I’m looking at this bike tonight as a cheap commuter as I don’t want to take my mountainbike to work everyday.

Any vague thoughts on if it looks like good value? I know nothing about road bikes.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/dd-enterprises-vintage-road-town-bike/1118908644

Seen better at the local tip.

If that frames 531 I’m the Emperor of China

Our tip wouldn`t take that !

I’m a bit dubious about 531.

£150? NO way, that’s a 70s raft.

lot of singletrack experts in today.

rick powell is a legend and made frames for victoria pendleton.

IMO if it’s just a commuter go as cheap as possible unless you’ve got a long commute, in which case get a proper bike. Mine looks similar to that but came with racks, full mudguards and built-in dynamo lights, no claims of fancy tubing it didn’t have and I paid 40€. A few niggly problems but with 20€ spent on it it’s fine for my 5 mile commute.

He may have done but from the poor pictures the forks don’t look 531 the crown looks very cheap and chunky

If your used to mtb you may find the down tube shifting difficult but it looks like a comfortable frame.

Go take it for a spin its the only way to know.

rick powell is a legend and made frames for victoria pendleton

No way he made that.

bigrich – Member

lot of singletrack experts in today.

rick powell is a legend and made frames for victoria pendleton.

Does that make it worth £150?

Does that make it worth £150?

dunno, but it’ll be a decent bike.

if it’s had a service and new wheels /tyres/ tape etc. then it will sell for £150.

wheter it’s worth that to you as a commuter… who knows.

It will take guards (which are essential for a commuter imo). but the brakes are probably outdated and crap. and does it fit most importantly.

Thanks for all the responses, really helpful 🙂

I’ll take it for a spin tonight and see how it feels.

bigrich – Member

Does that make it worth £150?

dunno, but it’ll be a decent bike.

A decent frame, maybe, with a light mount on the fork?

Decent bike? Weinmann brakes with safety levers, down tube non indexed shifters?

I’ve got a B’twin Triban 5 that i’m selling, size 57. £200 + postage as i’m in Leeds??

Maybe see if there are any decent hybrids near you on eBay? Or stick a WTD ad in the classifieds?

My feeling is you need to know what you’re doing buying vintage and I don’t think that’d be worth £150 of my money.

pretty sure you could find better for the money – but I will admit no idea on the vintage of the frame but the 531 sticker looks a bit new – also there is a weed behind the bike and I thought cross chaining wasn’t allowed.

Looks like the rear brake pad is contacting the tyre but that could just be the pic – don’t forget on second hand commuter with rim brakes to try and assess how worn the rims are – not much of a bargain if needs new wheels in a month or so

and down tube levers are cool but actually a faff in traffic

I’ve a similar looking Raleigh Ritmo. Will need new tyres. Yours for free if collected from Bolton.

There’s no way on earth that’s a handbuilt 531 frame as the seller is claiming
-Pressed steel fork crown
-Lamp bracket boss on forks
-Stamped drop outs
-Machine crimped chainstay
-Appalling brazing (or welding?) on the seat stay bridge
-No brazed on cable guides
It’s a typical mass-produced gas pipe job. It’s got rubbish components and would have been crap when it was new (when it would have sold for a lot less than £150). It has no retro value and will be a pain to ride and maintain.

Totally concur with Rusty90’s summations. I remember building up similar tat when I worked in a LBS in the late 80’s.

Thanks guys. Really valuable advice and I’ve decided not to bother with it. Will try to find something else.

Spyke85, really appreciate the offer but you’re a bit too far from Bristol. Thanks a lot though.

See if there’s anything suitable at the Bristol Bicycle Jumble on Saturday?

Just had a longer look at the pics and that really is a pile o’ crap and I wouldn’t offer more than £20.

If you’re looking at older (steel) bikes of this ilk, be aware that there wasn’t the massive choice of sizes and frame geometries we have these days.

I know you’re looking at a cheap commuter but it doesn’t hurt to make the effort to get something that fits. You may find the frames come up quite large and horizontal top tubes can accentuate the ‘farm gate’ feel.

Look up the local road clubs as you’ll probably find they’ll have links to local bike jumbles or someone is selling kit; – there’s quite a lot of buying and selling between members in my small club.

I did read somewhere that the 531 sticker might only apply to certain tubes and not the whole frame so only the seat tube might be 531 and thats enough to get it a sticker.

Got to be at least the 3 main tubes, as that’s how the tube sets were supplied. This one has a respray sticker, which could have come from anywhere, and 531 stickers are easily available on ebay.
In this case its as convincing as putting a Ferrari badge on the front of a Vauxhall Astra 🙂