rgver

I've been looking for a reasonable bike over the last couple of months, went to a yard sale yesterday and picked up a Puch Pathfinder in ok shape will need to be gone through, cables, tires, grease and everything else but $5 so I took a shot. Unsure of year and no pics as yet.

Today went to our local flea market and found this Motobecane Grand Touring, I so wasn't expecting to buy a bike and went in my old BMW vert with wife and kids. The bike has a nice layer of gunk and misc poo on it, but at $20 with newer tires on it I couldn't leave it. In my prediciment I used the attached pump and inflated the tires, crossed my fingers and rode it the 12 miles home. It rides very nicely, well as far as I can tell, I haven't ridden that far for over 20 years, so it really if I would hold up and not the bike.

Anyway to my original point, which would be the keeper and which would be the sell on and how much for each after a service etc.
The Puch is a hi tensile frame, suntour equipped the rd being a V GT (pics to come)

The Motobecane Grand Touring, unsure of year, Vitus sticker I assume is the frame tubing? again suntour equipped rd is V GT Luxe, front is SL, weimann 610 center pull brakes. Has a weird one piece bar wrap and brake hood and original Motobecane seat under the gel cover

I am confident I can do the all work myself, with this in mind....

Are these two bikes even worth doing?

Should I keep looking for a better bike?


Pics of Motobecane are in the unpoo'd state it came home in

wrk101

Puch sounds like the typical donor bike, decent components on a bottom end frame. I use bikes like that Puch to replenish my parts stash: Vx are good derailleurs (considered one of the best models of that era, not value, but very functional), may have decent bars (maybe not, may be steel), stem, alloy wheels (maybe), etc. The only high ten steel bikes that I can get a decent return on are mixte style, I'm working on one right now. Otherwise, even if I get the bike for free, it is at best breakeven on parts (and nothing for my time).

I stripped a very similar Puch, wheels went onto a Raleigh I sold, derailleurs went on a second bike, bottom bracket went onto a third project, brake calipers in the bin, any/all cable clamps go into the bin, and finally I sold the frameset cheap, but for more than enough that it covered the price of the bike. I love" free" parts. Any steel parts go straight to the co-op: handlebars, seat post, etc. At least half the time, I'll donate the frameset to the co-op as well.

Go through the potential usable parts on a donor: HS, stem, BB, wheels, bars, brake levers, calipers, clamps, bottle cages, saddle, pedals, freewheel (sometimes), QR levers (sometimes), derailleurs, shift levers, crankset, tubes, tires (rarely), etc. I you like working on bikes, there's a lot of value in this list.

The Motobecane is a nice bike, late 1970s, well worth your time and effort. Don't be surprised that it might have a Swiss bb (Motobecane loved them). Not anything difficult, just surprising if you are expecting french.

As far as looking for a better bike, you are talking to the wrong guy. I am ALWAYS looking for the next good bike. The search never ends.

Got some cross chaining going on in that pic.

oddjob2

Keep the Moto, it is a sought after vintage ride.

I don't know how a Puch Pathfinder ranks to a Meteor Luxe, but I reconditioned a very clean one and got $175 for it two years ago in Ann Arbor.

rgver

Thanks for the replies, I rode the Moto again last night and really like it, it may even stay

Bianchigirll 

It sounds to me like the Moto, great looking bike btw, is the better of the two but it looks big. Have you checked and adjusted the seat height?

rgver

As much as I didn't want it to be, the motobecane is a little big, I need an inch or so less standover height.

lostarchitect 

Is it comfortable when you ride it? That's much more important.

wrk101

+1 Too big based on what? I ignore standover myself. I have really short legs, long arm and torso. Typically, my preferred bike will have zero to negative standover. Most consider top tube length a much more important criteria.

Now if the top tube is too long for you, clean it up, sell it, and use the profits to fund the bike of your dreams, in your size. I've done that a lot. Bikes that do not fit fund the bikes I keep that do fit.

rgver

It is, but if I forget the issues I give myself an extra set of tonsils at red lights (I just do the 2 miles to work and back).

rgver

I to am short of leg, it is a nice bike to ride, though I measured it at 63cm from center of bb to top of seat tube. The guy at the flea market said hes going to have 6 older road bikes this week so hopefully there will be something there and if they are cheap enough I'll be the owner of 6 new to me bikes. I better start selling

wrk101

Yep, this is how it starts. Once I figured out how to find bikes, I now find them faster than I can refurbish them and resell them. So the backlog keeps growing. Picked up three in the last week, and was supposed to see #4 today.

One side benefit of multiple bikes is you should be able to really dial in your preferred size.

rgver

Sold the Moto today for $250. Thanks for the input and advice, stay tuned for what the guy has at the flea market tomorrow.