Just bought 20 year old bike looking for advice

marathont

Hi I just bought this bike on impulse.

It looks to be in fairly good condition. I was just going to check everything is tight and put some oil on it. Or would I better off getting someone to properly service it. Would cables need to be replaced on something this old, they look okay. anything else I should watch out for.

Also do you think it was worth the €100 i paid for it, I mainly liked the look of it, but all the parts looked fairly good. It will be my first racer style bike.

kona

Bring it to a mechanic. Its 20 years old, I replace my cables every 6 months..... There are bits of the bike a mechanic will check that you havnt even heard of.

You will probably need new Tyres, Tubes, Chain, Cassette, Cables(both inner and outer) and maybe brake blocks.

Is it worth the 100 quid?? Going on your description, definatley not. It would want to be a seriously expensive frame for me to fork out e100 for something that old, If you want it in good condition dont expect much change out of e150.

marathont

Thanks. I wouldn't mind spending 150 on it, its a nice bike. might do a bit of research, see what I can do myself.

kona

You should be able to do most the work yourself, although it looks like a nice frame, Its not something I'd want to be learning on. There are alot of quirks with those old racers, main one being the threading on the BB, so many different types.

buzzingnoise

kona wrote: »

Bring it to a mechanic. Its 20 years old, I replace my cables every 6 months..... There are bits of the bike a mechanic will check that you havnt even heard of.

You will probably need new Tyres, Tubes, Chain, Cassette, Cables(both inner and outer) and maybe brake blocks.

Is it worth the 100 quid?? Going on your description, definatley not. It would want to be a seriously expensive frame for me to fork out e100 for something that old, If you want it in good condition dont expect much change out of e150.

Cut your losses now before you spend another €200 on a bike that's worth less than half that. Well maintained secondhand bikes are available and ultimately bettter value.

aidanbike

Ignore the cynics,
Looks nice, I think the frame must have been ok as it has Campagnolo dropouts.
The chainrings look good, but a new chain might not be a bad idea.
Also new tyres, as tyres/tubes of that age would be perished.
Shimano 600 looks ok and the rims look very interesting. Nice polished finish.
Check hubs for grease. Nice high flange hubs.
And change cables/brake blocks as needed.
Saddle might be an aquired taste but someone would want it.

Enjoy your new bike, Def worth a punt in my book.
Far more interesting than anything for €100 in a shop even if you have to spend a bit on it.
Some people do not seem to appreciate the character of older items but you don't need to please everyone in life. There is more to life than plastic frames from Taiwan LOL

gman2k

Hmm, I was at Humphreys in Finglas the other day, and one of the SH bikes outside was a Raleigh 531 framed, 105 groupset racer. I never even went in to ask the price! (It even had a Rolls saddle)

blorg

@marathont- that looks like a nice classic bike. If you decide it is not for you, let me know Specifically- the saddle.

The tax man

LOL I haven't even looked at the picture of the bike and then aidanbike said "Saddle might be an aquired taste but someone would want it" the first name that sprang to mind was Blorg,I scroll down some more....

blorg wrote: »

@marathont- that looks like a nice classic bike. If you decide it is not for you, let me know Specifically- the saddle.

edit: Brooks saddle, should have known. Could be a nice retro bike with a bit of work. Sticker on the fork blade has distinct Reynolds colours about it.

SubLuminal

Wait, what? How do you guys reckon 100 to fix it up? Assuming the bottom bracket is fine all I'd say to change is all cables and new tyres and new brake blocks and a new chain and a new cassette at the back. Not hard fixes no?

Cheap parts from chainreactioncycles.com (he's not entering the tour de france, just wants a nice classic working racer) - I reckon less than 30, prolly way less.

That said the teeth on the chainrings at the front look a little worn.

kona

SubLuminal wrote: »

Wait, what? How do you guys reckon 100 to fix it up? Assuming the bottom bracket is fine all I'd say to change is all cables and new tyres and new brake blocks and a new chain and a new cassette at the back. Not hard fixes no?

Cheap parts from chainreactioncycles.com (he's not entering the tour de france, just wants a nice classic working racer) - I reckon less than 30, prolly way less.

That said the teeth on the chainrings at the front look a little worn.

Inner and outer cables....€16
freewheel.......................€30
Chain............................€20
Brake blocks...................€15

Thats €81 in parts. Then add in Labour.

Where do you reckon you can get a chain, cassette, brake blocks and new inner and outer cables for under e30??? Because I want some!

kona

buzzingnoise wrote: »

Cut your losses now before you spend another €200 on a bike that's worth less than half that. Well maintained secondhand bikes are available and ultimately bettter value.

If the frame on the bike is any use, it would be well worth throwing e200 at it....