MIDAS Road bike

[pat mustard]

This is my first post here so, hello. I signed up basically to ask about a bike I'm considering buying. I have searched google and various forums but I can't find anything about this bike brand, MIDAS.
The bike is a vintage road bike which looks like it was probably made at some point in the 80's. There is no Reynolds sticker on the bike so I cant be sure what sort of steel the frame is made from. However its really light and the way the sections of the frame are joined makes me suspect Reynolds 531.
The bike has not been used for years but its been offered to me for sale. I have never had a road bike but have wanted one for some time so this good be a good opportunity to try road cycling out without spending too much money on it.

Can anyone tell me anything about the brand or what it might be worth?

Thanks.

 

[pat mustard]

Anybody?

 

[oldbobcat]

Since you insist, I'll reply. Never heard of it. Sorry. It might help if you posted a couple photos of it.

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. On many vintage bikes of unknown character, you can get a sense of where it once may have been in the range of plebeian-to-professional based on the components the bike had-or-has on it when it came from the shop.

VERY roughly ...

• Campagnolo Nuovo Record, or equivalent ... semi-custom to custom

• Other Campagnolo or Shimano Dura Ace or SunTour V-something-or-other but weighing in at about 21-to-24 +/- lbs ... a notch down ...

• Lesser stuff ... a lesser grade of bike.

Better components sometimes-or-often replace lesser components ...

Rarely are lesser quality components used as replacements for what are otherwise better quality components.

 

[pat mustard]

I got a couple last time I saw it. They are not very detailed though. I didnt look at the gears etc but the gear levers look like they say campagnolo.

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. Because 'I' am amongst those for whom steel bicycles frames are generally worth considering ...

AND, because the MIDAS frame appears to be well crafted ...

• that actually looks like a pretty nice fork

If I were 5'11", or taller, then 'I' would not have qualms about buying the bike for anything up to $200US because a good, vintage steel frame is easily worth that much, IMO (to me!?!)... possibly more ... definitely, for less.

• a very GOOD off-the-peg steel Road frame could cost you $800-to-$2000+, new ...
• figure $200-to-$500+ for a slightly more modest, contemporary steel frame/fork

• However, be advised that there are others who wouldn't pay $50 for a used bike of that vintage ... and, they may be wiser!

The bike needs SOME maintenance and/or having some of the components updated ...

• excluding tires-and-tubes AND (possibly) a different saddle (due to differences in rider preferences), for the cost of the bike + ~$200* + a small amount of DIY effort, you could have a VERY contemporary, nice riding bike ...

* $200 will buy you a pair of 10-speed Campagnolo shifters (on eBay) + a new 7-speed SunRace Freewheel + (if needed) a suitable Shimano rear derailleur -- THAT combination will work together.

• downtube cable stops which used to be included with shifters are an 'extra' which you will need to source

IMO, after "updating" (of course, the bike could be provisionally ridden as-is after minimal, requisite maintenance), you would need to spend well over $1000 to get a comparably equipped bike from a shop ...

Of course, you could end up spending MORE than $200 on 'extra; components ...

BTW. There are those who will say that once you are in the $400+ range that you should be looking at a NOS bike from a shop ...

BUT, those bikes (sub-$800 MSRP) will generally have woefully low-end (but, good if not neglected) components & questionable (IMO) indexed shifters which will be 'okay' for Flatlanders or people who never venture out of their neighborhoods or who limit their riding to bike paths (there is NOTHING wrong with limiting one's riding to those venues, BTW -- the bike should-and-only-needs-to fit the individual rider's needs).

 

[pat mustard]

Thanks very much for the reply. Lots of useful information. I got a closer look today and the running gear is all Campagnolo, although not Nuovo Record. Seems like a good bike. The rear derailleur looks exactly like this http://images.canadianlisted.com/nlarge/vintage-campagnolo-victory-rear-derailleur-mid-80s-5-to-7-speeds-15-richmond_8176503.jpg

Thanks again.

 

[pat mustard]

One thing I still cant figure out is the frame. There is no Reynolds sticker so I have no way of telling what tubing it is. I reckon it could be 531, or at the very least 501 given the quality of the running gear........

 

[oldbobcat]

It's a weird mutt, but it looks of decent quality. I say Reynolds 531 decals are overrated. This bike comes from a period when decent tubes of varying lightness and stiffness were coming from all parts of the globe. I'm looking at the quality of the fork crown, the finishing of the lugs, and the bend of the fork blades, and thinking it doesn't look bad at all.

I'll bet the cables are rusted, the bearings crusty, and the tires dry and cracking. Strip the frame down, clean it, and and put it back together with new cables and rubber. It looks like it would be a decent ride with some TLC.

 

[pat mustard]

Cool, I think I probably will

 

[giboxescalls]

yes,I'll reply. Never heard of it. Sorry. It might help if you posted a couple photos of it.thank you