The orginal poster, Bang0Bang00, brought up concerns about the WEIGHT of vintage bikes.
You will find that VINTAGE, lower level steel frame road bikes from PANASONIC, FUJI, RALEIGH(usa) and others from the 1978 thru 1986 era are LIGHTWEIGHT. Even those from '78 thru '84 that had steel wheels as standard equipment, the heaviest of those ONLY weigh 32 pounds MAXIMUM, and some like the 1979 Raleigh Grand Prix and 1979 Raleigh Record Ace weigh only 29 pounds Maximum and 30 pounds Maximum, respectively WITH THEIR STOCK CHROMED STEEL WHEELS (27 x 1 1/4 , 32-630 tires).
The reason that I am pointing this out is that these RALEIGH USA 1979 models that I specifically mention are Fantastic bicycles for changing from the Drop Bar(racing bars) to THE VELO-ORANGE alloy Tourist bars which look like a Schwinn northroads bars that came on such models as the Schwinn Collegiate/Suburban/Breeze/Speedster/ 1960'sVarsity Tourist, etc.
THE ELECTRA TOWNIE weighs in the neighborhood of 34.5 pounds, which is very close to the weight of vintage Women's Schwinn Collegiate five speed from 1974. The Electra Townie in my opinion DOES NOT have nearly as useful GEARING as those 1979 RALEIGH USA grand prix , and 1979 RALEIGH USA record ace, Ten Speed bikes have.
SIMPLY CHANGE FROM DROP BARS to TOURIST BARS and change the Seat to a Tourist Style Springer Saddle Seat, and you'll have a GREAT Bicycle that is so much better than the Electra Townie.
***Most Every lower line, steel road bike, made between 1979 and 1986, that features Stem Mounted Shifters (friction) and "Turkey" dual brake levers on Drop Bars, WILL BE AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR ADOPTING AN UPRIGHT TOURIST-STYLE RIDE because of the frame geometry of those bicycles in general and because of their relatively long wheelbases (and the shape/style of the front forks of bikes of that era...).
Now, I did choose these two 1979 RALEIGH USA bicycles for a reason.
They have WIDE RANGE (suntour) 34 to 14 teeth at the rear wheel, and you have a 52 teeth/42 teeth -Double-, up front that makes up the TEN SPEED configuration. Crank arms are 165mm length which are suitable for most anybody. The Derailleurs are the excellent maeda SUNTOUR components. Japanese reliability and not the junky French or Italian components that certain vintage afficionados seem to drool over even though the "C" stuff and "H" stuff from continental Europe is junk by comparison. There is a reason that by 1977 or so that everyone had mostly adopted Shimano or Suntour because they were better at any price than the classic European ones.
LOOK FOR LOWER LINE ROAD BIKES from FUJI, PANASONIC, RALEIGH USA, BRiDGESTONE/Kabuki, and the other many Japanese/Taiwan brands-makers during the EARLY 1980's era to about 1986 or so. Even Peugeot is good enough from the mid 1980's era when they became more "standard" and less unique as far as the components/accesories.
What You Want To LOOK FOR IS Road Bikes with STEM Shifters and "Turkey" Levers, preferrably with ALUMINUM 27" (27 x 1 1/4.....32-630mm) WHEELS. (***you're gonna convert the bike to Northroads bar and springSaddle upright seating so the STEM shifters are needed----The Turkey Levers and the drop bars will be REMOVED...........Turkey Levers were standard on this grade of road bike from about 1969(first was schwinn) through the mid 1980's***) The Aluminum wheels will provide better BRAKING power, especially in Wet conditions than a Chromed Steel Wheel. By 1984 or 1985, even the most low line, base model road bikes, typically began to come standard with aluminum wheels.
The steel frames remained traditional mostly in geometry such that they lend themselves to making excellent TOURIST-UPRIGHT bicycles by simply changing the HANDLEBARS and the SEAT. Focusing on the lower line Road Bikes, you'll find STEM SHIFTERS which are desireable for TOURIST use, and you'll find more traditional, longer wheelbase frames, with geometry that works great for tourist use. The serious, much more expensive Road Bikes in the line-up may have more responsive, shorter wheelbased frames that are perhaps superb for racing in the hands of an expert rider, but are not suited for tourist-novice use.
Now, I am not going to argue about how "UNCOOL" it might be to be riding some road-bike of 40 years ago with Northroads-Tourist bars and a Spring saddle seat, but I will argue that it does make for a better bicycle than the TOWNIE, in both overall cost and Durability.
You have a great many traditional frame size options and ladies frames and mixte frames too. Bicycles in the 28 pound to 32 pound total weight range, with a few from the 1985-1986 era in perhaps the 26.6 to 27.4 pound total weight range.
There are a few that you can already find as originally sold in the upright Tourist configuration......depends largely on the manufacturer and year offered.
SUNTOUR and SHIMANO derailleurs that are bulletproof and rugged enough to as the Timex watch ads once said....."to take a licking and keep on....flawlessly shifting. Yes, it is Friction shifting, but how hard is it to move a lever back and forth......... Ten Speed, or Twelve Speed is more than adequate for even the most serious of riders. Yes, it isn't fashionable perhaps to be seen on any bike older than a decade, much less something nearly four decades old, but these old bicycles have their merits and the build quality of their components are top-notch, even at the lowest catalog line at that time. You don't need a super-light road bike for recreational riding. The heavier lower line, steel-framed road bikes of that era are very fine substitutes for bikes like the Electra Townie, when the ancient road bike is set up with TOURIST HANDLEBARS(northroads) and a upright seating, Spring Saddle Seat.
