1955 mercian

[4050britishclassic]

aquired this about 2 years ago. ready for building up

 

[Cycleops]

Are you sure it's 1955?

 

[4050britishclassic]

got it from a friend whos father owned it circa then......what do you reckon

 

[Cycleops]

As Rockymountain says fairly unlikely with all those braze ons. Very nice though. Maybe email Mercian and ask them nicely if they could put a date on it.

 

[4050britishclassic]

braze ons on one of my Paris frames 1950 and Hetchins 1953

 

[young Ed]

@4050britishclassic could we have a close up of those braze ons?
very nice frame though
Cheer Ed

 

[4050britishclassic]

Will get a few photos in the next day or two

 

[alecstilleyedye]

is there a grease nipple atop the bottom bracket?

 

[4050britishclassic]

No there is no grease nipple

 

[alecstilleyedye]

my '51 claud butler olympic sprint has one, so of the same era as '55. can't say i know when the grease nipple disappeared from most bikes though...

 

[Hover Fly]

Bosses can be brazed on, perhaps the grease nipple hole has been plugged before a respray. The lugs look right for 1950s, but the forged gear hanger on the dropout doesn't.

Maybe email Mercian and ask them nicely if they could put a date on it.

They have no records before the 70s and charge for looking.

 

[Drago]

What about the mech hanger? Isn't an integrated hanger unusual on an older frame?

 

[Hover Fly]

My guess is 1955, by the lugs and "long oval" forks, but modernised after circa 1980, gear cables under the bottom bracket and brake cables along the top of the top tube came in about then.

 

[Hover Fly]

Perhaps flick through this and see what you think?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mercianregister/

 

[raleighnut]

Mercian will quite happily add and modify parts of frames especially their own and full rebuild/respray jobs are of superb quality if a little slow and a bit pricey.
They also made frames for other people, notably Sid Mottram in Leicester but also many others.
I think they hold the records of their production so contacting them may clear up any other issues as well