While surfing eBay, I came across a listing for this classic beauty:
It's a Mercian from 1980, made--as nearly all Mercians had been, up to that time--of Reynolds 531 tubing. The components on it are what one might expect on a top-level touring, randonneuring or audax bike from that time: Stronglight triple crank, Huret Duopar derailleurs, early Phil Wood hubs.
It's even in a color I like. While my favorite is #57 on the Mercian color chart (Why else would I have three bikes in that color?), followed by numbers 17, 9, 53 and 39, I have a soft spot for British Racing Green. Most bikes I've seen in that color have white lug outlines, panels and other details. But I thought the gold panels on this Mercian gave BRG a glow and warmth I hadn't expected.
Now, tell me, how can anyone so deface such a lovely bike?
Around the time that Mercian was made, the tacky accessory you see on its downtube first came onto the market. It's called the Flick Stand, and it was made by Rhode Gear.
The idea was, of course, to keep the wheel steady when the bike was standing. It could have been very useful when there was a load on the bike. In fact, I had one on my bike for my first European tour. It lasted about three days: The part where the metal loop attached to the bracket cracked and broke.
Every once in a while, I see a Flick Stand. I also sometimes see remnants of them: The metal loop broke off and the bike's owner didn't bother to remove the clamp.
If that design flaw had been eliminated, the Flick Stand could have been very useful. It still would have been ugly on a nice bike, though.
It's a Mercian from 1980, made--as nearly all Mercians had been, up to that time--of Reynolds 531 tubing. The components on it are what one might expect on a top-level touring, randonneuring or audax bike from that time: Stronglight triple crank, Huret Duopar derailleurs, early Phil Wood hubs.
It's even in a color I like. While my favorite is #57 on the Mercian color chart (Why else would I have three bikes in that color?), followed by numbers 17, 9, 53 and 39, I have a soft spot for British Racing Green. Most bikes I've seen in that color have white lug outlines, panels and other details. But I thought the gold panels on this Mercian gave BRG a glow and warmth I hadn't expected.
Now, tell me, how can anyone so deface such a lovely bike?
Around the time that Mercian was made, the tacky accessory you see on its downtube first came onto the market. It's called the Flick Stand, and it was made by Rhode Gear.
The idea was, of course, to keep the wheel steady when the bike was standing. It could have been very useful when there was a load on the bike. In fact, I had one on my bike for my first European tour. It lasted about three days: The part where the metal loop attached to the bracket cracked and broke.
Every once in a while, I see a Flick Stand. I also sometimes see remnants of them: The metal loop broke off and the bike's owner didn't bother to remove the clamp.
If that design flaw had been eliminated, the Flick Stand could have been very useful. It still would have been ugly on a nice bike, though.
