(Not a) Mercian Audax 1983 Dulux Special!

[Spibblo]

It's about time I shared my (Not a) Mercian Audax with the wider world.
Funds did not allow me to get the frame properly refinished hence the 'Dulux Special' was born. Yes I took my brush and some paint left over from one a customers front door (Dulux italian red if you must know) and painted it by hand- only after stripping and undercoating, I do have some standards. I know it deserves better and one day I will get done 'properly' but I was quite pleased with the results and found it quite enjoyable doing it.

I had to buy the wheelset, levers, uniglide cassette and bar tape. The rest of the components were either already with the bike when I bought it or what I had in the spares box. That's why the cables are different colours. The saddle had been in my sock draw your ages just waiting to be bolted onto something worthy.

The frame was designed to run 27" wheels, it has 700c wheels now and I was lucky the xt mc70 canti's it came with had enough scope to reach low enough to work- most canti's wouldn't.

The cartridge bottom bracket was well and truly stuck and the previous owner had rounded off the teeth in the cups trying to remove it. I tried various methods to shift but with no teeth (the bb not me) it was proving futile. I used caustic soda in the end which worked a treat, I was refinishing frame any so what the heck?

The ride is sweet and comfortable as you would expect from 531 ST tubing.
I may plop some racks/guards on it and do some light touring next year- hopefully I will have knocked the frame around enough to justify sending it off to Mercian for a respray :shock:

oh and the lug lining I did with a permanent marker. I'll be first against the wall when the retrobike revolution happens.

 

[rfjshepherd]

Re: Mercian Audax 1983 Dulux Special!

I think I now have this bike.
Bought from a guy in Southam. Mercian disowned it, so it is pedigree unknown. Its light, well the frame is, the forks are chunky I have had the rear dropouts cold set to 130mm and it is unusual, Lee Cooper the frame builder couldn't make head nor tail of it but said the tubes looked quality.
It seems 70s with the 3 cable guides on the top tube, 27 inch canti bosses and the original 120mm dropouts, but the vertical dropouts and double sets of bottle braze ons seem from a later period.
The geometry is also weird all the braze ons for touring but the rake and angles are tightish.

 

[Spibblo]

Re: Mercian Audax 1983 Dulux Special!

yeah that's the bike you now have.

I meant to update the thread to reflect it's stripping of Mercian credentials, will do so now.

How are you getting on with it? I'm hoping the Dulux is holding up ok, I never got round to putting the skirting boards on...

 

[rfjshepherd]

Have been assembling parts, got some new wheels, 36 spokes 17mm rims but cheap shimano hubs.
Will go for bar ends and am looking at chainsets I have a new stronglight impact on my gazelle may swap it for a campag leaving me with a compact chainset, or could buy a new stronglight as I fancy going for short 160 cranks.
Wifes mother is an illustrator, so thinking of a paint job nice hand painted lug linings, just what transfers?
Your dulux job is pretty good, better than some powder coating ive seen.
Be interested in finding more about Mercian's rejection just what did they see that might indicate or give me more clues to its origin. The brake bosses are very high but got some old cantis with a lot of modulation so seem OK for 700c

 

[torqueless]

Got a serial no. ? Just a thought- looks to have a high bottom bracket, although that could be the camera angle. Perhaps a '70s cyclocross adapted for touring? I like. Plus good on Spibblo for dispensing with the spraycan and getting the brush out!

 

[rfjshepherd]

Frame number is 083010 or so I'm told cant really see due to the paint job.
If it was a cyclocross frame it was made for 27 inch wheels didn't think you got nobbly 27 inch tyres but could be wrong.
There are full braze ons including pump pegs on the seat stay and double mudguard eyes.

 

[Spibblo]

This might help, the drop-outs are Suntour gt or gs something like that and the chainstay bridge is Cast Investments.

Mercian said the canti bridge was wrong as was the chainstay bridge and something about the way the ends of the tubes are finished was not the way they do it...oh and the forks did not have a number on.
Most annoying really as I had sent them many pics and the frame number and they said it was an Audax. I sold it as a Mercian and the buyer had me post it to Mercian for refinishing and that's when they phoned with the bad news. I refunded the buyer as she didn't want it At least Mercian paid postage to return it to me.
It's a nice frame though, all the best with it.