Mercian Vincitore

I would appreciate any opinions as to the value of this frame-Mercian
Vincitore (http://www.merciancycles.com/frame_vincitore.asp). It was
manufactured in 1983 and has been in storage for more than 20 years. It is
in perfect condition and is a metallic red color with chrome ends on the
fork and rear tubes. Thank you in advance for your help.

On Oct 13, 12:57*pm, "Nesato" wrote:
I would appreciate any opinions as to the value of this frame-Mercian
Vincitore (http://www.merciancycles.com/frame_vincitore.asp). It was
manufactured in 1983 and has been in storage for more than 20 years. It is
in perfect condition and is a metallic red color with chrome ends on the
fork and rear tubes. Thank you in advance for your help.

I don't get it, is this a troll? Some will LOVE the Vincitore for its
ornate lugwork. Others will hate the lugwork for being so over-the-
top. Other still will argue why bother getting a steel bike as its
too heavy and not modern enough. Of course, there are those who say
"steel is real," and is the only choice for them. What do YOU like? If
the ornate lug work turns you on, then get it! Mercian Cycles make
great frames. It all comes down to what YOU like....

Well, I'm not sure what it is you don't get, and a troll...I don't think so!
I purchased this frame a long time ago for about 700 dollars. Because of age
and health, I fear that my wife would not know any better, and sell this
frame at an estate sale for 20 bucks, so I thought I try to sell it now.
What I was hoping to learn from my post was whether or not there was a
market for such a frame and how much it might be worth. Is this not the
newsgroup for such research?

"Nesato" wrote in message
...
Well, I'm not sure what it is you don't get, and a troll...I don't think
so! I purchased this frame a long time ago for about 700 dollars. Because
of age and health, I fear that my wife would not know any better, and sell
this frame at an estate sale for 20 bucks, so I thought I try to sell it
now. What I was hoping to learn from my post was whether or not there was
a market for such a frame and how much it might be worth. Is this not the
newsgroup for such research?

The problem is this - the older Mercian's were set up for fenders and so the
brakes had to be LONG reach. Unless the bike has brakes on it at the moment
then those brakes are either almost impossible to get or you have to send it
back to the factory to have the rear stays set up for shorter reach brakes.
At the same time you'd have to get a new fork as well.

Or you could search all over God's green acre to find long reach brakes in
order to maintain the bike in pristine condition.

So you have to take that into account.

On Oct 14, 9:57*am, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
"Nesato" wrote in message

...

Well, I'm not sure what it is you don't get, and a troll...I don't think
so! I purchased this frame a long time ago for about 700 dollars. Because
of age and health, I fear that my wife would not know any better, and sell
this frame at an estate sale for 20 bucks, so I thought I try to sell it
now. What I was hoping to learn from my post was whether or not there was
a market for such a frame and how much it might be worth. Is this not the
newsgroup for such research?

The problem is this - the older Mercian's were set up for fenders and so the
brakes had to be LONG reach. Unless the bike has brakes on it at the moment
then those brakes are either almost impossible to get or you have to send it
back to the factory to have the rear stays set up for shorter reach brakes.
At the same time you'd have to get a new fork as well.

Or you could search all over God's green acre to find long reach brakes in
order to maintain the bike in pristine condition.

So you have to take that into account.

Hi, Tom -

Now now, trying to get the OP to drop the price? I know of at least a
coupla well-known sources (including Nashbar) for long reach brakes.

'...all over God's green acre....' is more than a bit of an
exaggeration.

D'ohBoy

On Oct 14, 7:06*am, "Nesato" wrote:
Well, I'm not sure what it is you don't get, and a troll...I don't think so!
I purchased this frame a long time ago for about 700 dollars. Because of age
and health, I fear that my wife would not know any better, and sell this
frame at an estate sale for 20 bucks, so I thought I try to sell it now.
What I was hoping to learn from my post was whether or not there was a
market for such a frame and how much it might be worth. Is this not the
newsgroup for such research?

Actually, no this is not the place for research. Your best bet is
ebay. If you do a *completed listing* search for Mercian, you will see
that a 59cm Vincitore recently sold for $750 (buy it now) with 10
bidders. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/59-cm-Mercian-Vi...d=p3286.c0.m14

PS - you need to be a member to do a completed listing search. Good
Luck!

On Oct 14, 9:02*am, "D'ohBoy" wrote:
On Oct 14, 9:57*am, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:





"Nesato" wrote in message

...

Well, I'm not sure what it is you don't get, and a troll...I don't think
so! I purchased this frame a long time ago for about 700 dollars. Because
of age and health, I fear that my wife would not know any better, and sell
this frame at an estate sale for 20 bucks, so I thought I try to sell it
now. What I was hoping to learn from my post was whether or not there was
a market for such a frame and how much it might be worth. Is this not the
newsgroup for such research?

