Zestiquant

Probably not C&V level old, sorry about that, but the owner is unsure of the year.
The seller upgraded it a bunch:
-Chris King Headset
-Dura-Ace/105 groupset
-Easton EC90 Carbon Fork/ Seatpost
-Paul Cantilever brakes
-Easton Circuit Wheelset, with an extra Bontrager TLR wheelset fitted with road slicks

It's a Reynolds 853 frame, and is in immaculate condition for its age.
Seller wants 450 CAD for everything (approx. 340 USD), and I'm really tempted to scoop it up.
Any opinions?

Dave Mayer

I bought my Poprad for $700 Canadian Pesos. Best money I ever spent.

My bike came with a Campagnolo Chorus groupset, and the Tru Temper OX frameset. Incredibly well -riding and versatile bike.

I would inspect the bike very carefully, to ensure that the (newer -replacement ) Easton fork is OK.

T-Mar

The Poprad was introduced for the 2001 model year, while the colour and logo style should make this a 2003. That year the Poprad had an MSRP of $1500 CDN. Given all the upgrades from the OEM Sora and the extra wheelset, $450 CDN is a very attractive price, especially during CX season.

TugaDude

Buy it before it disappears! I had a Poprad and unfortunately it was just too big for me. Make sure that one fits you. The upgrades are very nice. Have you left yet? Go!

KonAaron Snake 

My opinion - BUY.

I paid considerably more for mine, and think I got a bargain...that's one of the few bikes I truly miss having sold it...it was just awesome.

Nice to see it isn't just me! The Poprad was just a wonderful, fun, practical, versatile, fast bike. That was one of my all time favorites to ride.

bargainguy

Poprads with cantis: Watch out for front brake chatter. I didn't understand this until I bought a steel Poprad a few years ago and experienced the problem first hand. Toeing in the pads helps but doesn't always eliminate the chatter. There was something going on with resonance from the frame to fork to brake and back.

Dave Mayer

Not just Poprads - other 'cross type bikes with cantilever brakes and lightweight compliant forks..

What happens is that during hard front braking the fork gets pulled backwards. Which means the brake cable is stretched further than it already is from hand pressure. This increases the braking, only releaved when the pads momentarily have to release the rim. The cycle repeats, leading to high frequency shudder.

Solution: get some TRP 8.4 or 9.0 V-brakes, which fundamentally eliminate the problem, are far simpler to set up than cantis, and provide better braking than any cantis are capable of.

bikemig 

Good looking bike and good deal.

KonAaron Snake 

It's not the Poprad, and, as stated above, it's frequently an issue when you have a CF fork and cantis. My JTS was far worse on squeal than the Poprad.

IME some brakes are also more prone to squeal than others...Shorties were especially obnoxious in my experience, and, if I recall,l those were how the bike came spec'd. If memory serves, I changed out to a different brand and problem went away. I don't recall what I switched to...maybe frog's legs.

Zestiquant

Thanks to all the replies here. I decided that I'd get the bike today-luckily it's a recent posting and no one jumped the gun before me.

Also regarding the front brake chatter/squealing problem with the canti brakes, the previous owner didn't mention any problems with braking when I asked, so I assume any existing problem was fixed when he swapped the stock cantis for the paul brakes. Nonetheless I'll see if the problems suggested are present and I'll take the advice in swapping out the cantis with Dave's suggestion of TRP 8.4 or 9.0 V-brakes.

Thanks again for everyones help!

Zestiquant

Well I picked it up, and after taking it for a test ride, it's now my favourite bike in my small collection. Only thing is that the frame is missing a decal and the paint has some scuffs that go down to the metal and have rusted. Does anyone know where to get decals for this model and maybe enamel paint in this colour for touchup?

Kars 

Great value, buy it. Try for 400 cad

delbiker1 

velocals.com for the decals

aeshultz

Good pickup. I solved my Poprad's front brake chatter with at fork-mounted cable hanger. Chatter is gone, and the bike is one of my favorites.

zukahn1 

It is 2003/2004 model with some real nice upgrades and a great bike worth more thane the asking price about 2x+ IMHO, a used bike with $400+ in nice wheels and tires for this price is great deal. You did great on a very nice bike. Better quailty steel with nicer carbon fork and very good wheels is a great riding combination.

delbiker1 

Nice legs!
My recently purchased 2003 Poprad has fast become my favorite all around bike to ride. It is a comfortable, respectably fast and nimble, nice classic looking bicycle. My Poprad was upgraded to all Ultegra 6500 components (except the FR), and the wheels to Mavic Open Pro/Ultegra hubs. It also came with almost new Gatorskin 32mm tires. The previous, and only, owner took very good care of the bike and had it powder coated last year. The wheels need some work and I just purchased a set of Campagnolo Zonda wheels. I mounted some 25mm Serfas Seca 25mm tires on them, had hanging in my bike room, and took them out for their initial spin. Feels like a different bike with the Zonda's and 25mm tires. Wheels feel much stiffer and they are true and spin great. Very nice ride! I just happen to have a picture from today and after cleaning and lubing.

ctak

Did the previous owner remove the seat tube decal?

TugaDude

I owned a Poprad for a short time and pretty much all of the decals were a mess. Some better than others but all had issues. Perhaps this one was really bad and had to be removed?

Zestiquant

Didn't know there was a seat tube decal, but I had to remove a Poprad decal on one side of the top tube because half of it had already peeled off. Been looking for replacements, though so far have been unsuccessful on velocals and ebay.

edit: looking at a picture of a stock 2003 Poprad it seems like I'm missing quite a few decals. If I manage to find replacements I'd definitely replace them.

delbiker1 

Previous owner removed all decals before the bike was powder coated. He told me the replacements came from velocals.com

fishboat

I have a similar 2003 Poprad. As I was told when I bought it, a bike shop owner in Grand Rapids owned it and had it repainted when the original paint failed. My decals are not OEM. The shop rebuilt the bike with a SRAM triple crank and Ultegra shifters, derailleurs..

Great bike. I put more miles on it this year than any of my other bikes. Run 38mm Gravelking slicks..very smooth, fast, comfortable ride. I have a rear rack on it and may mount a front rack & do some touring with it next year.

Zestiquant

Well, it happened. I didn't expect it to happen so soon, nor for it to ache so much but this bike has been stolen. I've had it for less than a month, but that was all that it took for me to fall in love with it. It had become a part of my daily routine, and aided in both transport and fitness, and I cared for it as much as it took care of me. I sold my other bikes just to afford it too.

Guess I'll just walk and bus around town now.

ctak

Sorry to hear that! Cable lock? Did you file a police report?

If you have the serial # and photo documentation, I'd strongly suggest registering at Bike Index and Project 529. I'm not active on Facebook but there may be local groups you can share the theft details with.

https://project529.com/garage
https://bikeindex.org/

Zestiquant

Thanks for the links, registered in both. Unfortunately it was a cable lock, going to waste no time investing in one next time. Hopefully it comes back though, it really is a one of a kind in the area.

KonAaron Snake 

My heart aches reading this...that's just CRAP.

You probably know all this, but...

Check local pawn shops...
File a police report, even if they don't want to take it...
Are you in a city with bike messengers? If so...talk to those guys; they see a lot of bikes and are often "in the know".
Post a stolen bike ad on CL...
Go to local shops and co-ops with photos...
Look in the area for cameras...
Check your local FB for a stolen bikes group...

Where are you located? If you need to borrow a bike, we may be able to work something out.