1980 Mercier

Brought into the shop for a service and an upgrade. It hasn’t been ridden in a while and the owner wanted to get back into riding. After we costed out a full service and parts he decided to just buy a new bike.

Then he wasn’t sure what to do with the old bike. He didn’t really want to take it home to clutter up his shed, so he just gave it to me. Thanks mate.

To be honest, I didn’t really have much idea what I’d just acquired. I had heard the name Mercier, but couldn’t have told you any more than that. At the time I was wondering how well the Shimano 600 Arabesque groupset would clean up and if I would be able to use it on something else, maybe that old Carlton frame I had stashed away.

As with all such “gifts,” I usually strip them down pretty quick and put all the parts into a box with with the bike details. Things take up a lot less space that way.

The frame rattled around the shop for a while and then I thought maybe I should get it painted and maybe build it up and get rid of it. Anyway, I was going to see my mate Rick the Powdercoater, so I took it along and got a couple done at the same time. Sandblasted and repainted a metallic dark green.

Once I had it back and in the workstand, I was thinking about what to do with it and thought to Google the Mercier brand that I could see on the fork crown, which was when I realised that I might have something just a bit better than average. So, I thought maybe I would restore it and started looking for parts. I had quite a lot going on already and eventually decided that was too hard and that maybe I’d just put a more modern groupset on it.

In the meantime I’d been looking for decals and the only ones I could find were for a Service des Courses from Cyclomondo … well that’ll have to do. Since then I have found another great resource for decals from Bicycle Decals.

Then I think I just stuck a generic alloy seatpost in it to have something the clamp the bike in the workstand while I applied the decals and I had a new Tange headset on the shelf, so that went in and then the fork and suddenly I had half a bike. So then it was like, “What else have I got laying around?”

I had a set of Campagnolo Chorus brake calipers in near new condition, so I popped those on the it looked pretty good and that kind of decided the direction! There was a new Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed crankset sitting on the shelf; 53/39T, 175mm in the polished finish. Once I’d fitted that it was starting to look quite pretty and there was no turning back.

The front derailleur I also had in stock, it’s braze-on, but I had an unbranded adaptor, so that went straight on. The rear derailleur I had to order in new, but I had the chain and cassette (11-30T) in stock, so I was pretty much there. Just needed some wheels and a cockpit.

The 3T Pro Chrome stem 100mm (NOS) and the Modolo Anatomic bars 42cm (NOS) I’d had for a few years. I thought they were pretty cool back in the day and was wanted to get them on a bike, but nothing suitable had come along – until now! I was a bit of a fan of the anatomic bars when they first came out, but having been riding compact bars for a while, I find the deep drop just a bit far away now. The passage of time might also be a factor!

The Campagnolo Veloce 10 Speed shifters I picked up NOS from Retro Cycling Marketplace Australia as well as a pair of Campagnolo Mirage hubs. So I laced the hubs into some nicely finished unbranded alloy rims, popped on some Pirelli P-Zero tires, wrapped the bars with Specialized “Vintage” bar tape, that they sadly no longer make, but I had a little stash 🙂 Then I just needed a saddle.

When it comes to nice parts, I’m a bit of Bower Bird, so when I see things like retro saddles, I like to snap them up and amongst the collection was a Selle San Marco Rolls in olive green with chrome trim – Perfect!

Whack on a Specialized Ribcage in white – last one! And a pair of pedals, I prefer Time, and then let’s go for a ride.

​A stunning looking bike and a great ride on a piece of French cycling history. Relaxed Grand Tour geometry, very compliant, currently running 26c tyres, could run 28c. I would call it a luxurious ride – think Citroen DS, If I didn’t already have a Colnago collection I would keep this one just for the ride quality. Not as light as some bikes, but very smooth.

Seat tube C-C 54cm, Top Tube C-C 55cm. 

Currently for sale on The Bicycle Emporium website.

Mercier History & Links

French manufacturer of high end racing bikes established in the early 20th Century, despite sponsoring professional teams for 50 years, never won a Tour de France. Their most famous rider, Raymond Poulidor, finished 2nd twice and 3rd five times during the 1960’s. 

Raymond Poulidor is a name that still resonates in the proc cycling community and with fans as father-in-law of Adrie van der Poel, a cycling pro during the 1980s and 1990s and grandfather of the current Pro Tour favourite Matthieu van der Poel.

For such a pedigree, there is not a lot of information available on the Mercier company or their bikes. Founded in 1919 in Saint-Etienne, Mercier sponsored a pro cycling team from 1935 to 1984 when the company went into liquidation. However, the company name remains and they still make cycling apparel – Manufacture Mercier.

Cycles Mercier also still exists as a brand, making steel and aluminium bikes for the north American market.

The Steel Vintage Bikes website has pictures of a couple of nice Mercier bikes, one 1980s model running the same Shimano 600 Arabesque groupset that this bike originally had and an earlier 1970s Service des Courses running a Simplex drive-train. There is also a Mercier on the Classic Factory Lightweight Bicycles website. As well as a 1981 Mercier Salève Velo Course on the DJCATNAP Blog and some examples on Classic Rendezvous. There is also Mercier Cycles Pinterest.