I already have a great road bike for real riding but have been looking to get a get a “cool” vintage bike for commuting?
Might have some fixing (seat, tires, and tape seem to have rotted) but the seller claims the brakes and shifting works alright.
Should I bite the bullet?
by DankDeanoo
2 Comments
Certainly not worth any more than that I’d say. Some people do worry about old aluminium bikes, with fatigue. But if there’s no obvious issues then you could ride it for a bit, sure. Standard caveats apply about checking the sizing. This was set up with Tri bars so may be a bit odd, you don’t really want to use them for commuting lol.
It’s so-so. The parts are OK, mid-level, basically Suntour’s version of Shimano 105. I’ve heard that Suntour’s indexing at that point in time used all proprietary freewheel spacing, different pull ratios, chain, and maybe even cable housing? I’ve not bothered to look into it too much but basically with all stock drivetrain parts it’s fine, but if you need to change parts out the indexing may not work and you may have to friction shift.
The frame comes from a time when aluminum was still in its infancy; I think this may have actually used round aluminum tubes glued into aluminum lugs, rather than modern welding techniques. Usually the common complaints about aluminum frames of this period is that they were either too flexy and “noodley” or they were so unbearably stiff that it would rattle your teeth fillings out.
All in all this bike is decent, but if you can find a similar one made of butted, lugged chromoly steel, I’d rather have that. Weight between aluminum and steel were actually not much different, so ignore the “steel is heavy and aluminum is light” stereotypes. But if you particularly like the aesthetic of this, it should be decent, just be aware you’ll need to spend at least another $50, plus a basic tuneup, new rim strip and tubes, etc.