Brand
Tom Crowther and Lou Barker started Mercian in Derby in 1946, a cycle shop on London Road with a small framebuilding workshop, named after the old kingdom of Mercia. The business passed to Ethel Crowther and then to framebuilder Bill Betton, and Grant and Jane Mosely bought it in 2002. Mercian built frames one at a time to the buyer's size, so no two are quite alike. The models that matter are the King of Mercia, in racing and touring versions with heart-cutout lugs, the Vincitore with hand-cut lugs, the Superlight, the Professional and the 753 Special. Marianne Martin, who won the first Tour de France Féminine in 1984, rode Mercians on the US Harvest-Mercian team. Mercian keeps frame records from 1971, so ask for the frame number. The company went into voluntary liquidation in May 2024 and was bought soon after by a group of enthusiasts.
2 models we cover.
Mercian
Reynolds 531$2,380–$4,900 typical ask
4 on eBay
Mercian
Reynolds 531$300–$1,280 typical ask
2 on eBay