Minerva bikes - is a free one worth fixing up for touring?

[Maxants33]

Hello,
I have been offered a free 'Minerva Passage'. Its a dusty old early 90s looking city bike with a steel frame that may suit touring (including a nice triangular down tube).

There is no info about the type of steel and no info about the bike online. However, some later Minerva bikes are on sale on this site -

http://www.bbtrade.eu/bicycles/bicy...rva-city-m410/818?product_id=1160&goback=list

The Bikes most similar to mine is going for 250 euro, its very similar - as well as similarly pants looking components. I'm hoping the price is due to the quality of the frame...
Unfortunately I don't have a camera so I cannot post picture of the bike, but its almost identical to the one posted in the link.

I'm planning on building a touring bike for next summer, so a free frame would be a massive boost.

Based on the scant information provided - does anyone think this is worth pursuing?

Many thanks for any feedback.
Max

 

[young Ed]

is it possible to get a photo of this one you have been offered?
Cheers Ed

 

[Maxants33]

Sorry, not in the immediate future - I'll try get a new camera this week. Would it be worth getting pictures of the welds? But the photo in the link is very similar

 

[steveindenmark]

If it has only got 3 gears I doubt if it will be any good for touring.

Steve

 

[screenman]

No.

 

[Ticktockmy]

If the frame is in good order welds,brazing etc, and the frame is true, there is no reason why you should not tour with it, i guess it will be 501 steel which is a good strong steel just heavy compared with modern steel tubing used in the latest bikes, you should be able to upgrade the Drive gear up to 8 speed, which is more than enough to tour with, after all that what us oldies toured on in the 80's, Depending on what the fork set up is I would check them out as a if they fail at any speed that can cause massive injuries. the one failing of using a MTB frame is the geometry of the frame can cause your heels to rub on the rear panniers. .

 

[young Ed]

my self i wouldn't tour on it but then again you can tour on anything it is just more or less comfortable/practical
Cheers Ed

 

[screenman]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gironimo-Riding-Very-Terrible-Italy/dp/0224092073

 

[raleighnut]

If its free get it and give it a go at building it into a tourer, if it doesn't work then replace the frame as you planned to buy one anyway.

 

[rich p]

I wouldn't fancy having that hand position all day either

 

[Cycleops]

@raleighnut I'm afraid I'm of the "you can't gild a turd" school of bicycle renovation and building. Forget about this Minerva, buy a good secondhand hybrid from eBay or wherever and it shouldn't take too much to turn it into a decent cheap tourer. Something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GT-Traffi...1544702591?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item339517e27f only £59 BIN.

 

[young Ed]

@raleighnut I'm afraid I'm of the "you can't guild a turd" school of bicycle renovation and building. Forget about this Minerva, buy a good secondhand hybrid from eBay or wherever and it shouldn't take too much to turn it into a decent cheap tourer. Something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GT-Traffi...1544702591?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item339517e27f only £59 BIN.

or this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bicycle-r...140122125356&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=221544702591&rt=nc
Cheers Ed

 

[Cycleops]

The reason I suggested a hybrid rather than a racer @young Ed is that it has fittings to take a rack, a more relaxed geometry and plenty of gears which make it more suited to touring.