1988 Dawes Scorpio, restoration, sale or skip?

[badgolfer1973]

Hi everyone,
I have recently acquired a 1988 Dawes scorpio road bike, my question is what should I do with it?
It has very little rust but the colours are garish, purple and green, also the frame is huge, without measuring it I'm 6' and only just get away with it with the seat almost as low as it will go. The frame is made with Reynolds 500 tubing.
The groupset is shimano exage 300ex all through, there is a little play in the BB but rides really well and all gears work well/smoothly with 52/40 and a 7 speed cassette on the rear.
I'm tempted to get the frame restored and refit everything myself, I have seen pictures of the same model in black red and white, I would prefer this colour but I'm not aware if this is from a different year and Dawes themselves aren't much help.
I've only invested £10 to date.

any advice appreciated.

 

[FINNEY1973]

Welcome,

A badly fitting frame will not endear you to many happy miles riding. In fact it will likely cause you issues with muscles, lumber pain etc. from an incorrect position on the bike. I'd strip the frame & sell it and then transplant it all onto something that fits you correctly.

There is a Scorpio on ebay at the moment in black & white - £45.00, can't imagine it will go too much higher than that.

 

[badgolfer1973]

Thanks for your response,
You are probably tight, however it is a comfortable ride, the chances of finding a local frame similar are remote, I may have to shelve this project for a while.

 

[hamster]

I'd ride it a while and see if you really get on with the fit. If it stays comfortable after longer acquaintance, then go for it. There are plenty of cheap bike frames that are far nicer to ride than exotica.

Don't expect to make money from it, but frankly that's the same with all old bikes!

 

[iow tom]

I just picked up a Scorpio and despite it being 'gas pipe' (or so people love to point out to me on Facebook) it actually rides really really well. It's probably my favourite bike at the moment!
I wonder after all this time how are you getting on with yours? Still got it? Anything to report?

 

[hamster]

No, it’s not gas pipe, that would be Hi Ten steel. Dawes bikes always ride well. Such frames make decent commuters and everyday transport.