should i commute on it?

[alecstilleyedye]

as my regular commuter is bolloxed, the insurance is dragging its heals, and i'm pretty much ready to ride to work again, i'm tempted to ride this bike (harry hall 531 frameset), which came to me from a friend who was moving down south. a different saddle can go on, as can a clipless pedal system. the drivetrain and cabling has all been replaced recently too.

pros:
it has guards, and will take a rack
the frame is the right size
it's light enough
the gearing ratios looks spot on

cons:
27 1/4" wheels, can you even get a folding kevlar-lined tyre for that?
down-tube shifters
can it stop quick enough
is it too girly?

i've yet to ride it, so until then it's a bit of a guessing game. but would you commute on it?

 

[fossyant]

If nothing else, it looks OK. You can still get tyres, but I doubt anything fancy. It looks a nice classic though.

Insurance companies stink !

Can you replace your bike via your household policy ?

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Can you replace your bike via your household policy ?

doubt it, it will be down to rsa/more than to repair/replace it. the quote for rebuild is about £2k, largely due to the cost of a new reynolds 531 frame (in black) being in the region of £900…

 

[fossyant]

Not cheap hand builts are they

 

[SKoob]

You can get gatorskins in that size as I have them on my old steel bike with 27" 1/4 wheels. I'd ride it has everything you need, old brake should be decent enough if well setup.

 

[DCLane]

Of course - I've commuted today on the 'Lethal Impact' bike, which is an old Ammaco Tony Doyle repainted/rebadged. It's on old spare tyres, spare wheels/brakes/other bits and has cost me under £20 to build.

Mind you, the front wheel came loose today so ....

 

[Milo]

Downtube shifters really are not that much of a hindrance in my experiences once you get used to them.

 

[david1701]

yes riding a girls bike beats driving

 

[Drago]

The origin of the Mixte frame as we know it today were as a unisex frame, which developed into its current form in inter war France.. The school of thought that places the Mixte as a frame for females originated in 1960's America, where any bike without a crossbar was considered a chicks bicycle.

So being English as I am, it's a unisex frame.

PS, I'd run it on 27 x 1-1/8" Continentals and slime tubes, whichll give a tyre thickness close to 25c.

 

[citybabe]

it reminds me of my very first road bike in the 80's.
it was a light blue raleigh

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i think i'll give it a go, at least until the insurance bike comes through. removed the pedals (christ, they were heavy), and put a brooks b17 saddle on. just need to test ride it now…

 

[Moodyman]

It's either that or catch the train/bus. I know what I'd do. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

 

[Drago]

Catch a bus? You'll need one helluva net!

I'll get me coat...