buying an 80s steel bike
11-01-08, 01:08 PM
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dirtbag
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buying an 80s steel bike
Hola. i am thinking about looking at an 80s Atala for use as an all day road bike. My main bike is currently a Surly LHT, which is great except that it gets little heavy to lug around on 50+ mile rides. Here is what i found on craigslist:
56 cm white Atala: lugged-steel (Columbus SL) frame, Shimano 600 derailleurs, Shimano 105 cranks, brakes, Edco bottom bracket, Campy pantographed seat post, Cinelli pantographed stem, Campy Chorus headset, front Ultegra hub and rear Dura-ace hub (8 speed) with Mavic cxp 33 rims, 600 shift levers and 105 brake levers. i am 5'10." He is asking $450.
i am 5' 10" so i am figuring that the bike may be a fit. i'll pull out the seatpost and take a peak down to look for rust. i usually buy new bikes, but as of late i have become monetarily challenged, which in all honesty has been a refreshing change (keeps my perspective in the moment as long as i have enough to eat). In other words, i really don't know what to look for in buying a used bike or if this would be a decent ride or if this is even a decent price.. Thanks.
d
56 cm white Atala: lugged-steel (Columbus SL) frame, Shimano 600 derailleurs, Shimano 105 cranks, brakes, Edco bottom bracket, Campy pantographed seat post, Cinelli pantographed stem, Campy Chorus headset, front Ultegra hub and rear Dura-ace hub (8 speed) with Mavic cxp 33 rims, 600 shift levers and 105 brake levers. i am 5'10." He is asking $450.
i am 5' 10" so i am figuring that the bike may be a fit. i'll pull out the seatpost and take a peak down to look for rust. i usually buy new bikes, but as of late i have become monetarily challenged, which in all honesty has been a refreshing change (keeps my perspective in the moment as long as i have enough to eat). In other words, i really don't know what to look for in buying a used bike or if this would be a decent ride or if this is even a decent price.. Thanks.
d
11-01-08, 01:27 PM
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Sounds to me like a fair price for quite a nice bicycle that stands a good chance to fit you - as long as there's nothing wrong with it beyond possibly needing a tube, or new cabling, or changing the grease on the bearings.
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11-01-08, 01:30 PM
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For $450 you would expect a bike in ready-to-ride condition. Just a few things to check:
1. Rust: you've got a handle on it, but pull the stem from the steerer, too.
2. Condition of the teeth on the cogs & chainrings
3. Cables and housings in good shape
4. Tires with some miles left
5. Brake shoes have life left
6. Rims are true and without excessive rim braking wear. Pluck spokes to check any way-out tensions.
7. Headset not indexed
8. Spin the wheels & crank while you're off the bike and feel for any bearing grind.
9. Chain not rusty or stiff. Spin the crank backwards and watch for any bad reactions.
10. And of course shift through every gear on a test ride.
Also, just a guess, but the Atala will probably weigh about 22#. Not sure how that compares to your LHT.
1. Rust: you've got a handle on it, but pull the stem from the steerer, too.
2. Condition of the teeth on the cogs & chainrings
3. Cables and housings in good shape
4. Tires with some miles left
5. Brake shoes have life left
6. Rims are true and without excessive rim braking wear. Pluck spokes to check any way-out tensions.
7. Headset not indexed
8. Spin the wheels & crank while you're off the bike and feel for any bearing grind.
9. Chain not rusty or stiff. Spin the crank backwards and watch for any bad reactions.
10. And of course shift through every gear on a test ride.
Also, just a guess, but the Atala will probably weigh about 22#. Not sure how that compares to your LHT.
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72 Frejus (for sale), Holdsworth Record (for sale), special CNC & Gitane Interclub / 74 Italvega NR (for sale) / c80 French / 82 Raleigh Intl MkII f&f (for sale)/ 83 Trek 620 (for sale)/ 84 Bruce Gordon Chinook (for sale)/ 85 Ron Cooper / 87 Centurion IM MV (for sale) / 03 Casati Dardo / 08 BF IRO / 09 Dogma FPX / 09 Giant TCX0 / 10 Vassago Fisticuff
11-01-08, 08:30 PM
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Sounds like a nice bike. At this price point, bike should be in really good condition (paint, components, etc). Otherwise, I would keep looking. Note, all markets are local, so maybe your market is higher than what I see around here.
