On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 17:48:45 -0600, Dave Eckstein wrote:

As for putting air in the tires, I brought it to the LBS to see about
getting it running again but they didn't have the type of tire it would have
needed in stock and pretty much convinced me that getting a newer bike would
be better for starting out with a bike obsession than restoring the older
one right off the bat. Otherwise I would be riding it right now!

Well, they are both right and very wrong. This was, in its day, a fairly
nice bike, but not top of the line. The Campy derailleurs would have
worked better than most, but a $5 Shimano derailleur now would be far more
reliable. As for the tires, don't bother trying to pump them up. They
are badly rotted and will not hold air. These are "tubular" tires, and
replacements can be had for $20 apiece, but they do require more
maintenance than ordinary tires.

In general, riding this bike would take some investment of time and
energy. Many parts will have to be replaced (cables, bearings, maybe
bearing cones/cups, spokes, saddle. Derailleurs maybe should be replaced
also, although that might detract from its value. However, I suspect the
derailleur is not original. Certainly the bike dates from the late '60s,
but I would have thought that derailleur was mid-70s low-end Campy.
I*may be mistaken on that, though.

As a bike to be ridden, it would be like driving a 20-year-old car.
It would have cachet, but would spend a lot of time in the shop. It has
some collector value, but not a huge amount since it is an off brand.


--

David L. Johnson

__o | This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
_`\(,_ | complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our
(_)/ (_) | temple. The philosophy is kindness. --The Dalai Lama