Should I buy an old bike or a new bike?

neil_sheehan2000

Evening all,

(Wasn't sure if this shold go in Buying Advice or not, since it is a very generic question...)

After many years of mountain biking I've developed a dangerous fancy for getting a road bike. However, I really don't want to spend much money so I'm going for a 2nd hand number. I really like the look of those old racers you see on e-bay that are at least 20 years old, but was wondering if getting one of these as my first road bike would be a mistake (notice how I said 'first' there, as if to imply there would be more? God, this is how it begins, isn't it...)

I mean, I wouldn't take a 20 year old mountain bike down a mountain if you paid me, but would there be much disadvantage with an old bike on the road? Apart from things that I'm not realy bothered about (yet) such as bits made of carbon and such, has anything really changed over the decades, or am i right in thinking that so long as the bearings are okay and the thing doesn't collapse, a sub-£200 bike that was made round about the middle of the last century will do me fine- at least until I find myself buying a heart rate monitor or shaving my legs?

Ta.

kingrollo

an old steel will bike will generally be fine. but bear in mind you can get a new alu bike for about £300 - with STI shifters and the like !

neil_sheehan2000

kingrollo wrote:

but bear in mind you can get a new alu bike for about £300 - with STI shifters and the like !

I had thought about that, yes. I'd also thought about the cycle to work scheme that's available to me and had started thinking about which Chris Boardman bike would trap me in my job for the next year (our scheme is H*lfords only). My gut instinct though is that an almost comically old bike will just have a bit more class than a new one that's just, well, cheap.

So if there's no real disadvantage to getting an old bike, I think I'll do that.

System_1

Why don't you get a new bike that looks like an old one if it's just the style and looks you prefer. Something like a Condor Classico or a Fuji Connoisseur for instance. I'm sure there are others.

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed your £200 budget. Good luck.

DeepRoad

neil_sheehan2000 wrote:

[I'd also thought about the cycle to work scheme that's available to me and had started thinking about which Chris Boardman bike would trap me in my job for the next year

How about a virtually new Boardman bike, for around the same price as cycle-to-work, without having to lock into a cycle-to-work contract?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0341435479

(it's mine)...

dinosaur

I bought a late-80s steel road bike at the beginning of the year and have been running around Essex and London on it ever since. It cost me £130 but I upgraded it from 7 speed with down tube shifters to 9 speed campag ergo levers. Still under £200.

I love it and think it looks much nicer than alu/carbon but I'm sure it's not a "better" bike than those. It's certainly not lighter. Like I say though, I love it and have no plans to upgrade to alu or carbon (this year at least).

You probably know this already but all old steel bikes aren't created equal. First thing to know is that there are different grades of steel - if you are going to use it for long rides then you probably want something at least as good as Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL steel.

Then there's the frame spacing for the rear wheel: older bikes have a narrower space (for fewer gears), 9/10-speed need 130mm. If you want to upgrade you can easily spread it from 126mm (7 speed) but if you get a 5 or 6 speed then it will only be 120mm so will need to be cold set (by a shop I guess).

As it happens, this month's cycling plus has an article comparing a 20 year old Pearson steel road bike with the latest top end Pearson carbon bike with campag super record. I'm sure you can guess which one was quicker (it was about £5k worth of bike though!)

roger_merriman

the main issue is non indexed downtube shifters and quite often some fairly silly gearing. with the old bike i have it's no collectors item so i've had modern brakes/gearing wheels fitted though i still use downtube shifters but they are modern index ones. the frame though no light weight rides well, and i like the old girl. but she's no racer.

neil_sheehan2000

Cheers for the tips, chaps.

For some reason the 5/6 speed issue had not occurred to me at all. Didn't consider non-indexed gears, either, although I imagine that's a problem that's easier to solve (in my mind all road bikes are like that anyway- I've had a couple before, but it was way back before I knew anything about bikes. I had a Bianchi of some description once, but no idea what it meant...)

Now I just need to trawl ebay for something suitable that isn't pick-up only from somewhere in the Midlands (have a look for yourself, they all seem to say that!).

bice

I've an Italian Columbus EL (extra leggero = light) steel that weighs the same as an alu/carbon fork Trek 1.7. It's no slower, and absorbs road rumble beautifully. It is a far classier and better made frame. So steel is still a valid choice, though not for racing (it is heavier than full carbon).

