Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Any ideas on this Puch?
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ontologik
01-22-09, 08:13 PM
After spending almost 2 hours trying to do my own research looking on google, and the archives of Puch catalogs I found through bikeforums I give up. Can anyone tell me about this Puch? The seller can't seem to tell me if it has a model name or not, it has shimano and suntour components, I'm waiting to find out if the wheels are steel or whatnot. These bad photos and that information is all I have. I don't think it's worth $175, but if there is any quality there I might try to buy it.
As you know, there is a very wide range in components, and those pictures are really crappy as far as making out any details. And there is not a large Puch following.
On the plus side, it has a cotterless crankset and no suicide levers, two good signs that it is not one of the very bottom end boomer bikes.
I know very little if anything about Puch, I have always considered them boomer bikes (low end).
To me, either the seller provides more info, or maybe he lives close and you take a look at it. The good news with his/her presentation, I don't think he is going to get a lot of interest. So if you like it in person, you could probably make a deal on it.
Thats a pretty big frame by the way.
JunkYardBike
01-22-09, 09:42 PM
Agreed, it's difficult to make anything out on those photos. However, I do think I see a Reynolds 531 decal on the fork, which would make this entire frameset (tubes, stays and forks) Reynolds 531. If that's the case, it's a very nice riding frame, and would be one of the high end Puch offerings.
I think I see clamp on housing clamps, and that crankset could be an early Dura Ace. So, it's likely a mid to late 70's high end model.
True, Puch doesn't command the same price as a contemporary Paramount or Italian steed would, but I think if there aren't any major problems with it (frame damage, extensive rust) it's probably worth near the asking price.
As I believe Puch was produced by the same parent company as Austro Daimler, you can compare the two. Here's a page from Mark Bulgier's catalog scans of a '76 Vent Noir:
http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/AustroDaimler/76/Vent%20Noir.jpg
Here is an '81 Puch catalog, but I believe the bike in question is probably older:
http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/PuchMistral-81(in_German)/