Classic Road Bikes
Mark1889
Posts: 19
After a cursory glance at eBay I note you can get a load f classic bikes (for me classic is defined as 30 years+, gears switched on the frame) for cheap.
All of these bikes are pre-my birth...
So tempted to buy one and ride the hell out of it/do it up... but I'm guessing there is a reason they are outdated. They look beautiful though!
All of these bikes are pre-my birth...
So tempted to buy one and ride the hell out of it/do it up... but I'm guessing there is a reason they are outdated. They look beautiful though!
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Get one, you'll have so much fun on it!
Ok so the downtube shifters may take some getting used to and the lack of low gears give you that authentic 80s leg burn but its a bike that will just keep on going. As long as it's Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL and there's no visible damage to the frame (especially behind the head tube) or rust then it will be responsive enough for club riding and even racing.0 -
TonyJams wrote:Get one, you'll have so much fun on it!
Ok so the downtube shifters may take some getting used to and the lack of low gears give you that authentic 80s leg burn but its a bike that will just keep on going. As long as it's Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL and there's no visible damage to the frame (especially behind the head tube) or rust then it will be responsive enough for club riding and even racing.
Won;t be this month's pay-packet.
Knowing my buying habits it will be on a slight back-burner/a drunken eBay purchase but yes, I think I should.
May be quite a nice feeling to get it all done up too!0 -
I have a Peugeot Vitus running full Shimano 600 and old Skool Mavics with tubs - sunny Sunday bike. Immaculate.
Nowhere as near as good as anything modern but so cool to cut along on and very fulfilling to ride.
Buy one, do it up, keep it forever - you won't regret it.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Matthewfalle wrote:I have a Peugeot Vitus running full Shimano 600 and old Skool Mavics with tubs - sunny Sunday bike. Immaculate.
Nowhere as near as good as anything modern but so cool to cut along on and very fulfilling to ride.
Buy one, do it up, keep it forever - you won't regret it.
Yeah - this is kinda exactly what i was thinking... even if it is a few years product I (hopefully) have a few lifetimes of cycling infront of me...0 -
It's worth doing - it's all good hairmless fun.
I have a Basso Ascot in the loft that needs a full resto - it's really tatty - but that's a £900 frame and forks that I got for nothing, so no rush to do it properly.
You could always resto mod it and make it a very cool every day bike like I'm doing with Dirk.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
A good age to look out for is late 90's. many bikes from then will take a 9 speed block (either directly or after cold setting), ride well and yet still look nicely dated without weighing 10 tonnes. The classic brands will hold their value so are going to be tricky to pick up cheap (things like Vitus, Mercian, Holdsworth, etc.) but the key is just to be patient and then move quickly when you find the right bike. I am fortunate to have been left a couple of old bikes by my late FIL, Alan '87 and a Mercian Strada '99. So, frictionless mode downtube shifters on a Campag/Stronglight combo on the former and Record carbon brifters on a Record/Veloce/Chorus mashup on the latter. Going 9 speed means that there is a very good selection of gear out there (used, NOS and new) that will help you enjoy the riding, which is the point really (using a 39/25 or even 39/28 to get up a hill rather than struggle on 44/23 will massively increase the number of miles ridden through choice).
There are a lot of good modern wheelsets out there will help to complete the 'look' without staying too formal in terms of age. Anything silver and box section works, so Open Pro or Excellights, etc. Finally, stick some tan wall Corsa G+ on and you will feel like you are flying!
Retrobike is good for asking around and often has guys selling gear at very good prices...0 -
My favorite bike to ride is an early 80s F Moser frame, which I built up with 9 speed silver Veloce and some wheels I made with rims from a bikejumble sale. The rest was from bits I found in the back of the garage. I must have spent about £400 in total, but could have saved half that if I'd gone the ebay route for the groupset, and didn't buy the pantoed stem.
It is a bit heavier than modern bikes, the frame (Columbus SLX) has a bit more flex in it, but it fits me perfectly and is a real eye turner. Here's an image taken the day after I built it up, "Francesco and Freddie" in Montreux.
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Ride wise, whats the difference between this and your standard carbon bike? Anyone want to share their best times for a road bike 10 mile TT or ascents of box hill etc for each of their bikes?0
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Depends on what you want. As with most things, you pay more for big brands, but there are beautiful handcrafted frames out there that are just as good as a Colnago or Merckx, if not better. 531 and similar is good if you want something springy and comfortable, whereas newer frames in heat treated steels (753,853,Nivacrom,etc) should be stiffer and lighter. Road frames from the late '80s onwards also tend to have 130 rear spacing, braze ons, and usually common seatpost sizes. Look out for bespoke details and distinctive features - nice lugwork or lugless construction, close clearances, unusual geometry, etc - there's a world of difference between something bespoke and a bog standard mass production frame.0
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Lots of interesting comments, like the idea of late 90's bikes!
I always though of getting a Raleigh as to me that's a 'traditional' name, any views on those?0 -
I had a Banana Team replica in 531c throughout.Mark1889 wrote:Lots of interesting comments, like the idea of late 90's bikes!
I always though of getting a Raleigh as to me that's a 'traditional' name, any views on those?
Very springy. Could almost throw me off with the rebound from a pothole.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
There does seem to be a vast range of prices for vintage bikes on fleabay - I too have been buzzing around the old steel to see if I could possible pick up a bargain, but something I don't really know is how the sizing compares to the more modern frames - most of the sizes I see are 56 seat-tube or longer. I would normally take a 52, so should I be looking at the very few frames that are around 52, or does the relatively horizontal top tube mean I could get away with a larger size?
Most of the vintage frames I see tend to have very little seatpost showing, which I suppose makes a difference? How do peoples old frame sizes compare to their newer frames?0 -
You will also notice that they usually have shorter stems as well which would explain the larger frame sizes.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
TonyJams wrote:Ride wise, whats the difference between this and your standard carbon bike? Anyone want to share their best times for a road bike 10 mile TT or ascents of box hill etc for each of their bikes?
There won't be much in it. I've seen the Sky Team Pinarello reviewed in a news paper and the guy rode a Box Hill Circuit in 56 mins I think.
A few weeks later he did the same circuit in 59 mins on a Brompton.0
