Gate 3 by
JuanM58, on Flickr
Gate by
JuanM58, on Flickr
A couple of snaps of my 1976 Mercian Superlight taken over the weekend. This was my official 2014 project bike but unfortunately had to vie with a couple of others that I got distracted with. It's a terrific bike to ride; light, agile and long legged. I am very impressed; every home should have one, buy a Mercian! Notably, the Simplex retrofriction levers and the Suntour Cyclone mech give light, accurate changing with the the merest snick; who needs indexing! The Royce hubs are terrific and really smooth out the ride despite the lousy surfaces. A great bike for a few hours on a sunny afternoon.
Here are the bits:
Frame: 1976 Mercian Superlight, Reynolds 531 double butted tubing
Headset: Campagnolo Mirage
Wheels: Royce low flange 28 hole, 700C Halo Retro Rims, Sapim Race S/S butted spokes, Vittoria Rubino tyres
Chainset: Suntour Superbe Pro 52/42 with Tange/Stronglight BB, SRAM chain
Pedals: Suntour Superbe, Cinelli clips with Velo Orange leather straps
Gears: Suntour Perfect 14-24 5 speed freewheel; Suntour Cyclone Mk2 Rear derailleur; Camagnolo Nuovo Record front, Simplex Retrofriction levers.
Brakes: Campagnolo Record piccolo callipers, Suntour Superbe levers
Handlebars: 3ttt Competizione Gimondi bars with 3ttt Record Strada 80mm stem; Spa leather bar tape and Velox plugs.
Seat: Brooks Swift TI on Campagnolo aero seatpost