I’m new to learning about vintage bicycles. I found this Puch Mistral Criterium at Goodwill almost 10 years ago. I rode it regularly for a few years, but it’s been collecting dust lately. Is it worth putting work into?
by FloridaGardenHoe
I’m new to learning about vintage bicycles. I found this Puch Mistral Criterium at Goodwill almost 10 years ago. I rode it regularly for a few years, but it’s been collecting dust lately. Is it worth putting work into?
by FloridaGardenHoe
4 Comments
Only one thing matters here- do find the bike comfortable? Do you like it? Then yes it’s worth it. If not donate it. As far as “work” I’d maybe get a new saddle – new cables – new tires and a cleaning
Yeah it is, forged dropouts, decent quality frame, brakes are mismatched but it was a decent sport touring bike in it’s day. Looks like the last days of freewheels before cassettes/freehubs became pretty standard. It’s from 1988.
The question is what you consider “worth”. You will probably not be able to put time and money into your bike and sell it for a big monetary profit.
However, the fun in restoring vintage bikes is the restoration itself. You learn about the bikes history and the components and while taking them apart you learn how they work. Once you are done the bike is truly yours.
I always consider the dust collectors in terms of space – what else would I put there, if I’m not riding it what else would I put there? It helps you decide if you want to hang on to it, put work in to it or live it on.