Mercier was once one of the largest French cycling brands and until 1984 also a fixed value in the world of professional cycling. One name that is inextricably linked to the brand is that of the eternal second Raymond Poulidor, who rode a Mercier bicycle throughout his career.
Raymond Poulidor on his Mercier
But not only Poulidor rode for Mercier, also other well-known names such as Antonin Magne (first as a rider and then as a sports director), Rik Van Steenbergen, Marcel Kint, Raymond Impanis, Fred De Bruyne, Joop Zoetemelk, Sean Kelly and Cyrille Guimard
The founding of Mercier
Mercier was founded in 1919 by Emile Mercier, together with his brothers Marcel and Constant. Initially they produced parts for pedals, but Emile soon bought out his brothers and started producing bicycle frames. By 1930 the activity had expanded to full production of bicycles.
The former Mercier factory
In order to boost sales, the first Mercier team was formed in 1933, in collaboration with Francis Pélissier and the tire manufacturer Hutchinson. Mercier was even the main sponsor from 1935 to 1969 and co-sponsor until its end in 1984.
Below are some of the teams Mercier sponsored:
- Mercier – Hutchinson: from 1935 to 1953
- Mercier – BP – Hutchinson: from 1954 to 1969
- Fagor – Mercier: 1970 and 1971
- Gan – Mercier: from 1972 to 1976
- Miko – Mercier – Hutchinson: 1977 and 1978
All teams that rode a Mercier bike can be found on the following link > Mercier teams
Numerous successes were achieved under Mercier's sponsorship. The first major victory was the Tour victory in 1937 by Roger Lapébie, in 1955 this was repeated by Louison Bobet.
The iconic Purple shirt
Most associate Mercier with the purple color that was used in the jerseys and frames from 1946. The yellow collar and sleeves were added in 1950.
Recently, in 2021, 2 years after the death of Raymond Poulidor, his grandson Mathieu van der Poel paid tribute to this exceptional cyclist. For his 1st participation in the Tour de France in which his grandfather shone so many times, the Alpecin Fenix team wore a modern version of the mythical jersey.
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The sponsorship and success of Raymond Poulidor, among others, ensured that Mercier bicycle sales reached a peak in the 1970s with sales of no fewer than 150,000 bicycles in 1975.
Since the 1980s, the rise of Asian countries has become unstoppable and, as with other well-known historic bicycle brands, sales collapsed, with the sad result that Mercier filed for bankruptcy in 1985. Immediately the end of a glorious period.
The return of Mercier
Good news for fans of the historic brand, because since 2019 Mercier has been in the hands of a Luxembourg holding that is once again launching Mercier bicycles. The series Raymond Poulidor and Joop Zoetemelk, among others, are released.
Below are some more photos of steel Mercier racing bikes
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