Clearing out the shed (II): Mercian Frame (58cm) - your money back if it's a dud

My father in law picked up a Mercian that seems to have been left in a shed (or just exposed to the elements) for a decade or two. Shame, because it looks like it was a nice example once upon a time - chromed lugs, lug lining, pantographed seat stays etc. What it is now is a very very rusty frame.

I've been told there's no way really to tell if the frame is solid under all the rust until it's been sand-blasted back to the bare metal, but it doesn't feel like it's about to crumble to dust. It's Reynolds 531 and I believe dates to 1983 because of the 83 at the end of the serial number on the BB shell.

Talking of the BB shell, it has a shimano BB that's pretty well stuck in place, and the plastic cup has also been pretty well knackered by an attempt to remove it at some stage.

It would be nice to see this frame rescued, but I've realised it's not me that's going to do it. If anyone wants to grab it and take a chance on getting it seen to, shall we say

SOLD

More pics: https://flic.kr/s/aHskuhHcMZ

Yes please. Pm sent.

Hopeful second dibs pm sent

Hopeful third dibs? PMd

You've got too many bikes :)

4th dibs

Always room for one more ;)

5ths!!

Hi all, well, looks like I could have priced this more aggressively! No matter. Given the level of interest and my essentially lazy nature, I'm going to say it would be good if someone could come and collect it from me in Leytonstone. So I'll start with VintageJon via PM and work down the list if I need to.

Definitely. £20 whaaaaaat

If you tell me the address and it's now on a first come with cash on collection basis, I'll send someone to pick it up maybe even tonight. Got friends there.
Let me know.

Where the rust? Seems like a sweet, if old, Mercian frame. You lucky buggers wot jumped on this...

In the inimitable words of Harry Hill... Fiiiight!

531 Special Lightweight tubing. That's thin stuff to be rusty^^
and @anidel full 180 handbrake turn on your dibs lecture here? wow
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/281212

Ahahhaa but I wrote "if" :-)

doesn't make it less grotty

Point of views

and you hold both depending on which suits you

Exactly.

I thought this may pique your interest Ben. If I had the internet knowhow, I would have # you or whatever the kids are doing these days.

Appears to be a rather reasonable deal, even if about to crumble? One can't get much more than 3 pints and a box of fags for that. GLWS!

3 pints and a box of fags for £20? It's not the 90s any more ;-)
Please don't # me it sounds painful

This does not appear "very, very rusty" to me. Looks like some surface rust in places. Of course, hard to tell from the photo, but looks like a bargain that would clean up well-enough, or be a good candidate for refinishing.

Morning all. So on top of the activity here on the thread, my inbox has an interesting array of offers stopping just short of a marriage proposal.

I know it might be annoying when a clueless idiot like me turns up here not knowing the value of something and the bargain goes to the first person to spot it and apply dibs, but sometimes that's how it goes.

My father in law paid - and I paid him back - not a lot of money for this frame, a box of bits and a pair of wheels that are still happily spinning around on my Gazelle. So I'm not that bothered about making more money back. Sorry.

It is also a little more rusty than the photos show up, I promise, though yeah, maybe I overstated that.

But in the meantime, idiot or not, I don't think I could have been much clearer than

So I'll start with VintageJon via PM and work down the list if I need to.

and that's what I'm doing.

It's just a bike frame after all. There are worse things going on in the world

Cool and even if @HillyBen doesn't believe me, I'll be waiting my turn, as stated by the if, and reiterate my 6th dibs (as it appears to be from the thread)

Fucking top morals chap ;0)

Get it cheap, pass it on cheap....that always used to be this forums modus operandi....nothing like a bargain to bring out the green eyed monster!

I just hope that it doesn't turn up elsewhere with the 'correct' price tag on it.