I was shopping online for a nice honey coloured leather B17 for the Mercian KoM and looking at SJS they are about £120. Now some might see that as a bit of a bargain for something made lovingly by hand by the trusty artisans of Smethwick in time honoured tradition passed down through generations of the stout yeomen of Birmingham but I winced a little at the price and decided to look further.
My quest led me to a beautiful slightly used example for sale locally for the bargain price of £150. Here it is:
"But wait!" I hear you cry, " Is that not £30 more than a brand new one?"
Yes, but look carefully, this one came attached to a whole free bicycle.
A retro looking Temple Cycles, Reynolds 520 frame, complete with Alfine hub, Mavic rims and XT front hub. (Very nice aluminium mudguards too, shame the rear one is half missing.) It has a rather beautiful minimalist stainless steel bottle cage too.
I'll swap out the saddle, stick a rack on it and use it for riding into town for shopping. OK, so I probably could have bought a second hand B17 for 50 quid but I'll ride this around for a bit and see how the Alfine hub gears feel, I've had a few Nexus 8s but never an Alfine. And I've never ridden a Reynolds 520 frame before either so I have all these new experiences for Xmas for me.
Look out for a lightly used Temple Cycle for sale in the new year for offer around £150!
My quest led me to a beautiful slightly used example for sale locally for the bargain price of £150. Here it is:
"But wait!" I hear you cry, " Is that not £30 more than a brand new one?"
Yes, but look carefully, this one came attached to a whole free bicycle.
A retro looking Temple Cycles, Reynolds 520 frame, complete with Alfine hub, Mavic rims and XT front hub. (Very nice aluminium mudguards too, shame the rear one is half missing.) It has a rather beautiful minimalist stainless steel bottle cage too.
I'll swap out the saddle, stick a rack on it and use it for riding into town for shopping. OK, so I probably could have bought a second hand B17 for 50 quid but I'll ride this around for a bit and see how the Alfine hub gears feel, I've had a few Nexus 8s but never an Alfine. And I've never ridden a Reynolds 520 frame before either so I have all these new experiences for Xmas for me.
Look out for a lightly used Temple Cycle for sale in the new year for offer around £150!
