Re: [CR] never-ridden 531 Dura Ace Puch

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 11:37:24 -0400
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "John Betmanis" <johnb@oxford.net>
In-Reply-To: <4A9FD47C.3010600@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] never-ridden 531 Dura Ace Puch


Peter, that bike looks mint! Certainly ridden very little. I don't even see any brown film staining the hubs or other components where grease would have migrated over time. The concensus among the majority here seems to be to not keep such a bike as a wall hanger, but ride it and enjoy it. However, people usually come to that conclusion after the first scratch or nick appears on their bike. Those who do keep their bikes in a "museum" usually don't brag about it for fear of criticism. We've all heard the stories of someone storing away a 1953 Corvette in a vault with zero miles on the clock. I've seen 10-year-old sports cars on eBay with zero miles, plastic still on the seats and dealer build sheet still in the window with an asking price higher than the current model. It's really up to you what you do. If you didn't pay a huge amount for the bike, the decision becomes more difficult. If you did, then you probably have an idea why you bought it and what you'll do with it.

John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada

At 10:36 AM 03/09/2009 -0400, pstock wrote:
>other forums have reacted quite strongly to this post and since there is
>apparently not much overlap, I thought I would post it here too.
>
>so far I've learned that this is a first edition Vent Noir and that they
>are quite sought after.
>
>I got it from a fellow in France (Dijon) who told me that he'd been give
>it when he was helping an old lady move house and that apparently it had
>belonged to her son. How a bike like this gets so little use (or maybe
>no use at all?) over 30 years surprises me.
>
>Peter
>
>
>I keep staring at this 531 frame Puch trying to figure out if it really
>has never been ridden, as appears to be the case.
>
>http://picasaweb.google.com/TOcycles/Puch#
>
>There is not a scratch on the frame nor fleck of dirt or grease in the
>drive train. (the dust you see is just loose, from storage. I should
>wrap it up.)
>
>The question then I guess, should I just keep it off the road? while I
>have no plan to sell it, is its value significantly enhanced if it has
>never hit pavement? (my brother is dying to try it out.)
>
>And does anyone know anything about this model. My sense is that Puch
>was like the Schwinn of Austria and made some pretty mediocre bikes. But
>this one has some extraordinary details and components.