I went to the tip on Saturday...

[legrandefromage]

There is no use trying to sell it to the UK Navy as thanks to Dave, we no longer have any carriers.

That's because thanks to Gordon, we no longer have any money.

OK, but we do have lots of nice old bikes to play with.

 

[beepbeep]

because it looks a bit like a Global Hypercolour t-shirt

The Crocs of their time!

 

[Goldie]

without looking like an opportunist, I do have a near complete Deore LX groupset and wheels that would look good on this.

Thanks very much - I'll definitely keep it in mind. I'm going to have a go with the 200GS and see whether it's funny crap or just crap crap.

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

There is no use trying to sell it to the UK Navy as thanks to Dave, we no longer have any carriers.

That's because thanks to Gordon, we no longer have any money.

I certainly wouldn't disagree with you there. It is just that the fact that a conservative government scrapping the carriers came as a bigger surprise than a labour one squandering our wealth!

 

[FluffyChicken]

Looking at the 200GS groupset it's 1990* and shimano bottom of the range groupset for MTB sort of thing on your First Townsend ATB, absolute bag 'o' shite for anything more than popping to shool on and hanging around. Though I did do many miles on my bag'o'shite 200GS Townsend, think I even managed to upgrade a lot of it to LX/DX and some XT some how.
Got nicked then though

Don't expect any more than it works with effort put in, especially up hill, downhill and along the flats

I know we all take the piss on the chainset, but it did weigh ~1350g (3lb, with 1lb of that being the none drive side crank arm ) in it M200 guise. But there was a lighter version the M201 down at healthy 750g (same weight as all the chainsets up to Deore LX give or take ~10g)


On the canti's , they are steel, but plastic(Resin) coated like the crank, you'll find the hook where the cable hooks to will bend after a bit The brake levers will wobble up and down and the shifter's will probably work for a while..

But at least you can leave it outside the shops or pubs and not worry about it, other having to walk back and find another one.

--
*It could be 1991, but they would probably have speced tehe low profile cantis', though you never know. If it was 1991 you would be glad to here they had sloted in a cheaper product 100GS
Not 1992+ though as it had been updated by then.

 

[legrandefromage]

I have a spare M201 chainset too...

 

[JohnH]

It is just that the fact that a conservative government scrapping the carriers came as a bigger surprise than a labour one squandering our wealth!

I can't argue with that!

Anyways, back to the British Eagle which was actually made in Britain! What are the chances of that?

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

and whilst the bike isn't going to kill you if you go hurtling down a steep hill, it may do at the bottom when you try to stop.

but getting hit over the head with a 200gs crank arm, most definitely will. I keep one of those crank arms by the door.

 

[Chrissy_J]

I'm not an expert or anything but I quite like this one. I'd ride it after a bit of TLC.

And it's British, apparently.

 

[hydorah]

Poor old 200GS.

I'm sure many of us had a 1st MTB blighted in such a way.

In the 60's Ford's American V8's were all called Windsor and Cleveland and the like, strong powerful names.
They called the V6 fitted to the base level Mustang the Thriftpower.
It has been suggested this was purely done to make folk start ticking option boxes (once you have the V8 get the uprated brakes, and seats and steering wheel etc etc).
I reckon that 200GS was invented to make us upgrade our bikes in a similar way!

You might be onto something it wasn't called 200LX was it?

It wouldn't have sounded bad enough

No no! down from 300LX you have an amazing drop to 200GS

Wasn't there a 100GS too?

And Tourney under that???

Anyway about the original post!!!

I say build it up an it'll be cool

Perfect for a budget build... A rolling upgrade project just like BITD

British Eagle were actually a proper British bike maker for a bit

Now they're not a bike maker at all, just one of Falcon's brands

Falcon took over Coventry Eagle in the '80s some people buggered off from CE and set up British Eagle in Powys in Wales

They made steel tourers, aluminium and steel MTBs and even had a team at one point

Later on ~ '94 Falcon Bought the British Eagle brand

Since then? Mainly joke supermarket bikes which are indescribably bad, although sometimes Falcon brands experimental stuff as BE...

Back to bike again

Doesn't look like it needs a repaint, just replace any bits that are coated in plastic with better ones from the same period

People on here sere stuff that is sub Deore for very friendly prices and you'll have a ton of fun getting it brought up to scratch

Check out my British Eagle:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=129920