British Eagle Touristique

[John_Czr]

Hello...and thank you for letting join your forum.....my next door neighbour recently passed away and his family, knowing I was into cycling, asked if I was interested in having any of his bikes before they went into a skip.
Anyways one of the bikes is a British Eagle Touristique. It has been in his garage for a good 7 years and was a bit dusty - and I have started giving it a good clean and its come up pretty well so far. There is some very minor rust on it and all paintwork is original.

I rode it over the weekend and really surprised how easy and smooth it is and the gear change is better than i have on my modern bikes. (I am used to SPD pedals....took a while to get used to those old school pedals).

Is there any sort of interest in this bike ?

My intent is to sell it and donate the cash to the previous owners charity.

 

[John_Czr]

The frame is a Reynolds 531st by the way.

 

[Paulus]

The frame is a Reynolds 531st by the way.

Hello and welcome to the forum.
As the frame is Reynolds that would make quite a difference as to what it would make price wise.
The bike looks like a large frame, 23inch?
It would also depend on the groupset.

 

[PeteXXX]

They are lovely bikes to ride. I've had my Touristique for about 25 years..
As for present value, others might advise better than me but I saw one on the Bay for an optimistic £500 last week.
Definitely of interest to many, I reckon!

 

[Cycleops]

Hello John and to the forum.

That's a nice bike and would make a superb tourer. Reynolds ST tubing is desirable but British Eagle brand a bit less so. If it were a Galaxy it'd fly out the door which is a shame as it's a great bike.
I'm guessing the tyres are probably perished so you'd need to replace them if you want to sell it as a going concern. Maybe offer it as a 'fixer upper'. Either way I'd guesstimate £150-200.
@biggs682 might give you a better and more knowledgeable estimate of price.

 

[contadino]

They only come up for sale occasionally. I was on the lookout for a 23" one for about 18 months a few years ago after seeing a restored example on RetroBike. My mate had one (I think early 80s) and was always envious. Lovely ride. With a bit of work, that could come up really nice. I wouldn't have much of an idea on price, but they're in the same bracket as the Raleigh Randonneur I reckon.

 

[John_Czr]

Thank you for the swift replies....i saw the £500 one being advertised - thought was a bit pricey.....i think it is a 23" frame - will measure it tonight. The tyres are in remarkably good condition considering it has not seen the light of day for 7 years at least. Once I have gone over it completely I will put it up for say £300 and see what happens......can always lower the price.....

 

[Drago]

Greetings and welcome. There is a very small but rabid fanbase for British Eagle bikes. However, there is a wider fanbase for British 531 iron, so Imwould habe thought you'd have little difficulty moving it on.

No historic interest as a brand or model, but as a British made, early 90's 531 machine I reckon the £150+ ballpark is about right.

I hope I can be forgiven for mentioning another forum (the OP is raising money for charity) but the lads over on Retrobikes might be interested in this, and the few British Eagle aficionados that do exist will be found there.

 

[tomchad99]

Hi all, does anyone know what the original wheels would have been for a Touristique? They all see so jumbled ‘as original?’

 

[Cycleops]

to the forum Tom.

According to this appraisal of the Toureistique , tyres 700 X 28c, with Campag Omicron rims and RX100 hubs:

https://thevelocollective.com/british-eagle-touristique-a-classic-or-not/

 

[Jameshow]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38543904...tixoXeJTeO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Bargain for a larger rider!!

 

[Cycleops]

That's a real farm gate.

 

[goldcoastjon]

Hello...and thank you for letting join your forum.....my next door neighbour recently passed away and his family, knowing I was into cycling, asked if I was interested in having any of his bikes before they went into a skip.
Anyways one of the bikes is a British Eagle Touristique. It has been in his garage for a good 7 years and was a bit dusty - and I have started giving it a good clean and its come up pretty well so far. There is some very minor rust on it and all paintwork is original.

I rode it over the weekend and really surprised how easy and smooth it is and the gear change is better than i have on my modern bikes. (I am used to SPD pedals....took a while to get used to those old school pedals).

Is there any sort of interest in this bike ?

My intent is to sell it and donate the cash to the previous owners charity.

John - Welcome to the forum. Is the bike your size? If it fits you, why not keep it and ride it yourself? It looks like it could be a very nice ride...

Jon

 

[Fab Foodie]

I restored and rebuilt one years ago. Had the rear stays spread to take modern hub widths.
Lovely frame to ride. If it fits, it's a keeper.

 

[PeteXXX]

Here's the original catalogue for the range that I found over 10 years ago to complement my Touristique 84 that I've had for ages.

If it's of any interest I can take a close-up pic of any page.