this bicycle in the near future as I wring it out to see its capabilities on the road.
Whether this bicycle is fit for a King or not, matters not. It is a fit for me.
1981 Mercian - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 4 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
1981 Mercian - 5 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
#3
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But no IGH?
It is a very nice looking bike.
It is a very nice looking bike.
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#7
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Maybe not a king, but not exactly a cabbage, either.
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● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●
#8
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Looks like the seatpost even saw some grease at some point or another.
But you'd better pull it and re-lube just to be sure.
But you'd better pull it and re-lube just to be sure.
#9
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Kudos to the builder! Enjoy the riding, D.
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I hope my home is as good as Neal's. I know his work area is far more organized than mine.
LOL. Definitely NOT a cabbage. Not fit for me, but fits me nonetheless.
LOL. Definitely NOT a cabbage. Not fit for me, but fits me nonetheless.
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Thanks auchen. Indeed, aero brakes were introduced later than 1981 (I think) so this is not exactly period. Then again, I'm not particularly concerned with whether this particular machine is period correct or not.
#17
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You'll like that more and more, I'll bet.
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#18
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That is a gorgeous looking bike.
What are the tooth counts fore and aft? That looks like a very wide gear range!
Nothing wrong with a French driveline on an English bike -- plenty of Raleighs came through that way.
What are the tooth counts fore and aft? That looks like a very wide gear range!
Nothing wrong with a French driveline on an English bike -- plenty of Raleighs came through that way.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
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Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
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Yes, there is a bit of that about the bicycle, for sure. Now it just needs canti braze-ons.
Yeah, and a gorgeous derailleur at that. Admittedly, the Jubilee is a piece of art and especially so when compared to Campy derailleurs of that era.
Yeah, and a gorgeous derailleur at that. Admittedly, the Jubilee is a piece of art and especially so when compared to Campy derailleurs of that era.
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Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more. I rather like the idea that the bicycle has a rattle can paint job and parts that were selected for utility instead of being perfectly period correct. That will encourage me to ride it instead of letting it sit. Thanks for the quick peek at your bicycle collection, too. Needless to say, I was impressed.
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I'm guessing you may be correct on that. With that said, I'm so enamored with the Rapide it's hard to say if it'll supplant it for my favorite rider. I've been finding more gravel roads to ride of late, so this will probably be used for many of those types of rides.
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The front rings are 46/26. The rear appears to be a 13-28 or 14-28. I've shifted across the big ring on all 6 gears in the rear and I shifted to the small ring as a test. All seems to work fine, though the large ring causes some interference with some of the smaller cogs because of the size difference. Needless to say, the large ring interference is to be expected given the size difference between the front rings.
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Very handsome ride, fine lines, especially the fender lines. A well-deserved purchase I would say.
I just recently picked up a factory spec-ed 650B bike from the mid 80s. Thanks to all the buzz about 650B conversions on the forum.
Mine is not a lightweight though, and likely go the gravel grinder route.
I just recently picked up a factory spec-ed 650B bike from the mid 80s. Thanks to all the buzz about 650B conversions on the forum.
Mine is not a lightweight though, and likely go the gravel grinder route.
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Sometimes that "eclectic mix of parts" is actually a carefully selected build rather than a collection of spare parts hanging around and stuff you got on sale.
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Very handsome ride, fine lines, especially the fender lines. A well-deserved purchase I would say.
I just recently picked up a factory spec-ed 650B bike from the mid 80s. Thanks to all the buzz about 650B conversions on the forum.
Mine is not a lightweight though, and likely go the gravel grinder route.
I just recently picked up a factory spec-ed 650B bike from the mid 80s. Thanks to all the buzz about 650B conversions on the forum.
Mine is not a lightweight though, and likely go the gravel grinder route.