Mercian cycles - should I get one?

giant_man

OK so as well as a new carbon bike, which I polled recently (Pinarello vs De Rosa vs Parlee) I also fancy a decent steel bike. Not knowing a lot about steel, not sure which grade steel I should be going for either.

Mercian do a lot of different models don't they and seem very 'English' (heritage, tradition etc.) if you see what i mean. For a custom (hand made?) steel bike with fancy lugwork etc, are they made completely in the UK? So can you get any better than Mercian? What should I expect if I get one? Does the company provide a decent service?

Or do I have to have a pension before I can buy one? I say that because almost every rider i have seen on a Mercian is of senior years, so maybe they know something I don't! I am wondering if it's the kind of bike every rider promises themselves upon retiring.

Any owners' opinions on Mercians please?

Rob Sallnow

I'm happy with mine and I bought mine in 94 when I was about 23

Edit....things you should expect include really good paintwork, nice lugs if you buy a Vincitore or Strada Special and a bit of a wait between ordering and it arriving on your doorstep.

Monty Dog

Mercian certainly still build their bikes in the UK - visit their shop and you'll see the worshop in the back - only the paint is done elsewhere. If you want a lugged frame, you're going to be limited to classic tubesets like 531 and 653 rather than oversizeand welded like Deda EOM 16.5 or Reynolds 853 or 953, for example. Best to talk to a builder who can advise. There are a number of US builders like Richard Sachs, Columbine who take 'classic' builds to the extreme, both in style and $$$. Alternatively, look at folks like IF or Jonny Cycles who take a more contemporary slant - money no object! In comparison to those guys, Mercian are cheap.

hammerite

I used to live in Derby before I rode a bike regularly and drove past Mercian every day not knowing the esteem they were held in!

I did see the Paul Smith specials at the weekend. Very nice looking, but I didn't have a spare £2,300 to get one with!!! Also I'm guessing being Paul Smiths they would also be classed as being a bit poncey!!

hammerite

He Whom We Do Not Name....... I typed P*ul Smith then, but the name changed automatically! Why are we not allowed to mention him?

Rob Sallnow

hammerite wrote:

He Whom We Do Not Name....... I typed P*ul Smith then, but the name changed automatically! Why are we not allowed to mention him?

:shock: God knows...perhaps you have to hand write his name for it to be accepted

Tom Butcher

I had a Mercian - it was a good bike, well made, tough paint. Not saying they are any better than other makers but being from Derby I'd certainly get one again if I was in the market for a custom steel bike. In fact my next best bike will probably be a Mercian but unless I break my Look it'll be a couple more years at least.

giant_man

yes I don't quite understand the 'P*ul S*ith' phenomenon myself. They seem to hold him in high esteem but don't know why. What's the connection here? They do seem to lick his ar*e a bit on the site i've noticed.

They are doing a 60 year anniversary model btw made in 'oversize 725' steel, which is a grade I know nothing about have to say, looking nice on their web site but don't know much apart from that. I may ring them for the lowdown.

BeaconRuth

My first proper bike was a 531 Mercian, bought in 1993 when I was 24, and that served me well for over 10 years, including many long trips in the Alps, Pyrenees etc. I had it resprayed by Mercian and there's no doubt they do a super paint job.

I also bought a custom-made track frame from them which has sadly been under-used - but I hate to part with it because it's a beautiful looking bike. Maybe I'll ride fixed on the road sometime.

If you want a British steel frame, I doubt you can do much better - but I guess it's not really the 'in thing' these days, hence most people you see riding them are 'mature' riders.

Ruth

Ste_S

I'd love a Witcomb

http://www.bikebrothers.co.uk/witcombvisit.htm

http://www.witcombcycles.com/

I popped in a few months ago, was great chatting to Ernie Witcomb.

Johnny G

hammerite wrote:

He Whom We Do Not Name....... I typed P*ul Smith then, but the name changed automatically! Why are we not allowed to mention him?

Due to the person of the same name who runs the so-called S a f e s p e e d website. See numerous threads in the past - mostly in Soapbox.

campagsarge

You could also have a look at Bob Jackson Cycles and Woodrup Cycles in Leeds.

http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/default.php

The Woodrup site is under construction.

Bob Jackson has a good reputation and I think one of their frames recently appeared in the comic.

giant_man

God if only there was a site reviewing some of these british frame building companies ie. Mercian, Bob Jackson, Witcomb, Longstaff etc.

