Careful readers may recall that my first vintage bike acquisition was this very same brand and style of bike and it occupies a place of great honor in my fleet. Here's my Mercier, Blaise:
To be joined in this by someone whose taste in bicycles I admire so greatly is a genuinely happy experience!
It will be fun to see what Velouria does with her mixte. I hope to glean lots of good ideas from her on outfitting and accessorizing it beautifully.
Congratulations, Velouria and happy riding! Here's hoping we get these two lovely bicycles on the same coast one day and go for a ride...
You can check out Velouria's new ride here.
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Thanks so much Mike! I think both our bicycles will enjoy knowing that they are not alone out there, and that their kin's days of glory are not yet over.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most about my mercian, is the superior ride quality - compared to my own Motobecane Mirage, as well as to any other vintage mixte I've tried. Whatever they did, they did it just right for me, and it feels good to find a bike that's not only beautiful but a good match anatomically.
Out of curiosity, what size is your frame?
Velouria, I'm almost positive it's 20 inches, but I will check tomorrow and give you a better answer. My bikes are a short, dark and cluttered walk away and it's a bit late.
ReplyDeleteYour photos showed me what I'm missing by having a replacement fork and stem. The LSB that sold me the Mercier tells me that the owner who abandoned it brought it in for repair because "someone jumped out of a second-story window and landed on it," bending the forks, I guess.
Ah, college...
Velouria, mine is the 21-inch version. This surprised me a bit as it's always seemed smallish, but I think the mixte frame renders some of the size issue less relevant.
ReplyDeleteNice! I haven't seen a Mercier in years. For some reason the French seem to have done a better job with the mixte bikes than any other country. My Peugeot is the tallest mixte frame I have ever seen at 59cm (~22").
ReplyDeleteAaron
Mike - Oh I am so envious now; would love to find a 21" frame. You are right though that with a mixte frame the size issues are less relevant.
ReplyDeleteWhere can you get fenders to fit the Mercier?
ReplyDelete