Real Steel.

Mercian is still in business and has a Facebook page. They are a tiny operation building complete custom bike to your specifications. You can get anything from a full on- extra fancy lug touring bike to racing bike with any of the Reynolds tubesets from 531 to 853 oversize. I imagine that you could probably get 953 if they still make it but I doubt that - wasn't 953 stainless steel?

They also make Holdsworth which if memory serves was an all out racing bike of the time. I can tell you that the Mercian racers were the best handling bikes I ever rode. The only trouble at the time was that in a 62 and the normal sized tubing they were a little flexy.

If you can't afford a Waterford, perhaps you'd like a Mercian which I believe is about half the price.

On 2/17/2021 6:50 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
Mercian is still in business and has a Facebook page. They are a tiny operation building complete custom bike to your specifications. You can get anything from a full on- extra fancy lug touring bike to racing bike with any of the Reynolds tubesets from 531 to 853 oversize. I imagine that you could probably get 953 if they still make it but I doubt that - wasn't 953 stainless steel?

They also make Holdsworth which if memory serves was an all out racing bike of the time. I can tell you that the Mercian racers were the best handling bikes I ever rode. The only trouble at the time was that in a 62 and the normal sized tubing they were a little flexy.

If you can't afford a Waterford, perhaps you'd like a Mercian which I believe is about half the price.


I've been to Mercian, they're a great shop. I send
customers/inquiries there for frame repairs and respray and
get happy reports back.

That said, transit is prohibitive for repairs and (for most
riders) new frames as well. Freight rates even a few years
ago were very different. That ended.

Today a Mercian 853 Pro is roughly US$2400 (1720 Sterling).
I have a current Waterford in progress, custom TIG with
matching handmade crowned fork, which will be $2250. Silver
brazed lug version of Waterford ends up at $2700.

So neither is 'better', they're both competent custom
builders with excellent history and comparable products at
comparable prices.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 5:25:31 PM UTC-8, AMuzi wrote:
On 2/17/2021 6:50 PM, Tom Kunich wrote:
Mercian is still in business and has a Facebook page. They are a tiny operation building complete custom bike to your specifications. You can get anything from a full on- extra fancy lug touring bike to racing bike with any of the Reynolds tubesets from 531 to 853 oversize. I imagine that you could probably get 953 if they still make it but I doubt that - wasn't 953 stainless steel?

They also make Holdsworth which if memory serves was an all out racing bike of the time. I can tell you that the Mercian racers were the best handling bikes I ever rode. The only trouble at the time was that in a 62 and the normal sized tubing they were a little flexy.

If you can't afford a Waterford, perhaps you'd like a Mercian which I believe is about half the price.

I've been to Mercian, they're a great shop. I send
customers/inquiries there for frame repairs and respray and
get happy reports back.

That said, transit is prohibitive for repairs and (for most
riders) new frames as well. Freight rates even a few years
ago were very different. That ended.

Today a Mercian 853 Pro is roughly US$2400 (1720 Sterling).
I have a current Waterford in progress, custom TIG with
matching handmade crowned fork, which will be $2250. Silver
brazed lug version of Waterford ends up at $2700.

So neither is 'better', they're both competent custom
builders with excellent history and comparable products at
comparable prices.

Well, I cannot think of a better bike than a Waterford. If I was living in Europe though I couldn't imagine buying a Waterford instead of a Mercian. The Italians make great steel bikes but I simply can't stand Italian threaded bottom brackets anymore. Hearing noises and looking down to see the BB loose is enough to make your teeth grind.