Dr. Thorndike

Hi folks

When I was about 15, I remember really loving the Austro-Daimler bikes; I thought they were absolutely beautiful.
I recently saw a few on ebay, and was again blown away by their (apparent) quality, craftsmanship and beautiful paint. In terms of quality and value, how do the old AD bikes, and the Austrian bikes in general (as well as the old German bikes) compare to the Italians, Belgians (Merckx), English, French (i.e, all the others)?
Any feedback on this would be very much appreciated...

Thanks!

Re Cycle

My first "real" bike in my twenties was an Austro-Daimler. MANY MANY miles of enjoyment. Until somebody stole it. I was young, and broke, and that really hurt. I even cried. Took me a long time to save money to buy my next bike, but I still missed my AD. I used it to tour. It was great.

nick burns

Like a lot of other manufacturers, Puch/AD made bicycles in a wide range of qualities, from entry level hi-ten frames to high end Reynolds frames. If you search these forums for Puch and Austro Daimler, you'll find a lot of info posted about them, along with plenty of photos (including a few of mine) and links to more info.

teambhultima

Dr. T.,
The top-of-the-line AD bikes made of Reynolds 531 will stack up against/with the other big European names of their era. I've owned my Ultima for many, many years and really love it. It is an early model 1976road frame which I built up while in college (early '80s). My good buddy back then rode an AD Vent Noir which was a beautiful black sport/touring bike, also 531. Both frames were hand made and very well finished. As Nick mentions above, do some research on their model lineup. If you want one, take your time and it will be a worthwhile investment. I certainly don't see many others when I go on group rides! (Most people don't even know what it is nowadays.)

Try this address for model details...
https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/AustroDaimler/

Best wishes!
Drew

CampyGuy

Check out Sheldon Browns bike glossary
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/vrbn-a-f...austro-daimler

John E

I have never owned a Steyr-Daimler-Puch product (Graz, Austria), but I have seen some higher-end Austro-Daimlers and Puchs that I would consider world class. My favorite local bike shop carried A-D during the 1980s, and Fred told me that he has never heard of one of his A/D customers' frames breaking through normal use, which differs from my personal experience with a Nishiki and a Peugeot and from his experience as a longstanding Bianchi and Cannondale dealer.

In contrast, the Peugeot/Nishiki shop at which I worked during my first two years of grad school sold a few bottom-of-the-line Steyr Clubmans (Clubmen? ), with horrid features such as Simplex stem shifters with full-length cable housing.

I have far more experience with a much smaller Austrian bicycle manufacturer, Vienna-based Capo (https://capo.at), having owned three full-Reynolds frames, two of which I still have. The craftsmanship is impeccable, and the ride is straight, true, and comfortable. The ornate lugwork draws attention from folks who appreciate classic bicycles.

clipped

I bought a purple AD 531 frameset from ebay and put it together using parts that were laying around. I love this bike. The frame is very comfortable and will accept quite large tires, though 700x28 seem perfect for this large guy. Not whippy like my old 531 Masi, just a very nice, good handling bike.

Re Cycle

Yep, mine was the Reynolds 531. Oh, you guys bring back memories.... that was one of my favorite bikes of all time.