my new bike

baked potato

HI,
Have just been bought a bike from a mate and am new to road biking so looking for info/advice about this particular specimen.

The bike in question is an ALAN TOPCROSS cyclocross bike. Alloy and carbon frame approx 8-9 kilos. Chrome finish, 16 gears.

Under the crank it is stamped --- ING--- 58x57--- TOL--- 151371--

If anyone can help me my question is this;

Do the last three digits on the serial no. mean it was built in March 1971?

As I am new to this sort of cycling, am I riding an early example that should be in a musuem, riding a classic bike that should belong to someone who appreciates it or speeding along on an old deathtrap?

Should I sell it and get a modern bike or is it a case of the oldies are just as good as the new ones?

would appreciate any info, cheers

wheezee

No idea about your particular bike, but a cyclocross bike is designed to race off road.

ALaPlage

Can't answer your query about the model of bike however a cyclocross bike is a good mix for road and offroad. Essentially it is a road bike but will be able to take wider tyres so you can put wider knobbly tyres on if you plan to ride tow paths or go cross country! With road tyres on then it will be fine for the road. Probably you will have the cables running along the top of the top tube - this is for cyclocross when you have to carry the bike you avoid handling the cables. Standard road bikes have the cables running under the top tube.

The other difference if the bike is set up as a cyclocross bike will be with the gearing. Cyclocross bikes tend to have smaller front cranks and bigger sprockets at the back.

If you only plan to ride on the road and will do a lot of that then it may make sense to swap it for a road bike. That said a lot of roadies have a cyclocross bike as their "second" bike for winter training.

Hope you enjoy.

baked potato

thanks, appreciate the info. BP

thel33ter

Pictures would help ID the age.