Vintage touring comparison
 

Hello there,
I'm looking to pick up a bike for light touring and day rides and I'm inclined towards a vintage setup. There don't seem to be a lot of vintage touring bikes available at any given time, but I have found a couple that seem decent and am hoping someone can weigh in on their value.

The first is a Mikado 'Nomadic' for $340 CAD:
- Shimano Stag head front derailleur
- Sachs Huret Duopar rear derailleur
- Tourney XT crankset
- tange 900 crmo frame

The second is a Trek 420 for $300 CAD:
-4130 Chromoly Doublebutted Frame Tubes
-SunTour Blaze Derailleur
-SunTour Accushift
-Sakae RoundTech Powering 52

Any thoughts on which is a better value, or should I wait out for something better, or double my budget for something newer?

Thanks for your input

Eli

Sport/touring, if the fit's the same, I vote for the Trek, though the Makado is eye candie. Trek arguably has the better drivetrain and frame. I'd bet the wheels are 700 vs 27, more tire choices and with calipers you could always try 650b.

Methinks the lowriders are on backwards. Tell the seller it's a defect and ask for a discount.

Mikado already has a rack and front lowrider. It also has the better drivetrain. Suntour Blaze is towards the bottom end of the range. The Huret Duopar and deerhead FD are nice units, and the XT crank is a solid piece.

The mikado is the better bike by quite a margin.

I agree. But you'd have to ride the two to get the gist. If you get the chance, compare them. For your CDN$ market they are both priced within reason, but not bargains.

"...wait out for something better."

As it is apparently an option; patience might be your most prudent choice. Use the time to better identify what might best suit your needs. Research, maybe read through the recent "sports tourer" thread if ultralight bikepacking might suit your fancy? Maybe converting an old lugged steel MTB will work for you?

Then, when you see your heart's desire, you'll recognize it and have the confidence to act swiftly, as when the brass ring comes around you must grab it quickly. Where I live, Wilmington, is a desert of opportunities. I saw one decent touring Trek pop up on CL a few Sundays ago at a very reasonable price, and I could tell by the head tube it was not my size, so I passed, but watched. The posting was a ghost in an hour, "Deleted by Author." I emailed the seller as I had his address already heading an email, and was told it was spoken for within 10 minutes of the posting, and picked up in 45.

Real tasty prey will present, but one must be coiled and ready, and then strike like a snake.

The mikado is a great color and has racks...though thst front one is not attached properly.

Betwren the two, i would go for the drivetrain on the mikado because there would be less to change to fit my wants.

I could go either way, assuming proper fit and feel of the frame. Sports-touring is my favorite kind of geometry and component complement.

The metal pie plate on the Mikado would have me checking to compare the quality of the wheels. Trek has more name recognition and you'll be able to sell it on more quickly down the road. Looking at the bikes, it seems the 420 has a more slack HT angle, which might make for more comfort on long rides. Mikado has cantilever brakes, which is a plus.

I agree, I love sport tourers. Which ever you choose, consider either would need to be overhauled and get new saddle and probably tires. BTY that front rack is missing a piece, and confirm whether it's double butted or straight gauge.

Thank you all for the helpful advice. Having a number of opinions on this certainly helps me make a decision. I think Machinist42's advice above seems wise for the moment, and perhaps I will wait for a bit and try to do more research in the meantime while I keep an eye out for gems. Glad to hear that sport tourers are popular with people here!

I appreciate the cut and dry opinion on the value, thanks!

That Mikado looks to be a pretty slick bike. Cantis, 3 bottle bosses, mid-fork brass ons.

But it is goofy that it has aero brake levers and the shift cable goes under the bottom bracket- but it has hi-flange hubs and red and yellow reflectors. That's indicative of older wheels on a newer frame.

I guess I'd check out those wheels before I made a decision.