The problem is this - the older Mercian's were set up for fenders and so the
brakes had to be LONG reach. Unless the bike has brakes on it at the moment
then those brakes are either almost impossible to get or you have to send it
back to the factory to have the rear stays set up for shorter reach brakes.
At the same time you'd have to get a new fork as well.

Or you could search all over God's green acre to find long reach brakes in
order to maintain the bike in pristine condition.

So you have to take that into account.

Hi, Tom -

Now now, trying to get the OP to drop the price? *I know of at least a
coupla well-known sources (including Nashbar) for long reach brakes.

'...all over God's green acre....' is more than a bit of an
exaggeration.

D'ohBoy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Correct, Tektro makes a variety of long-reach brakes including the
ones labeled Nashbar. The Tektro long reach brakes come with a range
of 47-57 and 55-73 (good for 650B conversion). both are priced around
$70/pair.

On Oct 13, 2:57*pm, "Nesato" wrote:
I would appreciate any opinions as to the value of this frame-Mercian
Vincitore (http://www.merciancycles.com/frame_vincitore.asp). It was
manufactured in 1983 and has been in storage for more than 20 years. It is
in perfect condition and is a metallic red color with chrome ends on the
fork and rear tubes. Thank you in advance for your help.

Short version:

The purchase price in a well publicized, open auction (thanks Antiques
Roadshow) is "what it is worth", at least on a particular day g.

Much longer version, with maybe some "help":

You saw the ebay completed listing from bfd? Someone used "buy it
now", which indicates a willing buyer, not surprising for this maker
and model. Meaning, yes, from what I've seen, Mercian is a well
regarded vintage frame and someone spent a fair amount to get this
one, used and far from perfect as it is.

However: That was not a listing that maximized return (IMHO, reasons
follow):

1) Average quality photos; omitted important areas of detail shown,
especially since he had a link to a photo host where the "good shots"
could have been posted. Worse: not nearly enough "close ups" with
Macro settings. How many stone chips on the downtube, for instance? BB
thread condition? Rust in the BB? That, for all that the dropout photo
(rear wheel) shows minimal chewing from skewers, which photo could be
an accident in this indifferent listing.

2) Buy it now? These things are never certain, but, again, given a
somewhat rare, and quite desirable item, in good condition (by no
means "perfect"), who knows what an "open" auction would have brought?
Maybe this buyer got a real bargain, especially considering "new"
price for this same frame. Perhaps Mercian buyers lust after "vintage"
due to real or perceived differences between current production and
vintage items, and this was even something of a steal? I wouldn't
pretend to know, but "possible".

3) No assurances in the item description IRT shipping-- covering the
tubes with pipe insulation, fork/dropout spreaders, double box for
instance. The shipping charge with a real pro packing job included is
a little low IMHO, IRT assuring getting the bike in the same condition
as it was when shipped. Also, no mention of preferred carrier.
Important to some who might have had a bad experience with any certain
shipping company.

4) Any parts left on a frame tend to be a liability-- for one reason,
thread condition is hidden and/or surface detail obscured. The ebay
item is a good example: what condition is that "custom" headset in
(races), perhaps showing mileage or lack of maintainance (rust
issues), and what if an accident occurs even in the simple act of
removing those DT shifters that results in a visible scratch? Whoops!

OK, sorry for long but if you're going to give it up, don't do it like
that ebay seller did g! Ow! --D-y

Thank you very much for the info, it was quite helpful. When I first posted
about the Mercian I described only the frame, my thoughts were that any
potential buyer would most likely want to use more up to date components.
The fact is, it currently is fully assembled as a triple crank with the then
most popular components...Campy, Cinelli, etc. I will retrieve the bike from
storage this weekend and post some pictures folowing your advice on
close-ups. Again, thank you for your input.

On Oct 15, 11:16*am, "Nesato" wrote:
Thank you very much for the info, it was quite helpful. When I first posted
about the Mercian I described only the frame, my thoughts were that any
potential buyer would most likely want to use more up to date components.
The fact is, it currently is fully assembled as a triple crank with the then
most popular components...Campy, Cinelli, etc. I will retrieve the bike from
storage this weekend and post some pictures folowing your advice on
close-ups. Again, thank you for your input.

Just to say, I used an online FS list (Campy Only?) and sold a Roberts
tourer (mfg.ca. 1981) to a Japanese collector who wanted it built up
as I had it, with racks/bags, Campy NR triple, etc. I did OK,
especially compared to what I could have received for a local (Austin
or Houston, Texas) sale, at least by using a couple of pretty good
"comparables" I saw listed in FS ad lists. That was 1999 or so, just
before I discovered ebay, got a camera, and so forth. Which is to say
(repeat) "it's never certain", but I'd still consider taking
components off, parting it out, even down to separating the BB from
the crank for instance, handlebar from stem, in order to maximize
return. If nothing else, this shows that the seatpost and stem are not
frozen in the frame due to rust/corrosion. And the frame is easier to
clean g.

You're entirely welcome, and good luck! --D-y