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/
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.