Tarting this Mercian up inexpensively for sale

SamWise72

I bought this bike cheaply a couple of years ago, thinking to build up a lovely classic ride for my missus. The reality is, however, that she has little interest in bikes, and really only rides with me on our tandem.

Thing is, it's a lovely bike, probably 531, wonderful lugs, Mafac Canti brakes, Campag Gran Sport derailleur - just gorgeous. However, some idiot has fitted brake levers with suicide levers on them, nasty fade-out bar tape, and a horrendous flowery saddle - must've been done in the 80's. If I was keeping it, it'd be North Road bars, cork grips, and a sprung Brooks saddle, but if I'm going to sell it, I don't want to sink that sort of cash into it. Equally, however, it's not going to fetch as much looking like it does. Perhaps just any single colour saddle and some new bar tape would do it? Any thoughts?

robbarker

Pimp it up as a trendy girlie fixie? New sprocket and spacers, redish the rear wheel, right hand mtb lever off ebay, bin the rear brakes and existing levers, flog the 'guards on ebay, either pink bar tape or get some flat courier bars with pink grips, damn good clean and polish, bosh.

KM2

Wha do you want for it?

meagain

Sad but true....looking at ebay prices ANY "ladies" racer isn't going to fetch more than 100 quid MAX whatever you do with it. Except maybe, just maybe, tarted as robbarker says and sold in London.

SamWise72

I won't do that. It'd be a crime. KM2 - I don't know. If it were a men's frame, I'd be expecting it to fetch over £200 at minimum, but it's not. If you make me an offer, I'll listen.

Anyway, there's no way I'm going to take off a Campy Gran Sport derailleur to make it a fixie, specially not a janky suicide hub fixy.

SamWise72

All that said, I've just thought about it for a moment, and it DOES have a flip flop hub. If I could fix it without butchering it, perhaps even just spin the wheel round, it wouldn't be completely non period correct to do (perhaps a touch unlikely for a ladies bike, but club racers rode fixed through the winter in the period this bike was built). I wouldn't take either brake off, nor would I do pink bar tape, but I could take off the shifter and derailleur (a Gran Sport in decent nick is worth a few squid on its' own), either replace the bars with north roads, or replace the levers with something reasonably appropriate, retape in red, and bang on a sensible seat. I wouldn't feel too much of a criminal about that.

I think I'll investigate the spacing at lunchtime - I'm not sure whether my truing skills are up to redishing......

ellieb

Why not keep the bike & exchange the wife for one likes cycling? It's what I'd do.

SamWise72

She enjoys cycling with me, on the tandem, and she's brilliant in just about every other way. That's good enough for me. I've thought about giving the bike to female friends, but I don't think any of them would appreciate it's retro loveliness.....

graham_g

I reckon you should put it up on the CTC forum - that's the only place where I think you'll get some people who would appreciate an old mixte frame as they're just not made anymore (except by custom builders like Mercian!).

meagain

" think I'll investigate the spacing at lunchtime - I'm not sure whether my truing skills are up to redishing.."

I assume that it's a 5-block at the moment? In which case re-spacing/-dishing is not difficult, as neitherwill be particularly extreme as it is. I also asume single-wall rims which does mean that have to be careful that in re-dishing spoke ends don't come beyond the nipples- which is not good for the tubes!!

I think it WOULD make a good fixed. I'm keeping an eye open for a quality Mixte for few quids for me - I increasingly find that "gents" frames in the right size and with trad horizontal top tubes simply too tall for my decreasing "flexibility" in getting on and off the the things! Also of course much safer off-tarmac!

SamWise72

I just don't want to make it into a nasty, trendy fix. Riser bars, pink Oury grips, and other such abominations. If I can do it classy, without spending a fortune, then maybe.

meagain

Hardly a fortune, surely?

"...just any single colour saddle and some new bar tape..." a pair of aero brake levers (tenner) and a fixed sprocket (fiver upwards) ".... would do it?"

There's an opportunist on ebay offering much, MUCH, worse fixed sheds at £250 -500 - not that I've sen him actually SELL any!

Still a ton tops though whatever you do to it IMHO.

SamWise72

I've actually got a sprocket, need a lockring. I don't think I'd put aero levers on an early 60's frame though. There's nothing sheddy about this either, and I think it OUGHT to do well over a ton, being a really top frame, but we'll see. I ought to get £50 out of the RD after a ruddy good scrub up.

meagain

"aero levers" work a whole lot better with old brakes - and stick some V brake blocks in the mafacs!

SamWise72

A whole lot better than what? Top fed levers? My experience is that they're exactly the same! What I don't have is any Mafac levers (well, one). I could put some Weinmann levers from more or less the right period on. V brake blocks - I might if I were keeping it!