[H] First bicycle - Elvish
 

Hi,
I'm interested in buying a classical bicycle but I don't know much about the subject.
I made some research and i found an old Elvish:
The owner claims that it has:
Frame - Reynolds 531;
Crank - Stronglight;
Gears - Simplex;
Stem - Pivo;
Brakes - Mafac Racer;

Can someone tell me if it's a decent bicycle?
Thank you.

Yes, it's a good bike. Elvish made very good bikes in the south of France for a very long time. The bikes disappeared here as the Japanese got good at bike building during the early '80s and started to dominate the market.

This one appears to be in pretty good shape, with minimal rust and good/appropriate patina. Tubing is Reynolds 531, which has very good ride properties. You'll want to go over the frame very closely to ensure that there's no bending. front-end impacts, dents, etc.

Pricing will be key. The bike won't be a rip-off if priced under $500. Elvish wasn't spectacularly well-known or particularly collectible.

The bike is French, so normal French bike caveats apply - e.g. exact replacement parts are old/French/in dwindling supply. You will want to check the Simplex derailleurs to ensure they have no cracks in the Delrin. It'd also be best to check the Pivo stem for cracks, even though those stems weren't infamous for being "death stem" types (see - http://theheadbadge.blogspot.com/2012/08/death-stems-demystified-ava-and-atax.html).

Welcome to C&V! I'm sure someone else will know more than I but here is what I see. The only frame detail I can see is the lower head tube lug but the long point and workmanship look very nice. The details look early 70's. It clearly is not a bottom-end bike. The crank is TA-style (50.4 BCD), possibly Nervar, a good crank. MAFAC brakes are decent, stop well but can be noisy if not set up well. Some people don't like them (but I do). The derailleurs are bottom-line Simplex but light for their day, very likely worn out, and the front is likely to crank if it hasn't already. They aren't problems per se because you can replace them with very good Suntour or similar that would have been period-correct upgrades. Wheels look to be aluminum, not steel. Bottom bracket is probably French thread, no longer made but replacement bearing cups are available easily enough. Most likely the tubing is French size too.

It looks like a good bike to me! Does it fit you? Are the wheels true?

Thank you for the reply!
The price is ~150$. Is it worth? I'll probably need to change/fix some components but I'm ok with that (It will be fun).

If the seatpost and stem are not stuck- I think you're getting a good deal for $150.

Yes; it is well worth the asking price. That's quality bike with a reynolds 531 DB main triangle and good quality parts.

Thank you!
Hm, I haven't tested the bicycle... The frame size is 54, I'm 1.78m (5.8"). That should fit me, right?
About the wheels, Is there a major problem if they are not true? (Can I fix them myself?)

Nice classic.

Yes, it's worth the $150.

The wheels can be trued pretty easily, assuming you have a spoke-wrench and can work in quarter or half turns of the wrench. It's best if you have a truing stand, though - otherwise you have to use the brake shoes to judge the degree of true.

54cm should be about right. But hard to say for sure based on your proportions, preferences and the manufacturer definition of 54.

Truing wheels is not very difficult. Give them a spin. If there's a slight wobble side to side relative to the brake pads, probably an easy fix.
If there's an up and down "flat spot" from hitting a pothole, that can often require rim replacement.

Welcome to Bikeforums!

Very nice! I'd buy that if it were my size.

I hope you get it and we get to see more of it.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...0&d=1457176047

At $150, I'd take a chance on it. As mentioned earlier, those Delrin plastic derailleurs tend to break, but they generally shift quite well up until the point they do. If you take off the front derailleur while cleaning up the bike, use caution when re-attaching it. You can only put it on so snug until it snaps. At that point you can upgrade to something more durable, or buy a cheap original replacement online or in our sale/trade forums here. It's a point of pride (how long you can use 'em before they break) among some owners who keep the original plastic Simplex bits on their bike. :thumb:

Cool bike. You buy this one, and then buy a Pashley. That way, when someone asks you what you've got hiding in your garage, you can answer "Elvish, Pashley."

Frankly I think the frameset alone is worth $150, or at least $100. Yes, that's a really good buy at that price.

Thank you all for the replies ! :D
I just bought the bicycle and im pretty pleased with it! I didn't knew that the tires must be glued. I need to replace them due to the worn.
The bicycle will be awesome with a new paint. I'll post some pictures when it's ready!

if the paint's in decent shape, i'd probably pay over $200, even though it looks way too small for me (5'11").

It has what are called "tubular" tires, yes, they are glue-ons.

You could get a second set of wheels with clincher tires which would be easier to deal with for an everyday rider, or you could have new wheels built using the current hubs and a nice vintage looking clincher rim like the H+Son TB-14, or something like that.

I would recommend against painting it, though. The paint looks like it will be fine with a little touch up, and maybe some oxalic acid to get ride of the rust. Once you have it repainted the bike is no longer original, and the value will drop.

As lostacrhitect said, don't paint it just to be painting it. Touch up whatever minor places are rusty. Worn paint is part if its heritage and the paint will be original only once. Of course it has already been painted over then paint all you want, and it is your bike after all. Understand however that making it look as good as new is quite difficult!
Sew-up tires feel different from clinchers. Some of us think that difference is worth the extra trouble. But a set of clincher wheels is not a bad idea too while you learn about sew-ups.

Nice bike, I've never seen one of those before. Definitely looks worth $150 to me, if everything works pretty well it's a very good price, imo.

Please don't paint it; the original paint is what makes the bike special. You will want to pick up a set of clincher rims for that bike.

Alright, I wont paint it!
What about the saddle, it's definitely not the original. What type/brand do you recommend?

If the bike fits its worth it. Very cool bike. get the saddle that also fits. Maybe start with a Brooks, they can be found used here or on ebay. don't buy a bunch of new saddles, trade with people on here or elsewhere, or buy used and sell used for the same price. I made the mistake of buying a couple new saddles that i rode for a month and sold for half the price paid. waste of money. now i trade or get them way cheap on ebay. I still have not found my favorite saddle in a couple years looking.

I'll use the bike to go to college/work (15km a day). Is it worth the investment? Which ones do you recommend?

Alright, thank you!

It is absolutely worth the investment. Tubulars are great but they are a pain you do not want to deal with if commuting.

You can find something used on craigslist or you can shop around online. You will first want to measure the rear drop outs to see what will fit. This is an older bike and so finding a wheelset will take a bit more time.

Once you buy the bike, measure the rear drop outs and start a thread here; you'll get some advice on how best to proceed.

Remove the rear wheel, then measure the distance between the inside faces of the dropouts, where the axle locknuts were just touching. Probably 120mm or 126mm. If 120, you can spread the frame a bit and put a more common 126mm clincher wheel in there.

There's a 6 speed in there now, so it may already be 126, or the previous owner put a 126 wheel in 120 spacing (common "upgrade").

I race on tubulars, but use clinchers the rest of the time. A few ride tubulars all the time, but commit to gluing or taping and learning about them.