thenewguy1993

I am university student and soon to be newbie cyclist looking for an inexpensive used bike that can take me on a 10 day 1000 km bike trip.

1976/77 Puch Marco Polo in near mint condition.

Reynolds 531 tubing. 2x5 speed with Suntour (Cyclone) components. I haggled with the seller till $225 which he says is his floor (he does not want trades). May be able to get $215 but I am not holding my breath.







So, Deal or no Deal?

KonAaron Snake 

A 531 frame with cyclone and a rack? That's a flip worthy buy.

straykat71

Take the deal

Poguemahone

Buy.

thinktubes 

Fair price and should suit your need. Don't see any point in chistling for 10 bucks.

FastJake

That's a score at $225. Do it, and don't wait.

jyl

Your next post better show that bike in your hands!

Stealthammer

Very nice find and it is a beautiful bike! I echo everyone else and say jump on it. Good luck on you road trip and have fun!

prathmann

I agree that it looks like a nice bike and a reasonable price. But I do have one caveat concerning its suitability for your planned trip. If this is a loaded (i.e. carry your own camping and other supplies) tour involving some hilly terrain then you may want some lower gearing than the bike has now. The rear freewheel has a rather narrow range of cog sizes - good for racing and rides in flat areas but not so good for mountains, esp. if heavily loaded. And the Cyclone rear derailleur has a short cage to match that narrow range freewheel.

So to get lower gears would require changing out the freewheel, replacing the current rear derailleur with one that has a longer cage, and probably replacing the chain since the current one may be too short once the first two changes are made. Might cost about $50 for the parts if bought new or less if you can find some at a bike coop or swap meet and not too hard to install.

lostarchitect 

I'd buy it at that price. For sure.

I'd then get rid of the saddle and do something like a Brooks B-17.

thenewguy1993

Alright so I bought the bike after consulting some kind aficionados (yourselves). I have ridden it a bit.

I am now considering selling it and buying an easier to use and more recent model road/touring bike.

What would be a competitive resale price for a bike such as this (it also comes with a bike computer (in need of new batteries) and and mini pump that can attractively be attached to the bike)?

Also, if I don't sell it, how do I use the gear changing mechanism on a bike such as this?

know1

It has downtube shifters. The right one controls your rear gears and the left one your front. Pulling back puts you in lower (easier to pedal) gears and pushing forward puts you in higher (harder to pedal, faster) gears (on the rear, this is reversed on the front). It's easier than it sounds and mechanically these are the most simple shifters. These should be friction shifters which means instead of clicking to the next gear you are moving the rear derailer (gear changer) with every slight movement of the shifter. I wouldn't recommend giving up on this very nice looking bike just because you are not accustomed to the shifters after such a short time. With a little experience you should be able to use them very easily. Are STI shifters (shifters incorporated into the brakes) more convenient? Yes, but they are also harder to service, more expensive, and if you aren't careful/experienced buying used STI shifting bikes on a budget will have a higher likelihood of problems. IMO downtube shifters are a great way to get into cycling as they really teach you to respect each gear. I love mine.

wrk101

If you want modern integrated shifters, your budget is going to need to grow quite a bit. Give it some time first. Google friction shifting, there is endless info out there on it.

Shouldn't take more than 15 minutes of reading, and a ride or two, and you will have it mastered. My keeper fleet includes one bike with friction DT shifting, one bike with friction bar end shifters, one bike with indexed bar end shifters, and several bikes with STI integrated levers. Its really not a problem switching between bikes with such different technology. OK, if I was racing, I would need to dial in on one style.

Used STI shifters can be sketchy condition wise and are quite expensive to replace.

Chicago Al 

It's worth maybe $50.









KIDDING.



If you were so drawn to it, on looks I assume, you ought to give it a chance in actual, you know, RIDING. Bikes like this are simplicity itself when set up right, and I doubt a 'more modern' bike is going to gain you anything at all. Your bike may need some work and adjustment, in fact likely so if it's been neglected, but that work is not exactly rocket science. Not usually.

Actually it looks pretty clean and if you have bought it from someone more-or-less like 'one of us' on this forum, it will have been gone over and gotten into pretty good condition. Even some old bikes that come out of 25 years of garage storage are 90+ % ready to go.

Shifting? The shift lever on the left controls the chainrings, which the pedals are attached to. Big chainring: more pedaling effort per revolution but more power. Small chainring: less power but easier to pedal, for example if you are going uphill. The shift lever on the R controls the cogs in the freewheel. This is the opposite of the chainrings: smaller cog=more power and speed. Note that the position for max power and speed is R lever forward (small cog) but left lever back (big chainring). (There is at least one Suntour setup that is not this way, but I don't think that's what you have.) If you really have to climb, you want the small chainring and big cog...and if where you live that is not adequate, it's certainly possible to change things out, first with a freewheel that would have a larger max cog.

It should not take you long to get the hang of shifting. The main thing to watch out for, before going for a serious ride, is misadjustment of the derailleurs which could lead to the chain being thrown off the chainrings or freewheel. Your bike may well be set up just fine in this but best to be sure. Both front and rear derailleurs have 'limit stop' screws to make this exact adjustment. Even without special tools you should be able to see if these are set correctly, by propping up the bike so the rear wheel is in the air, then rotating the pedals and running through the gears. All of them should work okay, but the combination of big chainring and biggest cog may not work so well, which is okay as that's not one you are likely to need (that same 'gear' is available with the small chainring and a smaller cog). You just want to make sure the chain doesn't jam, in case you shift into this by mistake. Likewise the small chainring and small cog is not ideal, because the chain is at its most extreme angle, though this won't stress the chain like big/big.

Note that the derailleurs may have to drag the chain slightly past a straight line with the cog or chainring in order to get it to move there. Moving the lever back oh-so-slightly after a shift is called 'trimming' it, and you learn to do that by feel and sound...if the chain is ticking a bit after the shift.

But you can find out a whole lot more about shifting and everything else bicycle on sites like that of the late, beloved Sheldon Brown. And there were lots of really helpful books published during the Bike Boom of the 70s-80s, like Eugene Sloan's 'Complete Book of Bicycling,' which are perfect for those of us with vintage bikes, and are available used for a song.