I am thinking of buying a Mercier Areo Road Bike. Has anyone heard of it?
Mercier is one of a few companies, like Motobecane, who used to make top quality bikes, then went out of business. In the last few years, an importer of Taiwanese catalog bikes bought these names, like Mercier, and 'ressurected' the brands. These bikes are basically Taiwain Bike Guide specials with the Mercier (or Motobecane, or another name) put on them. Are they terrible bicycles? No. They are middle of the road, and depending on what you pay, and what the specs are, you may end up with a deal. However, be aware, that even though the bike's label says 'Mercier', and technically it is a 'Mercier', there is no linkage to the designs or quality of the company that was founded in 1921 and went by the name Mercier. Usually these bikes are sold at website like
bike-direct, that are just a front for the Taiwanese importer. Just as an aside, there is nothing wrong with Taiwain bikes, in fact a huge portion of bikes are made there,and many are top quality, just these Mercier/Motobecane guys are a bit shady in my book. What they do is deceptive. I would saay you are better off buying a bike at your local shop. Trust me, if you show up at your local shop with an internet bike, you will pay through the nose and out somewhere-else for repairs, because they'll see the brand and know you didn't get it at a shop. |
