Beautiful Bicycle: Vintage Mercier Conjures Cycling’s Golden Era
Have a gander at any image of pro cycling from the era just before or after World War II, and a distinct sense of romanticism and nostalgia is sure to wash over you like a warm summer shower. From wool jerseys to steel frame bikes to finely coiffed hair in lieu of helmets, cycling’s golden era hearkens back to a simpler time, when just about everything looked cool and iconic–including top cyclists casually lighting up, right from the saddle.
With that era and backdrop in mind, we’re thrilled to present our latest beautiful bicycle: a clean, classic Mercier road bike that would be equally at home at the L’Eroica race in Chianti, Italy, or as an art piece, on the wall of a gallery or a discerning bike shop. Founded in 1919 in the Saint-Étienne region of France, a hotbed of French bicycle manufacturing, Mercier Cycles quickly rose to prominence through its sponsorship of professional cycling teams. In the 1950s and 60s, Mercier further cemented its place in the pantheon through its signature purple and gold jerseys, along with the success of Frenchman Raymond Poulidor, who famously battled it out with Jacques Anquetil in a fierce duel at the 1964 Tour de France, with Anquetil netting out with the yellow jersey in the end. And while Mercier suffered a rapid demise in the 1980s, after the entrance of new competitors, the brand was revived in 2019, albeit as an apparel maker. Big picture, to understand a bike like this Mercier is to understand the essence of mid-century road cycling. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, European bikes were defined by lugged steel frames, narrow tubular tires, and minimal gearing—built for durability, simplicity, and elegance. French bikes in particular had a distinct identity, often equipped with domestic components like Mafac brakes, Simplex derailleurs, and Ideale saddles. Mercier, alongside rivals like Peugeot and Gitane, balanced craftsmanship with accessibility, appealing to racers and recreational riders alike. Starting on the front end, the cockpit features dropbars with fabric bar tape–-an old school touch–and a French-made stem, from Phillipe. The premium leather saddle, from Ideale, feels right on par with the quality and styling of a Brooks Saddle–ideal for this bike, one might say. Meanwhile, the metal water bottle cage and metal bottle, with wooden cork, along with the Lapize toe cages, are terrific little touches that feel like they’re ripped right from one of the aforementioned images. The Mafac Super Dural rim brakes are also of high quality French origin, common for this caliber and era of bike. One of the most unique aspects of this bike is its 1 x 3-speed drivetrain. While Tomasso Nieddu first designed it in 1928, it wasn’t until 1933 that Oscar Egg refined the system and released the Super Champion drivetrain. Egg, a former Swiss track rider, was known for setting the World Hour Record three times. His innovative system pioneered drivetrain-shifted gears using a tensioning lever and required the rider to pedal backwards to shift between gears. Over time, Egg’s design gained popularity among Tour de France racers, with the 1937 and 1939 Tours both won using his Super Champion derailleurs. For those curious about Oscar Egg and his early drivetrain innovations, this article from Disraeli Gears is a quirky, fun little read. In today’s hyper-charged, high-tech cycling world, with carbon frames and wireless shifting and integrated cockpits, it’s easy to forget the simplicity from which cycling came. But then a bike like this Mercier rolls through our doors, and we’re transported back in time, in the very best way. We can almost see Poulidor now, going shoulder to shoulder with Anquetil in stage 20 of the 1964 Tour de France, with everything on the line–and a Mercier under his command. Have a vintage bike you’d like Contender to customize? We’d love to help out. Swing by the shop, drop us a line, or give us a call at (801) 364-0344.
Past as Prologue: Mercier Cycles and Vintage Road Bikes
Cockpit, Brakes, and Classic Touches
Vintage Drivetrain
Bottom Line
Learn More
@Alex … to prevent any confusion, the frame featured in this article is a French Mercier frame, not an English Mercian frame. Mercier was founded in 1919, and ceased frame production in the late 1980s. Mercian was founded in 1946 in London, and is still around and still making beautiful lugged (or fillet-brazed) steel frames & forks.
Steven Sheffield on
Nick,
Thanks for the great article on the Red Mercian. I love the pictures. Looks like the bike had a thorough cleaning and beautifying session before the photoshoot.
I always think of this Mercian as the first “indexed” system. Shimano: Eat your heart out…
There are a LOT more superb vintage bikes in the collection where the Mercian came from-you have several at Contender, but I also have some incredible ones back in Houston. Let’s talk, maybe you can write up some of them…..
Alex Rosas
Alex Rosas on