Originally Posted by
bertinjim
Murray Missile-
They are very nice bikes. Very quick, agile handling with quite good workmanship and that lovely, pearlescent white paint. The Ideale 2002 plastic saddle is an instrument of torture and should be immediately be sold to some naive bike restorer. Could be all English threaded but it's right in the transition period so check everything for French threads just to be safe.
Been there ... done that / almost.
For what it's worth, here are my observations regarding my 1980 PKN-10:
1) BB threading is Swiss;
2) ride quality is superb;
3) craftsmanship is sub-par, compared with my same-vintage Bianchi, with braze splatter, a rear dropout brazing void, and paint that has not withstood the test of time;
4) versatile frame geometry easily accommodates 32mm tires
5) these frames run a bit long in the top tube, which was the main reason I gave mine to my son (it is 2cm too tall for me, but the "extra" 2cm of top tube length was a greater concern);
Erik and Henry waiting for their dad to give them a ride. My son is grateful for my triple chainring conversion, which provides a 35 gear-inch low.
6) bottom line: a PXN-10 of that vintage would be a delight, assuming it is in good shape and your size