Wouldn't that be something?

DavidBelcher

campagsarge wrote:

You could also have a look at Bob Jackson Cycles and Woodrup Cycles in Leeds.

http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/default.php

The Woodrup site is under construction.

Bob Jackson has a good reputation and I think one of their frames recently appeared in the comic.

Still in the same part of the world, Ellis-Briggs in Shipley (http://www.ellisbriggscycles.co.uk) are also worth considering; I was in their shop the other week and they had a very smart 853 race frame at around £600 (not bad given that this included the headset and Easton - I think - carbon forks; I presume it was cheap due to having a threaded 1" fork column and therefore regarded by some as old hat). It was either TIG welded or fillet brazed, but they also do "old school" lugged construction for trainers, tourers and Audax machines in tubesets like 631 or 725.

David

Rob Sallnow

giant mancp wrote:

God if only there was a site reviewing some of these british frame building companies ie. Mercian, Bob Jackson, Witcomb, Longstaff etc.

Wouldn't that be something?

It doesn't exactly review them but you can get a good idea of how much historic kudos the names have here:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Britis ... ritish.htm

giant_man

Great site Rob thanks!

TractionControl

hammerite wrote:

I used to live in Derby before I rode a bike regularly and drove past Mercian every day not knowing the esteem they were held in!

I used to live near Southampton and never knew that Rotrax Cycles had such a good reputation for frames, though I had spotted one or two Rotrax-badged bikes when inside the shop. At the time, to me it was just another small and very traditional bike shop (with a long wooden counter and glass display case) which mainly sold cheap mountain bikes and had once sold me the wrong size of inner tube!

Anyway, back on topic - I visited the Mercian shop about a year ago and the man I spoke to was very helpful and unpatronising, plus there was a great selection of frames to gawp at whilst waiting. Ironically the one thing I bought from Mercian on that visit was, guess what...yes, an inner tube. And they did sell me the right size!

giant_man

LOL oh well at least they got the size right eh TractionControl?

I may have to get up to Derby to the shop myself and have a look, trouble is i might just have to put an order in once I see them in there, who knows?

pneumatic

I have a riding buddy who is 6 foot 7 and has been known to destroy bikes with the sheer force of his riding style (pedals sheered off, stem snapped going uphill, that sort of thing!) He bought a Mercian, customised to his "specifications". He tells me they were great to deal with, very attentive and they certainly turned out a really nice looking bike.

When we went up the Ventoux together in the summer, he on his handbuilt Mercian, me on my Carbon companion, guess who got to the top first and guess whose bike got all the attention. Clue: not me.

ParvaPower

This is an old thread, but it comes up on Google search, so my post might be of use. I'll stick to facts:

I was being measured for a Mercian when some bloke brought a frame in. He was complaining about "British workmanship". The guy behind the counter was placatory.

My Super Vincitore arrived - a thing of joy and beauty. So I took my old Raleigh in to be changed from 27" wheels and painted. The paint-job was and is beautiful, but I got it back to be built up and they'd forgotten to move the front brake bosses. I took it back in and they wouldn't take my word for it, but measured them before admitting their mistake. I'd waited a long time for the work to be done, but they said they'd rectify their mistake quickly. But I had to chase them to get it done. Eventually done - perfect job. Eventually.

Took my Vincitore in to local bike shop to be serviced. Just under 2 years' use. The bb thread had stripped.

Took it back to Mercian who said the pedal spacers I use had caused it and, for good measure, my local bike shop had caused the problem as well by their fitting. (I've used my LBS for 30 years, and had one problem in that time - which was quickly rectified.) Mercian said they could bodge it for about £400 but wouldn't guarantee it not going again or fix it properly for £1100.

I was not willing to give them any more time or money, so I took it to another (extremely) reputable framebuilder who looked at it, said it was a cheap bottom bracket and they would probably be able to fix it, but it would be tricky. If they could, it would be stronger than it was originally and yes, I could trust it to go touring in the wastes of The Dolomites.

They fixed it and resprayed it for just short of £500. Mercian, remember, quoted me £1100.

Since then, I have heard of two people who have had similar problems with Mercian.

I've stuck to the facts as I experienced them. Other people will swear by Mercian, but I think the time to judge any firm is when things go wrong. It is a fact that I won't buy an inner tube from Mercian - or anything else - in the future.