Puch Alpine bought at an auction

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I bought this Puch Alpine at an auction yesterday, it looked in a bit of a state covered in dust and dirt but has now come up looking a lot better now that I have given it a wash. It weighs a ton in it's present condition, or it feels that way. It has steel rims, crank, seat post and stem. The saddle is a leather Middlemores which is also in pretty good condition with a couple of cuts in the leather which may glue down. The Bluemels ally pump works and should also clean up nicely. The Weinmann brakes have a date stamp for 1975 so I am assuming that the year of manufacture for the bike is 1975/6.
This make of cycle is new to me having never seen one before, I do however remember the yellow mopeds they brought out in the 70's. I haven't test ridden it yet, I've pumped up the tyres but the bearings feel a bit notchy and so will need greasing.
 

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midlife

Guru
We sold Puch bikes where I worked back in the 70's. The manufacturer was Steyr-Daimler-Puch / Austro-Puch IIRC and we stocked the very low end of the market for people who couldn't afford Raleigh / Carlton / Falcon which were our main brands.

They did do higher end bikes including 531 /Shimano models like the Vent Noir. The front light will be missing because they always fell off because of the design LOL

Shaun
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
That was the first bike I ever owned from new. Bought in 1976 from Dales Cycles, Glasgow (which is still in business although moved premises).
It was stolen in 1977, in Edinburgh. Recovered in a second hand shop a few months later, but had been trashed and was never the same again.

A few years ago I bought another one off ebay, renovated it with good intentions to use it ... and did, but not very often. It collected dust for a year or two before I gave it to a local charity shop.
This is it, post renovation....

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Illaveago

Illaveago

Guru
Very nice.Leather saddle is good as well though very far forwards.Is that a clamp, for a mirror on the bar end?

Yes you are correct on both counts, I had to remove the mirror to fit the bike into my car, I'd better retrieve it before my wife steps on it. The mirror looks as though it belongs to a motor cycle or scooter.
The saddle does look too far forward, both the handlebar stem and seat post were also set far too high. I just put things back on to take some pictures.
The bike doesn't look too bad for being 40 years old. I think that the front wheel may have been replaced or one of them has as the rear wheel has an aluminium large flange hub.
 
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Illaveago

Illaveago

Guru
That was the first bike I ever owned from new. Bought in 1976 from Dales Cycles, Glasgow (which is still in business although moved premises).
It was stolen in 1977, in Edinburgh. Recovered in a second hand shop a few months later, but had been trashed and was never the same again.

A few years ago I bought another one off ebay, renovated it with good intentions to use it ... and did, but not very often. It collected dust for a year or two before I gave it to a local charity shop.
This is it, post renovation....

$_86.JPG
It looked really nice.
 

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Illaveago

Illaveago

Guru
The bike looks great.
Absolutely love the colour!!!
What groupset does it have.
It has got a Simplex plastic rear derailleur,it's only 5 speed. The colour brightened up my day yesterday as I went into our back room. It was grey and gloomy outside yet the light reflecting off the bike lit the whole room, a bit like the way that a Buttercup reflects yellow.
I did a bit of cleaning on it and a bit of rust removing, changed the rusty steel seat post for an ally one and swapped the seat mounting round to move the seat back. If it brightens up I might try it out.
 

BretonM

Well-Known Member
It has got a Simplex plastic rear derailleur,it's only 5 speed. The colour brightened up my day yesterday as I went into our back room. It was grey and gloomy outside yet the light reflecting off the bike lit the whole room, a bit like the way that a Buttercup reflects yellow.
I did a bit of cleaning on it and a bit of rust removing, changed the rusty steel seat post for an ally one and swapped the seat mounting round to move the seat back. If it brightens up I might try it out.
Go for it !!
 
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Illaveago

Illaveago

Guru
I weighed it as it is and it weighs 30lbs. I have also been putting on some rust removing gel on the rims and other bits of chrome work. Thanks for info on the paint but I may just touch up the bits that need it. Paint wise it is in pretty good condition, it feels softer than the paint on my other cycles of the period.
I once put a piece of metal that I painted with Hamerite under a grill to speed up the drying, the dimples flowed out to make a smooth finish, a bit like TPA, Thermo Plastic Acrylic paint as used on some British Leyland and Vauxhall cars, it was a right swine to repair.
 
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Illaveago

Illaveago

Guru
I couldn't wait any longer so I thought I would give it a try out along the cycle path. It was a bit damp out with a lot of leaves lying on the ground and wet chromed steel rims. Applying the brakes reminded me of sending off a job application, you eventually get a reply. They did work sort of, mind you the brake blocks are old, worn and weren't adjusted up so they were a bit slow in slowing me down. The ride felt a bit bouncy, I think that the saddle is stiffer than my Brooks model. I think that the chain and idler gears were also a bit stiff as the ride improved as my ride progressed.
The first impressions are that the bike seems fine, some more cleaning, lubricating, new brake blocks and then another ride
 
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