Customers of Mercian Cycles raised concerns about the manufacturer’s service, several accounts of issues with orders or dealings with the joint venture in the months before it went into liquidation.
Last week, we reported the news that the 78-year-old Derby-based bike maker had ceased trading, an agency appointed to help with the process after Mercian went into voluntary liquidation.
A source confirmed to road.cc that all employees were fired on May 3, while the company’s directors allegedly “just crawled under a rock and let everything happen, there was nothing controlled about closing it down.”
“Yes, it is sad that they have closed their doors, but a business like Mercian needed work to make it work and the current directors were hardly present,” the source said. “This had a detrimental effect on quality, resulting in some bad reviews and expensive returns and reworks. The current directors treated the company as a cash cow and did not move with the times.”
We reached out to Mercia for comment but received no response, numerous online comments and social media posts highlighting customer issues with products and services in recent years.
One review suggests the “total disaster” rebuild took twice as long as expected, with the customer reporting problems with the paint when it arrived.
“Never once was I given a straight answer about completion dates. I called them a total of 24 times throughout the process and it got to the point where I was just dreading hearing the ‘I couldn’t care less’ attitude of the Two Gentlemen with who I spoke to at the office kept telling me it would be next week please call us then and every time I called they gave me another excuse,” the customer said.
“On a positive note, the rebuild was excellent. Just a shame that for the ridiculously high price I was charged, the overall experience was so poor. If you’re looking to rebuild your bike, I’d suggest going elsewhere. If If I would do it again knowing what I know now, I probably would have gone somewhere else.”
Another customer who wrote their review earlier in the year said they “can’t put into words how dysfunctional, poorly managed and not customer focused this company is”.
“I ordered their most expensive custom set, a Pro Lugless44, and I was very specific in what I wanted it to do. It finally arrived after a two-year wait, but it couldn’t actually go through because they had built the frame wrong. then had to send repeated requests for a refund when i finally got the refund they refused to compensate me for either the ‘loss and inconvenience’ or the money i had to pay my local shop to build and then dismantle the bike. to return the frameset.
“I can’t count how many times throughout the process I’ve emailed or made phone calls asking for updates that just haven’t been answered. When I did get a response, there was no apology, no remorse, just lame excuse after lame excuse. The framework needed to repaint you once because I painted it the wrong colors, despite being sent a graphic design, I was expected to pay for a second set of custom transfers when they put one upside down.
“Overall, having wanted a custom Mercian for the past 40 years, I now regret wasting two years of my life waiting for a product and ‘custom build experience’ that was completely lacking. I would I urge anyone looking to buy a custom bike to take their hard earned money and go to a company that actually cares about their product, their customer base and their professional reputation.
Other reviews cite problems with workshop service and products purchased online that apparently never arrived.
The source we spoke to also said that due to the company’s sudden cessation of trading, “there are some frames in the workshop for repair” and “to my knowledge, no owners had been contacted prior to the closure to come and collect them those. “.
A post on the Mercian Cycles Facebook group explained how one owner, who has now returned his bike, had taken it in for a re-spray but had heard nothing since the company went into liquidation.
Another commenter said: “My wife bought me a £600 restoration voucher for my 50th birthday. We excitedly booked an appointment to drop off my frame on the 19th May. We turned out and were very sad to find a Mercian building closed and we have not been able to contact anyone for a refund.
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Since last week’s news, there have of course also been many tributes and messages recounting positive memories and experiences with Mercian bikes. Opus Business Advisory Group, hired to assist in the process, “is working closely with the company to help manage a controlled business windfall and a smooth transition for stakeholders.”
The company was founded in 1946 by Lou Barker and Tom Crowther, highly regarded steel framers who won acclaim as the work of one of Britain’s most skilled manufacturers.
The company was well known for its great looks and wheels, and for the rather eccentric and unique barber pole paintwork on the seat tubes. Over the years Mercian Cycles had sponsored many professional teams and riders; not only in the UK, but also in America, where the brand had quite a cult following. Its frames were often custom-built, sometimes using hand-cut lugs, and were traditionally constructed using steel, initially Reynolds 531, although as of 2010, newer steels such as Reynolds 853 and Reynolds 953 and carbon part construction were in use.
In 1984, the Mercian store moved to larger premises in Shardlow Road, Alvaston, where it continued to operate until 2019, before moving back to its manufacturing facility within Derby.
From the original founders, the business was passed down to Ethel Crowther, ex-wife of founder Tom Crowther. It then passed to Mercian frame builder Bill Betton. In 2002, Mercian Cycles was bought by Grant Mosely and Jane Mosely.
Other notable people who have owned a Mercian include film star Ewan McGregor, who had a hand-built frame a few years ago, as well as famous British clothing and accessories designer Sir Paul Smith, who owns and drives some Mercian bikes. The brand had also recently commissioned several frame color schemes from the unique and eccentric designer.
