General Cycling Discussion - Need Advice...

Hey all,

Currently I commute on an old Roadmaster (duck the tomatoes!) that I've had since 94'. I just saw a kid on an older Motobecame (sp?) Nomad... Off the cuff, I offerd him $50 for it. He agreed, and on payday I'll pick it up.

Did I make a half decent deal? I realy know nothing about MotoBecame's... A sticker said Made in France... (:( ....


I did some esearch, and its supposed to be a light touring bike...

TIA

Billy

Without knowing the condition of the bike, it's hard to say. However, $50 isn't a lot of cash, so unless the thing is ready to fall apart, you're probably doing well.

So you met a strange kid and offered to pay $50 for his bike and he accepted? My advice - make an attempt to find out if the bike is stolen before you pay him, and meet him in a very public place when you exchange cash for the bike. Also, get something from him (a receipt or equivalent) where he acknowledges the sale so he doesn't turn around and claim you stole it from him.

I'll write up a bill of sale, and fill in the serial#... One of his friends was riding it... I bet its his dad's old bike... (Have to make sure the old man will OK the sale)...

It looked to be in good shape.. Heck, with one of the kids riding it says alot I think...

Thanks

Billy

If it's in good shape and it fits you, it could be a great deal. Or it could be a slow descent into French bike madness....

What do I need to look at when I inspect the bike? I'm A Diesel Mechanic by trade, so I know how to inspect things... Anything in particualr to look at?

How hard is it going to be to get parts for this thing? Doing some net research has informed me that it uses "French Threads" and parts might be hard to come by..... If I cant fix it, I dont want it....

Heck, It being french is strike one..:P

Billy

Look carefully for crash damage: are the tubes straight? any buckles or bubbling in the paint where it might have been bent back? any cracks, particularly near the lugs? (I'm assuming it's a lugged frame).

Let's see, what else? All the things that turn: the headset, the bottom bracket, the hubs. Any roughness or play?

That should cover a good deal of it I think.

Thanks!