Your opinions on this bike...

[Mazz]

Apologies if I've posted this in the wrong section.

I saw this bike on eBay and was thinking of putting in a bid, just as a runaround bike. Maybe it needs more work than I realise. What do you think?

https://ebay.io/m/tgqx3F

Some doubts I've got:
Pic 10, the chain isn't sitting on the jockey wheel. What's going on there?
Pic 20, Only a 5-speed cassette? Can you still get these?
Pic 19, front fork has taken a ding.
Tyres are flat but don't look that worn.
Pic 6, are they SPD pedals?

Anything else? Thanks
P.s. can't see the frame size listed anywhere!

 

[Sharky]

At £52, it's worth a punt, but it says reserve not met.

Check that the stem and seat post are not seized before you part with cash.

 

[Punkawallah]

It’s cheaper than some that have sold for spares. You might get a brilliant bike for not much money, or it might be a money pit to get it on the road. That’s the fun of eBay, I’m afraid.
Gears should be a 7 speed freewheel.
https://bikeindex.org/bikes/980203

 

[ianrauk]

Yes they are 2 bolt spd pedals

 

[Mazz]

At £52, it's worth a pint, but it says reserve not met.

Check that the stem and seat post are not seized before you part with cash.

This bike's just been relisted, having received no bids first time round, when the auction ended last night.

 

[Mazz]

Yes they are 2 bolt spd pedals

Are they compatible with this style of SPD shoe? (not my shoe, but I have the same SPDs on mine).

 

[Big John]

It's a £50 bike at best. I'm not an eBay expert so what's the relevance of the £52.70 showing? Is that a reserve the seller's put on the bike?

It can't be a 5 speed cassette because the bike has STI levers and I'm pretty sure they start at 7 speed. The chain at the rear mech as you say looks odd. No idea what's happening there. Tyres look to be 23mm possibly Zaffiros so cheap to replace. They're narrow wheels so your options are limited to maybe 28mm at a push. The bike certainly appears to have SPD pedals.

If you're a half decent bike mechanic you'll be able to make something out of it, if you're not then I'd leave well alone. The chain set was good in it's day but 52/42 isn't popular these days and for good reason. If you're into restoring old bikes then fair enough but it's still only worth £50. I'm involved with a bike charity and we get this sort of bike every day and struggle to sell them.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Pic 20, Only a 5-speed cassette? Can you still get these?

Yes but it suggests (to me at least) that the rear dropout spacing will be narrower than the current standard of 130mm or whatever it is. This means that if you wanted to put a modern wheel in there it wouldn't fit. I could be wrong about that. (Edit: as @Big John says it's 7 speed. I'd still check what the dropout spacing that implies)

Another thing I'd worry about is those ancient brifters. If they are broken then you are looking at a relatively expensive replacement job. Note the seller does say "the gears don't work". I'd be more enthusiastic about it if it had "can't go wrong" down tube shifters.

So provided it's not seized as @Sharky says and provided that you are happy to ride it as-is with it's current rather high and narrow range gears, and provided you're happy to regrease all the bearings, and provided you're willing to take the risk of those ancient brifters then it looks fine for £52.

 

[ianrauk]

Are they compatible with this style of SPD shoe? (not my shoe, but I have the same SPDs on mine).

View attachment 820273

Yes

 

[All uphill]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the aluminium/carbon fork. That would be enough to put me off. Maybe I'm too cautious?

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

The rear derailleur hanger looks bent, a replacement would be cheap but might be hard to find. It’s got Shimano Flight Deck shifters, these do not age well and likely will be on their way out if they aren’t dead already. He says in the ad that the gears aren’t working so I would assume this is a decent project bike. I’d plan on spending a few hundred on it getting it running right again.

You commented that the fork looks dented. I don’t see it but if it is, it’s done. A carbon fork with a dent is garbage and needs replacing.

perhaps it better to keep looking.

 

[Punkawallah]

It's a £50 bike at best. I'm not an eBay expert so what's the relevance of the £52.70 showing? Is that a reserve the seller's put on the bike?

It can't be a 5 speed cassette because the bike has STI levers and I'm pretty sure they start at 7 speed. The chain at the rear mech as you say looks odd. No idea what's happening there. Tyres look to be 23mm possibly Zaffiros so cheap to replace. They're narrow wheels so your options are limited to maybe 28mm at a push. The bike certainly appears to have SPD pedals.

If you're a half decent bike mechanic you'll be able to make something out of it, if you're not then I'd leave well alone. The chain set was good in it's day but 52/42 isn't popular these days and for good reason. If you're into restoring old bikes then fair enough but it's still only worth £50. I'm involved with a bike charity and we get this sort of bike every day and struggle to sell them.

The £2.70 is eBay shenanigans. The seller says it’s his dead dad’s bike, and has no clue.
Where I am the ‘go to’ for racing bikes is to put a flat bar on and sell them as ‘work bikes’. “Ride it to work for a fortnight instead of the bus, and you’ve made your money back”.
Unless they are very nice.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Bearing in mind the number of used bikes for sale at low prices due to the collapse of the second hand market, if you have any doubts about it then walk. The bike did not meet the reserve and my guess is that the reserve is unrealistically high.

 

[Mazz]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the aluminium/carbon fork. That would be enough to put me off. Maybe I'm too cautious?

Yes, the aluminium part looks dented, difficult to know if the carbon fibre has been affected.

 

[Mazz]

You commented that the fork looks dented. I don’t see it but if it is, it’s done. A carbon fork with a dent is garbage and needs replacing.

Pictures 12 and 16 in the listing. The metal part looks dented.