Bought a bike from a guy at the pub (now with pics)

[edy172]

Hi All,

this is my first post on this forum and i'm after some advice.

i've just started mountain biking and as the thread title suggests i bought my first bike from a guy in the pub

i took the bike to a local bike store to have it serviced as it been sat idle for quite some time. The guy asked how much i had paid for the bike and told me that some of the components are pretty retro and therefor saught after.

the bike has the following

aluminium frame, which he suggeasted was a specialized frame
cook bros racing crank set
rockshox suspension
shimano xt v brakes
and a few control tech parts

just wondering what your thoughts are and if these parts hold any value and are they worth holding onto? i'm in work at the moment but could post pictures later on

thanks in advance

Leigh

 

[DrJo]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

It's all worth something in the right hands, the cranks are most definately your best feature and worth hanging onto!
What you need to do is post photos and await the floods of offers you'll recieve if they're the real thing. Just what we all want on our retro steeds.
First dibs on the cooks cranks fella, if and when you wanna sell em...

 

[Bullpup]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

await the floods of offers you'll recieve if they're the real thing.

And don't forget those complaining that you possibly bought a stolen bike.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[edy172]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

thanks both

the shop owner did mention the cranks in particular. they are pink/purple and not the nicest to look at IMO

i bought the bike from a a friend of my fathers. he used to do alot of riding and had several bikes (i think he was welsh champion somewhere along the line)

its nice to know that the bike has appeal, i paid £100 for it and after my conversation with the shop owner i think i'm going to try and restore it as best as i can. so i will certainly be looking for some help along the way

 

[Barneyballbags]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

its nice to know that the bike has appeal, i paid £100 for it

Well, provided the cranks aren't absolutely wrecked, you'd normally have expected to pay more than £100 for them alone (quite a lot more depending on what model they are!), so you've done very well!!

 

[Barneyballbags]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

Here you go

These links should show that you potentially got a very good deal on the bike. Depending on which version of the cranks you have, you should either be VERY happy or VERY VERY happy!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=247592&hilit=cook

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=245960&hilit=cook

 

[edy172]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

Here you go

These links should show that you potentially got a very good deal on the bike. Depending on which version of the cranks you have, you should either be VERY happy or VERY VERY happy!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=247592&hilit=cook

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=245960&hilit=cook

thanks for taking the time to post the links

i know nothing about bike componenants, i think i'll post some pics later to get some opinions. to my eye, they look the same as the set in the first pic but in pink/purple, i would say mine have seen a little more wear though.

i'm wanting to polish the frame up as its a bit dull at the moment. try and get it to a mirror finish.

the bike needs a new saddle to, was going to pop to the local shop to pick one up but i'm feeling i should be looking for something a little more retro now.

 

[Barneyballbags]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

It wouldn't take long to remove the pink/purple anodising from the cranks if they look worn.

You just need some caustic soda (couple of £ from Boots, might be badged up as drain cleaner), a bucket of water and half an hour or so. Take the chainrings off (allen key bolts so nice and easy), drop the cranks into the caustic soda solution, give it a couple of minutes, take them out and give them a rub over with some fine wire wool. The anodising will come straight off and you'll be able to polish them up nicely.

Or, just send them to me and I'll do it for you and send them back for the price of a couple of pints

 

[edy172]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

they dont look too worn, i just dont like the colour. would prefer the polished look. wouldnt that take away some of their appeal though?

ha, i might have to take you up on that offer as my DIY skills are questionable to say the least. i'd drop the whole bike off to be polished if you like

i have to be honest though, the bike was quite a good ride on the weekend. needs a new saddle and the gear shifters are a bit of a PITA but overall it was ok (better than spending £££ on a new bike)

 

[Barneyballbags]

Re: Bought a bike from a guy at the pub

they dont look too worn, i just dont like the colour. would prefer the polished look. wouldnt that take away some of their appeal though?

ha, i might have to take you up on that offer as my DIY skills are questionable to say the least. i'd drop the whole bike off to be polished if you like

i have to be honest though, the bike was quite a good ride on the weekend. needs a new saddle and the gear shifters are a bit of a PITA but overall it was ok (better than spending £££ on a new bike)

It will take away a little bit of the appeal if the cranks aren't the original colour, but Cook Bros cranks are quite sought-after, so it won't pose too much of an issue. If they don't look too worn however, then I'd suggest living with the colour and keeping them original, just in case you decided to sell them in future. Another option might be to remove the anodising from the crank arms and polishing them up, and leaving the spider (the bit that the chainrings bolt to) in the original colour.

I'd be happy to clean it all up for you if you lived locally

What shifters are on it? If they're thumbshifters (mounted on top of the handlebar) then they're quite desirable too, depending on their condition. It sounds like the rest of the bike has been built to a fairly high spec, so it wouldn't surprise me if the bits were decent too.