Help with Mercian bike

[dezt]

I've moved in to a new house and found a bike in the garage, the paint work is old and it needs a clean, but it says in big letters on the frame MERCIAN OLYMPIQUE. Now i've done a bit of googleing and found a bit of information about the company and even emailed them about trying to identify the bike and how old it is and they have told me where to find the serial number. I have looked on the bottom of the bottom bracket and couldn't find it, but I do have the second place to look which is on the fork tube.

I have some photos of the bike and i'm hoping someone might know how old it might be. I have noticed that the badge is slightly different from the majority of the badges i've seen on Google as mine includes the street name of Mercian on it.

 

[All uphill]

Nice bike!

You may already know that objects left in a house are legally still the property of the vendor, unless they were specifically included in the purchase?

 

[Paulus]

Nice bike!

You may already know that objects left in a house are legally still the property of the vendor, unless they were specifically included in the purchase?

A nice find.
It will be worth contacting the seller of the house about the bike. You may be presently surprised.

 

[Cycleops]

That's a beaut. I'd say it's from the mid/late sixties, maybe a little earlier. Let's see a closer pic from the drive side.
What do you intend to do with it? Is it your size?
As above I'm hoping to previous occupier doesn't turn up and demand it's return.

BTW to the forum

 

[biggs682]

@dezt welcome
I think that is a very nice Mercian .
Deffo worth riding if you do ride and if you don't then now is the time to start
As others have said check with previous owners to make sure first but nice find

 

[Sharky]

Nice bike.
Is there a number on the rear fork ends? I'm sure the one I'm riding had one, beginning "61", which I thought may have meant 1961 as I bought it 2nd hand in 1968.

 

[Ian H]

I think they closed the shop a year or two ago, but still have the works. I remember standing in the doorway of the shop, waiting. I couldn't get in because they had a customer on the bike-fit jig right in the doorway, sizing him for a new bike. I also seem to recall half-finished frames, just the main triangles, hanging along one wall. Presumably they were 'semi-bespoke', waiting to be finished to customer spec.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

You may already know that objects left in a house are legally still the property of the vendor, unless they were specifically included in the purchase?

Keep it and say nothing. If the vendor wanted the bike then they should have made sure it was removed from the property along with all the other contents. Most likely they had no use for it but considered it wrong to just chuck it in the skip, so they left it behind hoping the new owner of the house would appreciate and use it.

 

[All uphill]

Keep it and say nothing. If the vendor wanted the bike then they should have made sure it was removed from the property along with all the other contents. Most likely they had no use for it but considered it wrong to just chuck it in the skip, so they left it behind hoping the new owner of the house would appreciate and use it.

Great bit of mind-reading there, John.

 

[PHL67]

If you locate the serial number then call Mercian and if you pay £20.00 they will manually check there records and then they email you the build sheet. I have mine for a 653 Reynolds King of Mercia. Has all the details of the build. Worth the £20.00.

 

[Poacher]

Nice! Very unusual Campag front derailleur. I don't think I've ever seen one like that.

 

[rogerzilla]

Most contracts say anything left in the house on completion transfers to the new owner, don't they?

 

[dezt]

Thanks for all the replies, we did contact the seller when we completed about there being lots of items left in the garage and their response was "they were there when we moved in" I've looked on the rear fork ends and there is nothing there, I guess i'll take the steering fork off and check the column there as Mercian said there should be aserial number there.

If it fits me i'd like to get it into a bit of nicer shape and start using it, it is almost as light as my Marin that I have, I just need to sweet talk the wife into letting me keep it and spend a little money on it.

 

[Paulus]

Thanks for all the replies, we did contact the seller when we completed about there being lots of items left in the garage and their response was "they were there when we moved in" I've looked on the rear fork ends and there is nothing there, I guess i'll take the steering fork off and check the column there as Mercian said there should be aserial number there.

If it fits me i'd like to get it into a bit of nicer shape and start using it, it is almost as light as my Marin that I have, I just need to sweet talk the wife into letting me keep it and spend a little money on it.

A nice little bonus then.
It should clean up well.

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks for all the replies, we did contact the seller when we completed about there being lots of items left in the garage and their response was "they were there when we moved in" I've looked on the rear fork ends and there is nothing there, I guess i'll take the steering fork off and check the column there as Mercian said there should be aserial number there.

If it fits me i'd like to get it into a bit of nicer shape and start using it, it is almost as light as my Marin that I have, I just need to sweet talk the wife into letting me keep it and spend a little money on it.

Ah that's easy, just don't tell her what it's worth and say it'll be used as a runabout to save my newer bike, then a few 'repairs' can be done in a month or two.