For Sale: Mercier Track and Mercian Touring

Dear all,

I have visited my fortune teller and she says I have to sell all my bikes with a name starting with M-E-R-C-I. It breaks my heart but I have to do it.

Please note this is a London sale only, no posting. Both bikes are sold complete, I want to avoid splitting, especially the Mercier (french threads frame with french thread BB and headset)

~~Let's start with the Mercier: french track bike fully refurbished (£425 Final price drop-sold for £400)

-SIZE: 59cm seat tube, 56cm top tube (dimensions taken centre to centre). This is a proper track geometry: you want to know that there is quite a big toe overlap on that bike
-Steel lugged frame with french threaded BB and headset, undrilled (unknown tubbing, but light enough to no be gas pipe! Being french from that period, it could be Vitus. I think the bike was build late 70s or early 80s - comparing with other Merciers I saw online at the time of the refurbishment, or that I've seen in the flesh). Mercier factory closed in the mid 80s (although the brand was bought / used after that, for supermarket bikes and other atrocities recently. It's definitely from the right era (similar lugs, etc)
-Cranks are Spidel 165mm track specific, 144 BCD (Spidel is a french high end brand which was a collaboration between Mafac / Maillard / Stronglight and Simplex from what I have read on internet). There is a TA track competition chainring fitted on (46T)
-BB is a rare french threaded Dura Ace one, fitted NOS only last year, superb thing in perfect condition!
-Nice steel low stack height headset, no name, but it looks very similar to the old Stronlight competition P3. Very good condition, very smooth.
-No name stem, looks nice on that build, 120mm
-Bars are Cinelli Criteriums
-Wheelset (build at Putney Cycles) is formula sealed bearing hubs laced onto mavic Open Sport rims (with plenty of life), with DT swiss spokes. Rear hub is fixed/free.
-Saddle is better than the one on the picture, although the look is fairly similar on the bike, and is a leather 3ttt with no cuts and totally period correct on the bike.
-The gum walls tyres are no longer, I think they're all black conti at the moment on it.
-The bike is in the same state at in the picture (I will have to give it a clean if there's interest...) Because it's been powder coated (to an mix that is very very close to the real Mercier colour, I have a picture of the bike at a jumble next to a vintage Mercier in the flesh and they are almost identical) the stikers are not lacquered and have few little scuff here and there. Stickers are available at HLoyd cycles, but I would personally not change them, it makes the bike look more "period" (I'm not taking the piss, I believe that)
*-*Also included: the original alloy seatpost that came with the bike, a nice french JPR, splined (see picture below in the thread, it's very similar, but not polished). The seatpost is currently in France at my parents but I will arrange to get it back here if someone buys the bike (The bike being slightly too small for me, I am currently using a longer seatpost to have a correct insertion.~~

Now let's have a look at the Mercian: a nice classic british tourer (£300 ono) *SOLD*

Disclaimer for both bikes:
A few years ago I was riding my 1950s Holdsworth and the frame snapped (I had it fixed and I still ride it). It could have been nasty but I was at low speed so I did not even fall. Since then I'm conscious that vintage bikes are somehow more unpredictable than recent ones so I feel I have the responsability, if I sell an "old" bike, to inform potential buyers that I have no clue about the bike frame and parts fatigue. I can only say that I ride them everyday with total confidence, and will always do so with all my bikes (the older one is from the 1920s)
I have no history on the Mercier or the Mercian from the previous owner(s). I was knocked off the Mercian twice by cars, at a red light / left turn classic incident, no indicators, etc... There was damage to the rear wheel (which has been replaced with the current one) but nothing visible to the frame, which is straight and does not require re-tracking to the best of my knowledge. I never crashed the Mercier.
So, both sold as seen, basically... It's important to me to highlight this...

Loic