Spray shop

The workshop is extremely busy at the moment and here we have a few frames ready for the final top coat. Please note the new lime green flamboyant in the foreground which has a very bright finish and the Gios blue Mercian in the back ground. These frames will be making there way to customers later in the week.

Wheels

We do a lot of wheel repairs both for the customer and trade alike. Re-building into a new rim is a popular request ( the rims are softer nowadays for certain ). Overhauling a hub is also done on a frequent basis. Please remember to grease the hubs as often as you can. It will prolong your hubs life considerably. This part of our work bench is never without a few wheels waiting to be sorted.

Racks

We have a large range of racks in stock both front and rear. Topeak and Tubus being the main two which customers specify when ordering a complete bike. When you order your complete bike why not have the rack sprayed to match your frame. When they have been done the overall effect is quite pleasing.

Frogeye

Something a little different today. This is Derek's one of the frame builders new ! ! ! ! car its a 1947 ( I think he said ) Frogeye sprite. Derek has a love for open top motors and this one certainly is open to the world. He took me for a spin in it the other day and its like riding a skate board with a motor . he he .

Vigorelli

A shot of a Vigorelli just before completion . This bike will find its way to London and soon be cruising the streets of the capitol .

Vincitore bottom bracket

Here we have a Vincitore special shell being mocked up and worked on by Derek. As you can see from the picture the spear points are welded to the shell first then the tubes are brazed into place this helps stiffen the frame . The plates on the chainstays still have to be cut into shape at this point before the chain stays are brazed into position. The seat tube and the down tube also have to be brazed in at this point.

Vincitore

Another lovely bike here which will soon be picked up by a long time Mercian fan . Its a Vincitore special built with Reynolds 853 pro team tubing. This one is built with Campagnolo record equipment and finished with Profile carbon bars and Easton wheels.

Velocita

We had this Velocita in today which requires a little work (bearings in the bottom bracket are noisy) so while the going was good took a shot of it in the work stand. Campagnolo record equipment with carbon Mavic wheels very nice indeed. You can just see in the back ground a couple of frames for checking before they get sprayed.

Paul Smith Clothing

Because of our work with Paul Smith we have a range of exclusive clothing made by the world famous fashion designer. We have a good range of T shirts and Jerseys available. If you fancy a designer T shirt with our early advertisement please call our shop to order. These are a strictly limited item. Take a look at the bikes here http://www.merciancycles.com/psmith.asp

Nostalgia

Just in the stock room today and found these talk about the good old days. We only have corti (small) so do not bombard the shop with requests for Campagnolo toe clips. I can remember buying my first pair of these and bolting them to my Super record track pedals . Then going for a ride to make a mark on the bottom of my shoes where the rear pedal plate is so I Knew where to nail my shoe plates on, Them where the days.

Reynolds Anniversary 531 tube set

We just had a few sets of the new Reynolds 531 tube. They are a strict limited edition run from Reynolds and come complete with the transfer of course. We have only just had them so no prices yet of a frame but I will post it once we have worked it out. This will be a frame for the enthusiast.

The Flying Scot

While I was in the spray shop today these two Flying Scot frames came out the oven and I thought you would like a look. The two frames here are almost finished and ready for the customers. The cream one will be built into a complete bike at the shop and the green is being delivered to a customer in Scotland. I think you will agree with me they both look very nice indeed. If you would like to see more of our frame renovation work please let me know .

Vincitore special

This is a Vincitore special built with Reynolds 725 tubing ( our most popular tube set ) in cream enamel with silver gothic transfers and silver lug lining. Its put together with Campagnolo Centaur equipment complete with Brooks saddle , handle bar tape and when we get them in stock the Brooks toe straps as well. We all like the look of this bike and I am sure you do as well. Its almost ready for picking up at the weekend lets just hope the sun shines.

Frame re-sprays

Its not only new bikes we build here you can see a renovation we have just completed on a early 1980 frame. Note the lamp boss on the forks and the long rear dropouts. This has been sprayed in our very popular Ruby red flamboyant with a white head tube and seat tube panel white lug lining and transfers this particular customer has had his initials on the front of the top tube. As you can see the frame looks as good as new and when built into a complete machine will look the business.

Marchisio Sprockets

Just thought you would like a look at these. Marchisio sprockets are for the customer who wants a different sprocket range offered by Campagnolo or Shimano. Customers have these as a close ratio for the racing lads or a wide ratio for the touring crowd. As we know you always need the gear which is not there its either too small or too big a jump. This is where Marchisio comes in you can specify your own personal sprocket/gear range.

Spray shop

The spray shop is very busy at the moment as you can see. We have a turn round time of about six weeks its normally about 4 weeks during the summer. These frames are mainly in etch primer ready for there first coat of paint.

Rohloff dropouts

Another day at the workshop today doing mainly paper work. While I was there I took this picture of a frame build with the Rohloff dropouts. This particular customer wants to be able to use a disc brake as well as you can see.

S & S Couplings

Today was a day at our workshop mainly clearing out the back office ready for a coat or two of paint. I am a bit fed up of the 1970s purple walls. The picture shows Tim's work progressing nicely on a frame which is being built with stainless steel S&S couplings. These are for commuting or for traveling where space is at a premium. If I remember I will post a picture once the frame is sprayed and ready for the customer.

Ergo spares

Our shop is well known for our stock of Campagnolo spare parts new and old and are always being asked how many spare parts we have . Well to give you a idea this is just some of our ergo spares covering 8 , 9 , and 10 speed and soon maybe a few 11 speed parts no doubt. We must have one of the largest stock of Campagnolo spares in the U.K and maybe Europe . Sorry about the quality of the photo but the only sun we had today was when this shot was taken which was shining straight into the lens.

Merlin titanium frames

Todays shot is of a range of Merlin titanium frames we stock and I must say they are very nicely made. We can get any of the frames or bikes from there range we also offer a made to measure service from the company although there is a small charge for this. Please do not forget we have a vacancy at the shop as a shop assistant so please send your cv to Gavin our shop manager.

Rohloff complete bike

Just thought I would show you this bike that went out today. Its a Rohloff equipped machine in a two tone leaf green pearl and racing green pearl. Complete with Brooks titanium saddle and Brooks handle bar tape. Just an after thought have you noticed how little traffic there is on the roads recently since the petrol price increase isn't it good . No wonder we are selling a lot of the Specialized Globe range of bikes ( a good casual and get to work bike ).

London Today

Today was a trip to London to pick the 2 bikes up which have been photographed for a upcoming magazine. The company which did the shoot was Big Picture Studios. The photos themselves will be seen in GQ mens fashion magazine . More details to come when I am allowed to tell. When we know the dates of publish I will let you know.

A day at the workshop

A day at the workshop/office for me today doing a lot of small jobs which have mounted up and just need to be done. In the picture you can see some of the taps which are used to clean up the threads before the frames go to the shop. In the background you can just see a alloy frame which is being hand stripped all the lighter frames that come in for a re-spray are hand stripped and prepared for paint.

Our clothing room

This is a photo of a small part of our clothing room which is upstairs at our shop. I have only put this on because we are amazed how many people do not know its there. We have a large stock of Campagnolo , Altura, Oakley and Specialized to name a but a few lines in stock.