Classic & Vintage - 60's Puch Bergmeister ~ valueable or junk?

Hi gang,

I have a 60's Puch Bergmeister in my garage and was curious to see if it has any value? I have not ridden a bike in years, this one was a man's, it has a much bigger frame. It is blue ~ the Puch plate on the front of the bike looks pretty cool. Some of the original paint has been chipped/scratches in certain spots, getting bumped into things etc. over the years. Frame is straight, but could use a tune-up/restoration/cleaning. I need to get my kiddo off to bed, but will be back in a little while ~ it's 10:24 here and way past her bedtime. Thanks for the help :) Reb

Well, I had to respond to this one!

I have a 1964 Bergmiester that's in almost brand-new condition except for the scratched paint (I have since stripped off all the blue paint and it's now shiny chrome). When I bought it on consignment at a pro bike shop they made it into a singlespeed, stripping off the, I guess, Simplex components but I have since made mine into a fixed gear. It had a cottered steel crank which I've since changed out to a square-tapered one.

The seat tube decal has the Steyr and Puch logos and says "100 years" in the middle slighly below that so I'm guessing it's a '64 model. I believe that was the year Steyr was incorporated (1864).

I doubt it's worth a ton of money since this was Puch's most basic "10-speed" (I believe mine started life as an 8-speed) model and it's somewhat heavy (mine's 24lbs as a fixed-gear), but it sure gets alot of oohs and aahs at the club rides, even from the racers!

Quality-wise, it sure looks well-made, not junk at all. All the bike geeks droll over mine! I think it's definitely worth getting it cleaned up and tuned up. I paid $100 for mine on a "blowout" just to get it out of the shop. Yours might easily be worth $200 of even more since it's all intact.

Having sold and serviced a few Bergmeisters at Bikecology, I concur with smurfy. Think of it as a better-crafted, nicer-finished Austrian answer to the classic Peugeot UO-8.

Hi Smurfy,

I was hoping YOU would see this one since I saw in one of the previous inquiries that you have a Puch Bergmeister :) Thanks so much!!!

I am far from a bike expert, your bike lingo is way better than mine :) ~ so I'll give you some info and hope the terms I use are correct ~

There is a sticker bicycle license from the city of Anaheim with 1962 on it, there is no Steyr name on it that I could find (It is dirty however but I think I would see that). The fixed metal plate on the front only says Puch Bergmeister. The other names on the other parts are listed below.

Chain gear system is marked: Huret (10 speed ~ Hi/Lo 5 gears)
Rims: Atom made in France 05 81
Brakes (front and back): Weinmann
Backpack Rack: Pletscher made in Switzerland
Top of Handle bars marked: AVA
Heavy: Yes, just a bit more than my 7 year olds newer Schwinn.

This was my favorite Uncle's bike, but I need room in my garage! I have a beach cruiser (yes, with a basket on the front ~ it's a very "cute" bike) that I have not used in about 3 years but now that our daughter knows how to ride a bike we decided maybe that we could start to bike at the beach every other weekend as a "family thing" to do. BUT five bikes in the garage is just a bit too many for a family of three. So, I was thinking of listing it on Ebay after I tried to clean up the chrome a bit ~ or would a consignment shop be better? I know..... much to any man's dismay a woman's way of cleaning the garage ~ but hey, at least I only "disassembled" his weight bench that had not been used in 8 years (he refused to sell it at our garage sale ~ so what's a girl to do?) I piled it nice and neat in one corner ~ his first workout will be putting it back together again......:)

It sounds like you did the right thing with your bike, I don't think the blue is a very flattering color and would look very sharp simply chrome. I thank you for your help and expertise :)

Your the best Smurfy :) Thanks Reb in California



Well, I had to respond to this one!

I have a 1964 Bergmiester that's in almost brand-new condition except for the scratched paint (I have since stripped off all the blue paint and it's now shiny chrome). When I bought it on consignment at a pro bike shop they made it into a singlespeed, stripping off the, I guess, Simplex components but I have since made mine into a fixed gear. It had a cottered steel crank which I've since changed out to a square-tapered one.

The seat tube decal has the Steyr and Puch logos and says "100 years" in the middle slighly below that so I'm guessing it's a '64 model. I believe that was the year Steyr was incorporated (1864).

I doubt it's worth a ton of money since this was Puch's most basic "10-speed" (I believe mine started life as an 8-speed) model and it's somewhat heavy (mine's 24lbs as a fixed-gear), but it sure gets alot of oohs and aahs at the club rides, even from the racers!

Quality-wise, it sure looks well-made, not junk at all. All the bike geeks droll over mine! I think it's definitely worth getting it cleaned up and tuned up. I paid $100 for mine on a "blowout" just to get it out of the shop. Yours might easily be worth $200 of even more since it's all intact.

Thanks John!

