This French Mercier bicycle has captured my attention. It is made from “duralumin“ – the same stuff blimps were made with – by Meca Dural using a unique procedure to join the tubes with aluminum lugs and wedged steel internal expanders. The Meca Dural company produced aluminum frames from the 1930’s through the 1950’s on behalf of a number of cycling manufacturers, Mercier being one of them. A Mercier Meca Dural is included in the Embacher collection (which was sold in its entirety at auction, earlier this year). The blackbirdsf site also has photos of a variety of duralumin frames of various manufacturers, including Aviac and Barra, as well as Meca Dural.
This Mercier Meca Dural is a “ladies” bike with a step through frame, although it is not a mixte frame as it lacks the set of extra chain stays typically used to stiffen the frame. Depending on many factors, this may or may not be a good thing.
The bike features a Stronglight crankset with 46 teeth, CLB 700 brakes with useful and ingenious quick release mechanism, Atom hubs, Samir Saminox 700c rims, Huret plunger/pushrod derailleur, a 4 speed freewheel, and a serial number on the left side rear drop out – 16822. Here are some photos of the components:
Huret derailleur with plunger/pull chain mechanism – for 4 speed freewheel.
Stronglight 49D crankset
Tank pedals
Atom hub with Huret wingnuts
Very nice CLB 700 brakes
Mercier headbadge, with upper round Meca Dural headbadge missing
Crankset lettering – Louis Verot chainring with 46 teeth, bottom bracket connector bolt
Rear drop out with SN 16822
Beautiful lug design which includes cable routing braze-ons
Ideale Leather Saddle, Model 80
Alloy porteur bars, CLB Guidonnet levers, Sufficit grips, Luxor headlamp, Dural Azur stem
Luxor 65 headlamp
Samir Saminox 700c steel rims
Bottom bracket lug, joined below with bolts
Hammered Le Martele Lefol fenders, hammered rear lamp.
Steel fork with lugged chrome fork crown, amateur paint job, Stronglight headset
The bike has a number of issues which will affect the restoration process. The steel fork was horrifically spray painted gray – so the paint will need to be removed. Upon closer examination, I have concluded that the wheels are not original to the frame. There is a 1975 date code on the Atom hub, and not only that, their diameter suggests that this bike was built for 650b wheels and not 700c – the fork crown and rear brake bridge daruma bolts foul the 700c tires. Clearly the bike was built for 650b wheels, which I confirmed after measuring the CLB 700 brake reach. And, some features are missing – the fenders show that the bike originally had a rear and front rack, and the fork mount dynamo is absent, as well as the original chain guard.
Even so, I am looking forward to restoring this machine and to its first test ride, as I want to experience the feel of the aluminum frame and steel lugs, and to judge the frame stiffness for myself. Stay tuned!