Dylanc14

I'm a 17 year old who hasn't ever owned a vintage bike in his life and I just want to get a good idea for what I'm getting myself into with this new project of mine. I just bought this bike for $40 from a local yard sale type of deal and I don't think it's in that bad of condition, everything still works although the tires are flat and brakes are old. I would love to post the pictures I have of it but sadly I can't send any until I've made 10 posts and I'm not there just yet since I just made my account today lol. If anyone absolutely needs pictures, feel free to message me in some way and I can send them to you there or through another platform. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I'm from Western Georgia in case that can help anyone know about the market I'm in.

All I'm really looking to find out is whether or not I got a good deal on it and whether or not it would be a good idea to fix it up and ride it around when the weather gets warmer.

Hope you can help me out, and thank you for taking the time to read, Dylan.

wrk101

Western GA market is on the soft side. $40 is about right. Good deal? Maybe, maybe not. Really depends on condition. Fix it up yourself and you will be fine. Paying a shop to do it and you will be way upside down.

Going to need tires, cables, brake pads, and fresh bearings and grease. Clean and lube the chain and freewheel. All are do-able by a handy owner, some specialty tools required. Hopefully you a friend with bike tools. Need to be resourceful on obtaining parts. If possible, find a co-op, they can provide good used parts at a low cost and also provide access to specialty tools (and advice).

Bike tools tend to pay for themself, but not on the first job. By job #3 , they will have earned their keep!

jreeves 

Hi Dylan, if you were looking for a good solid rider and not a show horse, if it isn't rusty and only needs tubes and maybe tires to ride, I'd say you did great! I'm a big fan of 80's Raleigh steel, even though they may not make members here drool with desire. The Rapide isn't the most sophisticated racer but will be a solid ride for you. Once you get enough posts here to include pictures we can tell what you have to work with. If you flip the bike over and look closely at the round part of the frame (bottom bracket) between the pedals you should see a series of numbers and letters which will help identify the year of manufacture. The first number should be the year. Then you can google for more information specific to that year and try to find a match based on paint and components.