This custom bicycle workshop specialises in bespoke steel-frame bicycles handcrafted by David Mercer.
Born in Cape Town, Mercer pursued a career as a veterinarian before committing full-time to framebuilding, with his workshop now housed at The Bijou. Mercer began building frames in his spare time, creating his first nine frames before attending the 2014 Bespoked Bike Show in the UK. Since 2015, the workshop has produced over 180 frames, comprising 120 fully custom designs and 60 semi-stock signature models.
The workshop offers fully custom bicycles tailored to individual riders, with consultations covering geometry, fit, component selection, and paint finishes. Signature models include The Hungry Monkey, a 650B trail mountain bike with 140-160mm travel fork fillet brazed from Columbus Nivachrome tubing with sliding dropouts, and the Grubby Grivet, a gravel frame fillet brazed from Columbus Zona tubing with clearance for 40c tyres. Custom builds range from touring bikes with S&S couplers to road racers and gravel bikes. Mercer primarily uses Columbus Life tubing for road frames and other Columbus tubesets for different applications.
The workshop provides classic bicycle frame repairs, with all repairs custom-made and done by hand. Additionally, one-on-one framebuilding courses are offered where participants learn the art of silver soldering and build their own steel-frame bicycle under Mercer's guidance. The workshop also creates custom racks and bicycle-adjacent accessories.
Mercer Bikes has gained recognition through various cycling publications and events, with frames regularly appearing at races such as the Karoobaix and Enduro Western Cape events.
Visits are by appointment only.