Some of you may have read my post about how I was touring Europe in a campervan and wishing that I had a simple touring bike with me and ended up buying a Hardisty 531st tourer, here.
www.retrobike.co.uk
Well, I managed to buy a total of three bike whilst I was away, which the sellers of the other two were happy enough to store until I arrived back in the UK.
The second bike is a British Eagle Touristique and I'll do a post on that one when I get it sorted, and the third bike I bought was the obligatory Dawes Galaxy.
I won this one on ebay, collection only from Cambridge, which was ideal as I was getting the ferry into Harwich, then driving home to the North East.
It was just what I was after, slightly more modern, reasonable wheels, bottom end spec Shimano and already flat bar converted.
It was really grubby in the ebay pictures, and I took a chance hoping that it would clean up nicely, and after some industrial cleaning I think that it's come up OK.
Before pictures as seen on ebay
And now, clean and sitting in the sunshine
All I've done is replace the saddle with my preferred choice and a set of spd's, haven't had to pump the tyres up, replace gear cables, set up gears etc, just really clean everything off that was coated in a really horrible thick oil of some description.
It was nice to work with something that didn't have a staggered headset, had a square taper UN70 installed, simple 3X7 drive train and a comfortable riding position - just done 8 miles on it and it's lovely.
Think I do the Touristique next as the hardisty has a seized post!
Hardisty 531ST Tourer
Nope, I'd never heard of one before either. There I was minding my own business whilst touring around Europe, in a campervan mind, thinking that I really wish I'd brought a bike, but what bike could I bring that was nice to ride, but understated and not attractive to theft. I started thinking...
www.retrobike.co.uk
Well, I managed to buy a total of three bike whilst I was away, which the sellers of the other two were happy enough to store until I arrived back in the UK.
The second bike is a British Eagle Touristique and I'll do a post on that one when I get it sorted, and the third bike I bought was the obligatory Dawes Galaxy.
I won this one on ebay, collection only from Cambridge, which was ideal as I was getting the ferry into Harwich, then driving home to the North East.
It was just what I was after, slightly more modern, reasonable wheels, bottom end spec Shimano and already flat bar converted.
It was really grubby in the ebay pictures, and I took a chance hoping that it would clean up nicely, and after some industrial cleaning I think that it's come up OK.
Before pictures as seen on ebay
And now, clean and sitting in the sunshine
All I've done is replace the saddle with my preferred choice and a set of spd's, haven't had to pump the tyres up, replace gear cables, set up gears etc, just really clean everything off that was coated in a really horrible thick oil of some description.
It was nice to work with something that didn't have a staggered headset, had a square taper UN70 installed, simple 3X7 drive train and a comfortable riding position - just done 8 miles on it and it's lovely.
Think I do the Touristique next as the hardisty has a seized post!
