[CR]1971 Mercian conundrum

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2004)

To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:37:39 -0600
From: "Jason Moore" <jason_moore@fastmail.fm>
Subject: [CR]1971 Mercian conundrum

I have recently picked up a 1971 Mercian Campionissimo frame via ebay. Since I have drooled over Mercian frames for quite a while, I was quite excited to win this one, esp. since it appeared to be my size (63cm) and was quite the bargain, $60. As I waited for the frame to arrive, I verified the frame make and year with Mercian, and made plans to bring it back to it's former glory with a nice refinish and period correct parts.

The frame arrived in short order. I looked over the frame and everything was as advertised but something was amiss. I pulled out the trusty tape measure and all the measurements were correct except for one, the top tube. The listing said it was 62 ctc, but it was actually 58 ctc. I spoke to the seller and he offered a refund, but since I got such a great deal on the frame, it would hardly be worth the effort to box and reship it back.

I am 6'5" with long arms and a 58cm TT would be VERY cramped. I have seen quill stems as long as 15cm, but I worry that the handling would become very sketchy with that setup. So my conundrum is this, should I sell this frame to someone who it would fit better and would get better use from it, or go ahead with my restoration as originally planned? I would love to build this bike up and ride it, but I'm afraid it will be so far out of whack that I won't be comfortable riding it.

I'll take all the opinions I can get on this one. Any suggestion is
appreciated.
-- Jason Moore