80s Mercian Road Bike w/Campy

[Zenroad]

Reynolds steel. I'm the second owner. First owner didn't even ride it. I bought the frame and forks and built it up myself. I've put maybe 500 miles on it. Maybe not even that much. A beautiful frame, but needs a paint job. Vintage Campy all around. Will sell just the frame or the whole bike as is or anywhere in between. Make me a reasonable offer.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

What's a Campy?..... Campag? What size is it? Are there any pictures? And, most crucially, how much is the postage to Scotland?

 

[Zenroad]

Campy = Campagnolo components. Quality stuff. They were the gold standard before Shimano got on their case some years back. Once again, I will happily sell just the frame. This one is a classic.

 

[Rob3rt]

Do you realise this is a very UK centric forum? Just saying incase you didnt realise.

Also size, pictures, price etc etc.

 

[Zenroad]

I do, Rob3rt. Thanks. Didn't realize it at first, but made the connection about 48 hours into it, which was about two weeks ago. I like it. Go, Bradley Wiggins! My father would be proud. He was briefly stationed aboard a British ship during WW2. He loved it (but not the food!). I've been to London once. Would love to go again. And I love Inspector Morse. And Foyle's War. Hope I'm not sounding too much like a dopey Yank. Anyhow...

Yes, I'll get pics up of the Mercian. What a bike! And I think I've decided to advertise just the frame and forks, as that's the way I bought it. It was not a complete bike. I pieced it together from vintage Campy stuff. I'm assuming any potential buyer would want to do the same.

This frameset has very low mileage. First owner never built it up, and after I built it up I put only about 500 miles on it when I realized that I was finished with road bikes. No dents or dings. Never crashed. Just some surface rust that may warrant a restoration. A really beautiful frame.

 

[Zakalwe]

What size?

 

[Zenroad]

What size?

Zakalwe:
Here's a pic and an accurate and fair assessment of the frame and forks:

Seattube is 59cm center-to-center, 61cm center-to-top. I'm 6'1" with a healthy inseam, and it fits me like a glove.
The frame is structurally sound and solid. No cracks, dings, or dents, as it's never been crashed or slammed. All welds and lugs are solid as a rock. Less then 500 miles on it--all mine, and I'm a good, smooth rider.
I think it may be a 1983, as I believe I see an "83" stamped on the underside of the BB shell.
Headtube is 19cm.
125mm rear spacing.
Patchy surface rust in a variety of places that would certainly warrant a restorative paint job.
The pump peg is solid as a rock.
The Campy dropouts are solid as a rock.
The front derailleur hanger is solid as a rock.
The chain hanger is solid as a rock.
Seatpost clamp is solid as a rock.
The Cinelli BB is solid as a rock.
The rear axle adjustment screws and holes are solid, and the threads are pristine. No issues there.
The toptube cable guides are rusty but solid.
The under-BB cable guides are clean and solid.
The forks are original, but I had them powder-coated to protect them when I bought the frame from the original owner. There were a couple of patches of questionable paint, and I didn't want it to spread. This is Florida.
There is a Campy BB and crankset, and a Campy headset in the bike. NOT original; my additions when I built up the bike. I can sell them with the frame or remove them. It's up to the buyer.
I also have vintage Campy rear and front derailleurs. I can sell them with the frame or not.
All in all, a beautiful frame and forks with zero structural issues. Patchy surface rust is its only problem.

 

[Zakalwe]

It's beautiful, I'm looking on behalf of a friend though and he's a 6'7" mutant so a bit small for him. Pretty spot on for me though... I'll need to have a think on it and start the subliminal messages on the wife first

 

[Christopher]

Nice frame except for the rust. To any potential buyers: please be aware the top-tube cable guides will be brazed on to the top tube so can't easily be removed - needs a welding torch to do then the paint wants fixing. However it is more likely to be an asthetic problem than a pratical one i.e they might look bad but have no effect on the cables passing through them. Not an issue if sandblasting and respraying. Oh and modern road bikes have a 130mm rear spacing

 

[Zenroad]

It's beautiful, I'm looking on behalf of a friend though and he's a 6'7" mutant so a bit small for him. Pretty spot on for me though... I'll need to have a think on it and start the subliminal messages on the wife first

Thanks, Zakalwe.
I'm asking $400 (plus shipping) for the frame, forks, Campy headset, Campy BB, and Campy crankset. Christopher (above) is right about the rust, and of course I mention it in the description above. As I wrote, it "would certainly warrant a restorative paint job." The rest of my description is also accurate. The frame and forks are solid. If I were still into road bikes and had the money for a new powder coat, I'd do it myself. If I had even more for a complete Mercian factory restoration, I'd do that instead, but it's not wall art, it's a beautiful road bike, which no longer serves my purposes, so it's for sale.

I have a couple of more pics that I'm going to post in a day or two on the retrobike site. I feel confidant that someone will buy it, hopefully sooner than later!

Thanks for the interest!