One tip, if you are relatively short (c5.8) look at women's bikes which sell for nothing second hand. Generally just neglected rather than thrashed.

Headhuunter

neil_sheehan2000 wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

but bear in mind you can get a new alu bike for about £300 - with STI shifters and the like !

I had thought about that, yes. I'd also thought about the cycle to work scheme that's available to me and had started thinking about which Chris Boardman bike would trap me in my job for the next year (our scheme is H*lfords only). My gut instinct though is that an almost comically old bike will just have a bit more class than a new one that's just, well, cheap.

So if there's no real disadvantage to getting an old bike, I think I'll do that.

You have to bear in mind though, that just as now, there were cheap and cheerful bikes made 20 years ago too. Whilst a Reynolds tubed, double butted, quality crafted, lugged, steel framed bike from the 1980s might be a good bet in comparison to a modern Boardman, a cheapo, unknown branded 1980s "gas tube" steel framed "racer" will still be cheap AND old in 2009 and most probably on its last legs by now in which case you'd be better off with the Boardman. If you're going to get a steel framed bike from the 80s, do some research and find something that was top quality in its day rather than buying something that was rubbish back then and is still rubbish now.

Bristol Exile

Go second hand if you are on a budget, Ebay is good if you know what you need size wise and have a decent knowledge of bikes in general.

Patience is the key, i saw a gorgeous De Rosa Al+ go for a song on there recently, wanted to buy it but the Mrs pointed out that 3 bikes is too many as we are about to convert the garage to a day room.

Look for poorly advertised ones ending at strange times, they will normally go for an amount below what they are worth

munchbunch

Long term, a new (or relativly new) bike will serve you better as a starter road bike to be honest.

This is not to say that there aren't great old bikes out there, there are. And many people, myself included, love riding them. But I don't reccomend starting out on one.

Also, because of their popularity for fixed gear/ single speed conversions, good old frames are not as cheap as you would imagine a 20 year old piece of steel should be.

Finally, speaking as someone who has attempted to refurbish and use 70s friction shifters in the last year: they are rubbish! Avoid like the plague.

bice

Friction shifters are too simple to get worked up about, surely? I use them on a five speed with no problem. I agree on a road bike with more than say six gears they would be a pain.

CyclingBantam

neil_sheehan2000 wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

but bear in mind you can get a new alu bike for about £300 - with STI shifters and the like !

I had thought about that, yes. I'd also thought about the cycle to work scheme that's available to me and had started thinking about which Chris Boardman bike would trap me in my job for the next year (our scheme is H*lfords only). My gut instinct though is that an almost comically old bike will just have a bit more class than a new one that's just, well, cheap.

So if there's no real disadvantage to getting an old bike, I think I'll do that.

Just so you know, Hellfrauds can get just about any bike you want for the Cycle to Work Scheme. You just have to phone them and they will order it for you. It doesn't have to be bikes they stock.

I got a lovely Viner from them. Yeah the set up of the bike they do is terrible (I had to explain which way round the pedals went on!) but you or the LBS can sort that out easily.

Headhuunter

munchbunch wrote:

Long term, a new (or relativly new) bike will serve you better as a starter road bike to be honest.

This is not to say that there aren't great old bikes out there, there are. And many people, myself included, love riding them. But I don't reccomend starting out on one.

Also, because of their popularity for fixed gear/ single speed conversions, good old frames are not as cheap as you would imagine a 20 year old piece of steel should be.

Finally, speaking as someone who has attempted to refurbish and use 70s friction shifters in the last year: they are rubbish! Avoid like the plague.

I agree, decent old steel frames no longer go for nothing as every Tom, DIck and Harry has jumped on the classic bike/fixie band wagon. As for friction shifters I find them absolutely fine. I grew up with them and use them on one of my commuter bikes. They are effective and virtually maintenance free....

neil_sheehan2000

Quick update:

I got bored of searching ebay, so just asked my dad what he had spare (he's been riding for at least 65 years so he's got a couple of bikes knocking about). He's considering which one he wants to give me but has narrowed it down to 2- either a Merckx from the 80's, or 'the red one' (neither one of us can remember what make it is but I do remember some retro geek getting rather exited about it when my dad rode it at Pedal for Scotland last year). Problem is my dad's about 5 inches shorter than I am so the bike will more than likely be too small. And I won't be able to get down and retrieve it for a month. Still, it's a start, and it's free...