Is there a bike shop for a tune up you would recommend in Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach, CA ~ Encinita's is kind of a drive otherwise I'd have you do it for me. I have heard of Jak's or Jack's but have not researched it much. I did ride it this morning to see if it still rode well, and was surprised it rode very nicely ~ but for a 5'6" girl the bike just feels overwhelming (okay, not mention the fear girls have of falling on the bar when riding a man's bike) :) I am glad to hear good things about this bike ~ I was unsure if I should just donate it to the Goodwill/Salvation Army, sell it on Ebay or consign it at a bike shop. I'm not too familiar with consigning things, my best friend said it was a pain in the bum to consign her wedding dress, I know a wedding dress is different from a bike but I don't really have the spare time to lug it around to consignment shops to learn. So I'm leaning towards Ebay.

This is a really great website, I am glad I came across it last night ~ you all are really awesome AND much appreciated. I THANK YOU! I'll check back in later tonight ~ I have housework to catch up on :)
Having sold and serviced a few Bergmeisters at Bikecology, I concur with smurfy. Think of it as a better-crafted, nicer-finished Austrian answer to the classic Peugeot UO-8.

ReberReb,

Thanks for the kind words!

One thing I wanted to add about my bike but I forgot was I was told by the shop owner that it originally came with 27" tubular "sew up" tires and rims (I don't know if you're familiar with those). So they had a new wheelset built for it. I didn't even know that 27" sew-up tires were ever made, I thought they were all the slightly smaller 700 size. 700 wheels are too small for my Bergmiester since the brake shoes would never reach the rims!

It sounds like I was given the same model bike as yours to fix up or part out. It appears that the frame is chrome plated under the paint as was yours and I would like to do the all chrome thing, too. I am particularly curious as to how you were able to preserve the decals on the seat tube and fork blades. I am also intrigued by the rear brake cable housing that runs inside the top tube. When I pull on the housing from either end in an attempt to remove it, it feels like it is attached to some kind of spring mechanism inside the tube. I dared not pull too hard or (1) I might break something and (2) if I got it out I wasn't sure how I would run new housing in and out to replace it. Any information you have to offer regarding these issues, or any other Bergmeister idiosyncrasies you ran into, would be most appreciated.

A Puch Bergmeister was my first lightweight. It's hard for me to believe it, but it had to be over 45 years ago. Mine was copper plated and then sprayed with translucent red for a "candy Apple" effect. The rear brake cable was routed through the top tube. I had it outfitted with dual red anodized aluminum water bottles mounted on the handlebars. It came from John's Bicycles in Pasadena, CA.

I used to ride it the 40 miles to the beach (Huntington) and then ride it home the next day. You could get away with sleeping on the beach back in those days.

> Mine was copper plated...

Hmmmm. From the little place where I scratched away some paint, I thought the copper color was due to discoloration of the chrome from a primer coat, but now that I look at it again, it does look like copper. That might be interesting. Strip off all the paint, let the frame oxidize, and it will eventually be the color of a Bianchi!

PICTURES!!! i wanna see :B

It's hard for me to believe it, but it had to be over 45 years ago.

Damn, Dave -- you're two days older than dirt! :roflmao:

Steyr-Daimler-Puch's most basic was the Clubman. It was comparable to a Varsity. I always felt very superior on my Bergmeister.

Thanks Mike. You made my day. :mad:

When I started getting junk mail from AARP I took it as license to make age jokes. ;)

I know a lot of bald jokes, too.

Anybody Know about a Bike built in Austria in the 60's? Looks like something from the "Sound of Music".heheh
It's a Puch "Elegance" still has the original tires "Made in Austria". I found it in a neighbours trash missing a pedal and two flat tires. I put in new tubes, tightened the spokes, replaced the pedals and polished the chrome and the bike is beautiful.

I can't seem to find out much about the bike. I have the serial # from the frame. It appears that the bike was used for many years and was eventually shipped to America from Europe because it has German regestration stickers on the fender. My Wife loves the bike but I want to restore every part possible. Could anyone help me with info about it and where to get parts for it?

PUCH "ELEGANCE"
Serial# 6166169
Approx 1968 as far as I can find out.


Thanks
Derek Power
Virginia
derekpower@cox.net

Thanks John!

Is there a bike shop for a tune up you would recommend in Fountain Valley or Huntington Beach, CA ~ ...

I lived in Huntington Harbour for the four years leading up to graduation from Marina High in 1968, but I'll bet my two favorite bike shops from those days are no longer in business. Perhaps someone with the Orange County Bicycle Coalition can direct you to a shop which knows something about older bicycles.

Austrian bikes are great. :)

Here's mine:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WURbukmpLkj_SfwV8XMskGPoMoy_tFZK2hSR0Q9cdpE?feat=directlink

Bought it off Craigslist fully restored. Wanted to know if it was worth anything, too.