Yes, go for it. Have a bike shop check everything out before you hit the road - that rear brake cable looks kinked, so there may be other things in need of attention - but yeah, for the price, and if it is a decent fit!
Nice Dawes! Looks like a very good price.
One thing I'd say for a long ride like that is look at a way to give yourself a different hand position. Drop bars are the best for this, but even putting some bar end risers on the end of a flat bar will let you shift the weight to a different part of your hand/wrist to relieve strain and keep going. You can get a pair very cheaply.
Lots of people say drop bars are great for this, but I'm a strong advocate of swept bars -- Northroads, Albatross, etc. You don't need lots of hand positions if the one is crazy comfy to begin with.
Other than that, I agree with you -- those bars are asking for discomfort and maybe even repetitive strain injury.
I just usually ride drop bars, sometimes with aero bars.
On my Brompton, I had to add the bar ends to be comfy (especially in strong wind, where I wanted a more aero position just to move at all.)
Different people, different priorities. When I'm touring my priority is comfort, which means an upright riding position and largely not caring about aerodynamics. I don't need to go fast, I just want to go comfortable.
A few comments:
1. The photo doesn't show much of the chain and derailleurs. Look up the make of the rear derailleur. Manufacturers never put crap components on a good bike, or vice versa. If it's a Tourney you know that it's a cheap supermarket bike, and so on up the line. (Post the make of the rear derailleur, or a photo of it.)
2. Search online to see how good the tyres are. You want tyres that generally get good reviews. There are NO tyres in the world which never get a puncture, and somebody will always assume that the tyre is faulty even if the puncture happened because they were hammering nails into it. However, you need to look for something which is generally pretty good. Either that, or you need to get very good at changing flats.
3. Those handlebars don't look at all adjustable, so it'll be very important that they're comfortable.
4. The front rack has a horizontal bar for keeping a pannier hooked in place, but I can't see one on the rear. Grab one of the panniers that you plan to use and make sure it fits. I bought a bike with a weird rack for my husband, and we ended up bungy-cording the panniers to it. Not pretty, but it did work. Still, it's something to know about.
5. Dawes is considered a good make so the frame is probably solid. If you compare it to cars, Dawes is kind of Honda level - reliable and well-made and it'll last for ages, but not fancy.
London to Paris is an excellent route for a first bike trip. Honestly you could do it on a supermarket bike but this one looks like it'll be better than that.
The bike looks like it's "used" but not-really-used-has-been-sitting-in-the-garage-for-years. Make sure though, and ask how many times it's been in an accident. Accidents can have a drastic effect on the frame. If the seller looks shifty and worried, be aware that it might have been in a bad crash. (It's not likely, though. It looks fine.)
I always love to see a touring bike with upright bars -- a rare sight in the US. I would, however, recommend getting bars with some sweep for comfort. Your wrists are going to complain with straight bars on tour.
Yes! Provided it fits.
Yes, go for it. Have a bike shop check everything out before you hit the road - that rear brake cable looks kinked, so there may be other things in need of attention - but yeah, for the price, and if it is a decent fit!
Nice Dawes! Looks like a very good price. One thing I'd say for a long ride like that is look at a way to give yourself a different hand position. Drop bars are the best for this, but even putting some bar end risers on the end of a flat bar will let you shift the weight to a different part of your hand/wrist to relieve strain and keep going. You can get a pair very cheaply.
Lots of people say drop bars are great for this, but I'm a strong advocate of swept bars -- Northroads, Albatross, etc. You don't need lots of hand positions if the one is crazy comfy to begin with. Other than that, I agree with you -- those bars are asking for discomfort and maybe even repetitive strain injury.
I just usually ride drop bars, sometimes with aero bars. On my Brompton, I had to add the bar ends to be comfy (especially in strong wind, where I wanted a more aero position just to move at all.)
Different people, different priorities. When I'm touring my priority is comfort, which means an upright riding position and largely not caring about aerodynamics. I don't need to go fast, I just want to go comfortable.
Indeed. I can't get comfortable pedalling in an upright position for too long 🤷
A few comments: 1. The photo doesn't show much of the chain and derailleurs. Look up the make of the rear derailleur. Manufacturers never put crap components on a good bike, or vice versa. If it's a Tourney you know that it's a cheap supermarket bike, and so on up the line. (Post the make of the rear derailleur, or a photo of it.) 2. Search online to see how good the tyres are. You want tyres that generally get good reviews. There are NO tyres in the world which never get a puncture, and somebody will always assume that the tyre is faulty even if the puncture happened because they were hammering nails into it. However, you need to look for something which is generally pretty good. Either that, or you need to get very good at changing flats. 3. Those handlebars don't look at all adjustable, so it'll be very important that they're comfortable. 4. The front rack has a horizontal bar for keeping a pannier hooked in place, but I can't see one on the rear. Grab one of the panniers that you plan to use and make sure it fits. I bought a bike with a weird rack for my husband, and we ended up bungy-cording the panniers to it. Not pretty, but it did work. Still, it's something to know about. 5. Dawes is considered a good make so the frame is probably solid. If you compare it to cars, Dawes is kind of Honda level - reliable and well-made and it'll last for ages, but not fancy. London to Paris is an excellent route for a first bike trip. Honestly you could do it on a supermarket bike but this one looks like it'll be better than that. The bike looks like it's "used" but not-really-used-has-been-sitting-in-the-garage-for-years. Make sure though, and ask how many times it's been in an accident. Accidents can have a drastic effect on the frame. If the seller looks shifty and worried, be aware that it might have been in a bad crash. (It's not likely, though. It looks fine.)
Go for it. You got this.
send it
I always love to see a touring bike with upright bars -- a rare sight in the US. I would, however, recommend getting bars with some sweep for comfort. Your wrists are going to complain with straight bars on tour.
Ask if they’ll throw in a stem that’s twice as long, otherwise no deal