Heard of this ?

[Hohenidoom]

Recently, on a routine trip from Leeds I hit some debris on a long decent and came off my bike. All was well as it was gone two in the morning, however further down the road, my chain decided that it was about time it went on strike, and promptly snapped itself in half. This, combined with the fact I'd just lost a rear mech to wear, the bearings being shot and the bike being generally tatty, I opted to buy myself a new one.

After several hours browsing the classified, I came across this, a rather tidy looking "Klasse" ten speed, seems like an absolute steal at the price they want, looks tidy, too.

However, I've never heard of a "Klasse", and nor can I find any trace of it online. I assume it's a cheap Dept. store makeover - anyone else have any ideas ?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/klasse-west-german-classic-vintage-retro-road-bike/1211625003

 

[Brandane]

Those look like Simplex derailleurs, as fitted to my 1976 Puch Alpine. Other bits of the bike look like they are from the same era; so a 70's vintage bike is what it would appear to be. Whether it's a good quality bike, or old gas pipes welded together is another matter. Someone else will no doubt be along shortly to clarify.

 

[classic33]

"Jenia,
your new bike appears to be a late 1970s/early 1980s model. Five-speed shifting became common only in the late 1970s. The bike also has a few telltale plastic parts (lamp, handlebar reflector) that appeared in the late seventies. A late 1960s bike would have been all metal and no plastic (apart from the tires etc). Most 1960s and 1970s bikes were either single speed or featured a three-speed Sachs Torpedo hub (the German equivalent of a Sturmey Archer hub).

Most German bikes of the period were equipped with that little lock welded to the frame. Ironically many of these workhorse bikes were called 'Luxus-Klasse' (luxury class), even though these steeds were none too luxurious. 'Westdeutsches Markenrad' means 'West German brand bicycle', which in turn means that the bike was manufactured by a real bike manufacturer and sold in a real bike store, as opposed to a cheapo supermarket bike. From the look of the bike, I'd guess it sold for about 200 to 300 marks at the time, roughly between 150 and 220 US dollars in today's money. I owned a very similar bike in high school that cost 250 marks.

To answer your question: The frame should be fine for touring, but you might encounter the dreaded shimmy. The frame probably feels wobbly if you carry a heavy load. If you're planning only weekend tours, the bike will probably do just fine. If you're planning a longer trip I'd definitely replace the brakes (or at least the brake pads) and consider buying new wheels.

Hope this helped a little,
Carsten"

P.S. The firm appears to be still in business. Apparently a very small family-owned firm based in the Ruhr valley near the city of Dortmund. The boss goes by the name of Ralf G. Bachtenkirch. He is listed in the Yellow Pages. I guess these days his bikes are made in China.
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum/board/message/?message_id=70178

Dialling code on the shop is wrong.

 

[biggs682]

a nice clean example of an ideal commuting machine

 

[Cycleops]

Nothing special but looks clean and tidy and should provide a solid mount.

You could call it 'Myleen'

 

[Hohenidoom]

Update : I've got the bike, and my God does it feel well built (read; like a brick shithouse).

It'll be an ideal commuter methinks

 

[Fab Foodie]

For £90, that's brilliantly retro and very tidy too!
Weren't road bars narrow back then!

 

[TheDoctor]

Looks very tidy. Haven't seen a Simplex rear mech in ages!
I'd consider putting a modern dual-pivot front brake on though. Brakes have improved out of all recognition in the last 30 years.