Repair 80's road bike or buy new?

[danrc]

I have a Raleigh Equippe (Same as the 2nd one in the following link) in the shed at home. Has not been used in years since someone at home reversed over the back wheel.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3...

I really enjoyed riding that bike, and since I have started getting back into my biking i am finding riding my mountain bike on the roads is ok but no where near as good as with a proper road bike.

So, do i restore the old Raleigh or wait a while and invest in a new road bike?

Cheers!
Dan

[Kermit power]

How much would you be looking to spend?

The main thing that would put me off the repair route is not having bar-mounted shifters. If you decide that's important, you could end up spending a fairly large amount to get there.

On the other hand, if you're not bothered by that, and if it the frame hasn't been damaged in the reversing, then a new rear wheel isn't going to cost you a fortune, so why not?

[kamilb1998]

If its worth repairing then why not? But as its been stood for a long while, it may be in need of a full rebuild by now, as a lot of things could have seized.

[anonymous-user]

you would not need to spend much at all to get it on the road and working fine, probably £50 max for the wheel and then a few other bits. the shifters on the down tube are a nuisance as it does mean taking your hands off the bars but if thats not a problem (ie, if you dont intend to ride in traffic a lot) then go for it. old frames like these, even if they werent the high end quality steel, make for really nice riding experiences.

is it worth it depends how much you would be willing to spend on a new bike, if youare prepared to spend a fortune then there is no point restoring it, if you dont want to spend much, i say stick with this one as whatever you get wont be worth the difference between the restoration and the cost, that is to say, you wont actually be getting any more bike for your money, the quality of the components wont make it worthwhile unless you are prepared to spend a bit....

[XitUp]

Both!

I've got an old Pug that I'm (slowly) doing up but I want a new bike too. You can replace bits on the old one as you go on.

I got these for my birthday today to replace my nasty plastic ones:

Just need to rest of the groupset, wheels, seatpost, stem and bars.
Oh, and pedals.