80299

Hi all,
I am new to road cycling and wanted to purchase my first road bike soon. I'm a student though, so I am on a budget. And since I don't have much experience, I don't want to invest in a $1000+ bike just yet. I want to try it out with an older bike for a couple of months and if I stick with it I will make the big purchase and really get started. Now my question is, is this plan recommendable? I found a Dawes Impulse road bike from 1995 (picture below) within my budget, and I am thinking about getting it, but I thought that I'd ask here first and see what the more experienced cyclists advise. I would love to hear from you!

Lazyass

Of course you can, it's just a bicycle. Many of us started on vintage bikes when they weren't vintage. Pretty sure that Dawes is older than a '95, though. Probably from the 80's.

K.Katso

Nothing wrong with that. If that bike has been taken care of it should be pretty fun to ride, even without all the modern equipment. Worst case you might have to spend a few bucks getting it tuned up at the bike shop.

bgrider

Of course you can. Just be sure that the bike is the proper size and adjusted for you. It would not hurt to have all the moving parts re-lubricated if it has been sitting since 1995.

CliffordK

It looks nice. Some "modern" improvements like aero brakes. I'm reading that the Dawes Impulse is supposed to have Reynolds 531 tubing (verify when you see the bike).

How much is the bike? Keep in mind the best deals usually don't last long.

A lot of people use older bikes as commuters, even for road trips or touring. And that one looks very nice.

Depending on how it was serviced, you may still wish to clean and repack all the bearings, and give a thorough tune-up. Old tires may be ok, but new high quality tires are much more dependable, but somewhat expensive.

80299

Thanks everyone for your optimistic answers. I feel more confident to purchase it now.
[MENTION=343374]bgrider[/MENTION]: The guy who is selling it said it has been sitting for the past 12 years, so you are right, it probably needs to be re lubricated! But thats ok
[MENTION=392454]CliffordK[/MENTION] : Yes! The bike has Reynolds 531 tubing, he took a picture of the logo. It costs 190 Euros, which I think is a really good deal. Do you think it's too inexpensive, suggesting it might bring problems/expensive fixes?

Regulatori

What's your budget? Buying an older bike is like buying an older car. You really don't know how the bike was treated, how it was stored, if the owner kept it well maintained, etc.. Every old bike I've purchased I end up treating it as a restoration. I'll strip the bike down to the frame and go over every component to make sure it's still working. The biggest problem is all of the small issues that you end dealing with when purchasing an older bike...especially the high friction/sealed areas like hubs, bottom brackets, headsets, etc.. When I bought my late 80's Ciocc (it was a higher end model), I ended up spending $150-200 on misc parts to get it comfortably road worthy. Yeah, you could probably get it on the road as-is but unless you do a full tear down/inspection, you're really guessing.

Plus bikes take a lot of specialized tools/knowledge...if you have a bad bottom bracket or wheels out of true, you'll need to pay a bike shop mechanic. It's easy to spend hundreds on a used model without even realizing.

I usually hang out in the fixed gear forum but my opinion might be skewed. Before I ask, what is your price range? Under $500?
Here is a $500 option. The nice thing about this bike is that you can just tighten up the various parts (pedals/wheels, etc..) and start riding. No worrying about upgrades or having it serviced.
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Closer to $400
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In the $2-300 range you have...
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Or
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In the under $250, you have..
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Just click on the "road tab" at the top of the page and check out different price ranges/frame and fork material/component group, etc..

Unless it's a friend that you know meticulously maintains his bikes and is willing to sell you on an older model, I would leave the used 80's/90's as more of a project.

The nice thing about Bikes-Direct is you can mess around with it for 6 months and then sell it on craiglists for minimum loss.

kbarch

It looks kind of nice. What can you tell us about this bike? Maybe others will recognize them, but do you have any info on the components or tubing? Your idea is certainly better than the idea of getting a new bike from walmart or the like: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...ad-bike-3.html

Homebrew01

Looks like a good deal. Get it, IF IT FITS

Looks about a 60 cm or so, probably for someone 6 feet - 6' 2" (rough guess)

Athens80

The BikeForums consensus is always that a good used bike is better than a cheap new bike. No doubt at a sub $300 price.

You want a bike that fits and a bike that works.

rms13

$190 euros sounds like a good deal but I don't know where you live and what the bike market is like. It has to fit you as others mentioned. A good steel frame will last forever but since it's been sitting that long expect to replace all the cables, tires and tunes at a minimum. Possibly need to replace chain and freewheel. On older bikes like that parts are pretty cheap.

kingfishr

It is the optimal solution. If you get passed by riders faster than you, you can say it is because you have an old bike. If you pass others it is because you are such a strong rider.

LesterOfPuppets

She's a beauty! I'd prefer that over many modern bikes. As others have said, be careful on the fit.

Assuming 8-speed cluster, if 1995 year is correct, I'd look for some 8-speed brifters for it.

Not everyone likes that style of pedal, but I find them quite nice with running shoes.