If its in good shape in your price range and you like it.
Two wheels are better than no wheels. I’m a fan of friction shifters lately so bonus points
SurlyDave on
This is a relatively cheap mass-market bike from the mid-70s.
It has a reasonable quality steel frame and mostly alloy parts, so barring terrible wear or corrosion I can’t see, it’s going to be a cheap and reliable form of transport. It looks like it has been used lightly and stored out of the weather: the chain, bar tape and tyres look to be in pretty decent condition although the tyres in partciular are worth a close look. It doesn’t appear to have obvious crash damage. It is hard to tell if the rims are steel or alloy, but old steel-rimmed bikes with rim brakes are a beast to stop in the wet. The extension levers under the bar tops offer only moderate braking assistance.
This is not a rare bike in any real sense other than that you don’t see a lot of them because they’re 40 years old. It’s not collectable or a museum piece.
I am not sure what currency the price is in, or what the market for secondhand bikes is like in your country, but $AUD/CAD/USD140 would seem a little steep. Unless it has been recently serviced and the tyres are new, I would suggest around the $100 mark and pay for your LBS to give it a post-purchase checkup and service.
sargassumcrab on
For your purposes you can get something much nicer, more comfortable, and more practical. It’s in very good shape, but it will still need a lot of work and upkeep.
For practical use I wouldn’t go any earlier than late ’80s. Even at that you’re still talking about a bike that’s almost 40 years old. You can definitely ride an old bike, but you need to be handy. Older bikes are mostly easier to work on, and more bombproof, but you still have to do it. You might run into things like the seatpost won’t move, or the grease in the hubs is dried out or gone, things like that.
A lot of bikes from the ’70s have 27″ wheels (not 700c wheels), so you may have a hard time finding tires. You will need to replace the cable housings.
MrPhillipLewin on
No
BiNumber3 on
One thing to keep in mind is the wheels.
I ride a lot of vintage, and the wheels are the things I worry most about on old frames.
Many of em, especially the cheaper mass produced stuff, came with steel rims. Heavy, very bad braking performance (especially if wet).
These wheels were usually 27″ wheels, as opposed to the 700c wheels that became the standard. This leads to other issues.
You can replace the steel rims with alloy rims, which are better but can be hard to find quality ones. I’ve bought some no name ones off ebay which worked well enough, brand new, but heavier than the vintage alloy rims.
Other option is to convert to 700c, which might require replacing the brakes for ones with long enough reach to work with the 700c.
Unless you really like the frame style, Id recommend finding something more modern, especially at that price point. Around here, I can find bikes like what you’ve posted for $20-$50 usd.
lovelyloner11 on
Honestly, it doesn’t even look nice. And the tires look worn to me.
6 Comments
If its in good shape in your price range and you like it.
Two wheels are better than no wheels. I’m a fan of friction shifters lately so bonus points
This is a relatively cheap mass-market bike from the mid-70s.
It has a reasonable quality steel frame and mostly alloy parts, so barring terrible wear or corrosion I can’t see, it’s going to be a cheap and reliable form of transport. It looks like it has been used lightly and stored out of the weather: the chain, bar tape and tyres look to be in pretty decent condition although the tyres in partciular are worth a close look. It doesn’t appear to have obvious crash damage. It is hard to tell if the rims are steel or alloy, but old steel-rimmed bikes with rim brakes are a beast to stop in the wet. The extension levers under the bar tops offer only moderate braking assistance.
This is not a rare bike in any real sense other than that you don’t see a lot of them because they’re 40 years old. It’s not collectable or a museum piece.
I am not sure what currency the price is in, or what the market for secondhand bikes is like in your country, but $AUD/CAD/USD140 would seem a little steep. Unless it has been recently serviced and the tyres are new, I would suggest around the $100 mark and pay for your LBS to give it a post-purchase checkup and service.
For your purposes you can get something much nicer, more comfortable, and more practical. It’s in very good shape, but it will still need a lot of work and upkeep.
For practical use I wouldn’t go any earlier than late ’80s. Even at that you’re still talking about a bike that’s almost 40 years old. You can definitely ride an old bike, but you need to be handy. Older bikes are mostly easier to work on, and more bombproof, but you still have to do it. You might run into things like the seatpost won’t move, or the grease in the hubs is dried out or gone, things like that.
A lot of bikes from the ’70s have 27″ wheels (not 700c wheels), so you may have a hard time finding tires. You will need to replace the cable housings.
No
One thing to keep in mind is the wheels.
I ride a lot of vintage, and the wheels are the things I worry most about on old frames.
Many of em, especially the cheaper mass produced stuff, came with steel rims. Heavy, very bad braking performance (especially if wet).
These wheels were usually 27″ wheels, as opposed to the 700c wheels that became the standard. This leads to other issues.
You can replace the steel rims with alloy rims, which are better but can be hard to find quality ones. I’ve bought some no name ones off ebay which worked well enough, brand new, but heavier than the vintage alloy rims.
Other option is to convert to 700c, which might require replacing the brakes for ones with long enough reach to work with the 700c.
Unless you really like the frame style, Id recommend finding something more modern, especially at that price point. Around here, I can find bikes like what you’ve posted for $20-$50 usd.
Honestly, it doesn’t even look nice. And the tires look worn to me.