hi. i'm trying to research a bike posted on ebay that my girlfriend wants to buy. it's an "Alpha Mercury" track bike. It has a really strange frame. both the top tube and down tube have a curved shape. the top curves intoward the bottom near the seat post and the down tube up toward the top. it was designed by frankinstien (sp? - gotten from site) bike worx. i'm wondering af anyone has any info on one of these, since i couldn't find anything on google or bike reviews, or anywhere. their post has only positive reviews, but i'm looking for a little more info than that. thx.

Have one Ok if cheap consider but not much of a bike

yeah, built by frankenstien on spruce. You should hold out. They have a new color coming soon, if you don't dig the mustard job. Funny people to deal with, but down to earth.

not to talk smack, but those things are really pieces of crap, it looks like a child or possibly a monkey welded those things together... also all the components on them are crap, too. although they are cheap, it would be a far better investment to buy a quality rear wheel (dura ace, phil, campy hub) and good solid crankset and work from there... find a lightweight road frame with horizontal dropouts and then youve got yourself a quality conversion way better than the alpha

...also this is just my opinion, so make up your mind for yourself

hmmm, i think he was looking for a bike, not a crankset and an expensive rear wheel**********? lol.. oh but then u just find THE REST of the stuff... and, several hundred dollars later you have a better bike than the alpha, but, you also paid a lot more. so, maybe he should just buy a nice completed track bike
u get what you pay for, but can your girl tell the difference between a suzue and a phil wood besides the compliments she might receive from bikers? they both spin around and around, if she knows she wants to ride for 10+ years get her the phil wood lol.

I worked at the neighborhood bike works with the guy that designed that. andy dyson. we always gave him a hard time about it.

Somewhere, terror_in_pink is clenching her fists.

I'd stay away.
That frame is made from 1020 gas pipe. heavy heavy heavy stuff. fitted with craptacular components. and personally, i think its hideous.
If you're looking for a cheap complete track bike off ebay, spend the extra $20 and get the mercier. You'll get equally crappy components, but at least you'll have a frame that's worthy of hanging upgraded parts on.

yeah, I always get a laugh dealing with him whenever I stop in for some bearing grease or something.

I thought that I was the only person who used the word "craptacular".

must be the simpsons..
in my opinion, "craptacular" ranks slightly above "asstastic"

The mercier or the windsor, ive had a windsor for a little over a month and ive put 1500 or so miles on it, aside from the ding on the top tube from some jackass knocking it into a bike rack the thing is a SUPER solid ride. The mercier is a rebadged KHS and the windsor a rebadged fuji track, both solid starter frames that you wouldnt be embarrassed to throw some nice components on saving up for a nicer frame if you really like riding fixed.

ok mr. smartypants, when i set up my first fixie i got a old complete bike from the 70s (for less than $100 yes $100) and put a nice crank and nice rear wheel and i still can ride it today, total cost of build: $300, yes that is less than the piece fo crap alpha. meanwhile my friend bought an alpha last year and now essentially has to throw it away because all the components have failed. try skidding on the quando, my friend did and stripped the threads and now has a piece of garbage. meanwhile my $200 dura ace i bought on ebay has outlasted 200 quandos. people who buy their food at the dollar store and walmart should consider buying the alpha because it goes hand in hand with their spending ideals.

Poor people are stupid jerks. Pass the fillet mignon.

m.

i was talking about foolish people who think they are saving money, but are losing in more in the end. its like someone thinks they are clever because they discovered food at the dollar store is less expensive, then 2 years down the line they are fat and have cancer and their hospital bills cost 1000% more than if they had bought something good to begin with.

i have the mercury. i bought it mainly because i live in philly, and frequented bike worx for my bike needs. i have ridden it every day for 9 months, and nothing has failed. however, it is really heavy. but, as a starter bike, i think it's alright. i know the hubs are basically considered crap, but my roommate (who has an alpha as well) and i have had no problems with them, skidding and all.

knowing what i do now, i would have definitely picked up a mercier. but since i live in philly and bike worx will fix small things on the alpha for free, i'm alright with the alpha. if you're in philly, it might be worth it just because you can go in if things start failing. for ordering online, i think the mercier would be the way to go.

ps. i have been lurking these forums for...oh about 8 months now haha. maybe now i will start posting.

did you or your roommate get cancer from the bike?

i think it would be better to get a rear track wheel and convert a bike, and then get a track bike. if you were to get a track bike, and you wanted a relatively cheap one, i like the mercier a lot. i don't think the stock components on that are that great either, but they are def way better than the mercurys.

sorry tasha.

haha. no. but i got a case of an empty wallet cause i bought an iro. should be here next week.

i am probably going to buy a mercury. i know people don't think they are the best, but listen to this idea of mine...
buying it, and if something breaks, replacing the broken part with a new, quality part. if the bike is as bad as people say it is, then over time, the bike will evolve into a quality machine. if not, it's a good investment.

how about buy a bikesdirect bike, any of those can't possibly cost more than the alpha mercury..

1. i don't like buying things via internet
2. i am from philadelphia, and would like to support the local economy
3. i want to get riding and stop driving asap

except its heavy as hell and a mercier, windsor or motobecane, well, isnt...bad idea doodz.

go to bicycle revolutions at 4th and bainbridge and buy an SE. Seriously. better than the alpha, comparable price.... or just spend an extra 200 and get a good bike. (you'll make up that money in gas easily...)

if you lift weights to get strong, do you lift heavy ones or light ones?