See the VELO-ORANGE alloy tourist handlebars.........see also an old seventies era Schwinn Suburban's handlebars...
https://velo-orange.com/products/vo-...lebar-22-2-dia
https://www.thebikelane.com/product/...r-295097-1.htm
1979 Raleigh USA ...Grand Prix (29 pounds with STEEL Wheels) and Record Ace (30 pounds with STEEL wheels) specifications:
http://www.kurtkaminer.com/1979raleighcat_us_11_lg.jpg
'The Headbadge': 1979 Raleigh Catalog - USA
See the Raleigh Sprite 10 (Tourist) as a visual example perhaps of the TOURIST set up, although you'll have to check and see if the Sprite 10 tourist had the quality SUNTOUR wide range gears and SUNTOUR derailleurs (or perhaps Japanese quality from shimano...) instead of the European garbage derailleurs that Raleigh and others had been using prior to the late seventies.
I am simply saying that it is so incredibly simple to change a steel-roadbike that has typical 27 x 1 1/4 (32-630) tires and stem shifters, to a Tourist style bike with upright spring saddle seat and handlebars robbed from a Schwinn Breeze, Collegiate, Suburban...etc or a VELO ORANGE alloy tourist bar, or something from the WALD handlebar line, or most any ancient cruiser........assuming the bars fit the diameter of the stem's clamp. Heck, you can even find Peugeot tourist bars from a Peugeot bicycle from the era when Peugeot used unique sizing to make the unique sized era Peugeot with drop bars into a Tourist style bike. Peugeot made a large amount of mixte frames that had beautiful graphics and frame colors and were popular with the ladies in the seventies. There are certain unique "Issues" with such old Peugeot models that may make them undesireable to many folks..................issues with the stem possibly in a worse case....detaching..... They are pretty bicycles that are excellent if you do know exactly what you're dealing with but unless you wish to become "schooled" in the world of Peugeot, you may want to consider only mid eighties and later examples when they became "standardized" to most other brands in the industry.
Vintage electro-forged Schwinn lightweights (built in Chicago) are perhaps TOO HEAVY at between 37 to 40.5 pounds depending on whether Women's step through or regular Men's frame and whether it is a five speed configuration or 10 speed configuration. The front forks as seen on the SUBURBAN and the CONTINENTAL have a Tubular front fork which is significantly lighter than the Forged Blade Fork that is seen on the VARSITY/COLLEGIATE/Breeze/Speedster and other single speed bikes...
These Chicago Schwinns are durable and simple. The 1970 through 1977 FIVE SPEED Suburbans and the 1970 through 1977 five speed Collegiates are the BEST electroforged multi-speed bicycles that Schwinn ever produced. The Collegiate five speed of 1970-1977 is the most comfortable, rolls-royce like riding of any of them. It is the 37-597mm (26") tires and the Model J , shimano wide gearing and shimano built for schwinn derailleur. The 27" , 32-630 mm Suburban five speed has a good ride and the exact same Model J, shimano stuff. The ten speeds have the french stuff (model F) like the Varsity/Continental which don't equal Shimano quality.
SCHWINN did import PANASONIC made bicycles that would meet your WEIGHT criteria but the acquisition cost of a Schwinn World Voyageur or a Schwinn Voyageur II from the 1972 - 1976 era might be expensive. The 1974 Schwinn LeTour, also from Panasonic was heavier at around 32 to 33 pounds with its stock steel wheels and all. The LeTour of the mid seventies and later variants can be found often for next to nothing. Schwinn had other later Panasonic and Giant built bicycles that are lighter and can be found often for next to nothing.........($40 to $80 in rideable condition). As with other brands, the closer that you get to 1985, the greater likelyhood that you have aluminum wheels standard and still have stem shifters and turkey levers on drop bars and the ten or 12 speed configuration, still with 27" wheels (32-630mm). Weight range(total weight) should typically be in the 28 to 30 pound range for these IMPORTED Schwinn badged products of circa 1984. You'll likely find that say the 1977 Schwinn Superior weighs less than that but that wasn't an economy/base line import.
Investigate and you'll find plenty of Japanese and Asian made ten and twelve speeds of the late seventies into the mid 1980's that have superb SUNTOUR derailleurs, or excellent Shimano derailleurs. It is easy enough to change such a model that may have DOWNTUBE shifters to a STEM based shifter.
Roadies, not the folks who work for McCartney or The Rolling Stones, but the colorful spandex wearing Tri competing people, will find such a modification, a cardinal sin for which you could be excommunicated from the Roadie religion. Stem shifter will work better for Tourist configuration.......vintage road bike with spring saddle seat and Velo-Orange alloy Tourist bars, or something northroads from an old bike.
Some people will argue that you don't have too many Tire choices in the (32-630mm) 27 x 1 1/4 wheel size. That is baloney! Yeah, your local bike shop is not gonna stock 27" tires because their survival is based on selling their inventory of brand new bicycles. Not carrying the 27" tires does indeed help persuade the old bike hold-outs to perhaps consider purchasing a new bike, or perhaps a newer used bicycle, or to possibly "Upgrade"....
There are plenty of adequate 27" tire choices for tourist riding and even a few that you could ride in a triathlon, assuming that you were riding a vintage bike.
There is nothing wrong with the tire quality or tire selection in the 27 x 1 1/4 (32-630mm) size today. You're not likely to find a decent example at Wal-Mart or Target store, but from many major online bicycle parts sellers/online bike shops/amazon & the bay, you'll find more than a half dozen quality tires that are available brand new today at a very reasonable cost. Sure, some may fudge a bit on the true width (varies by brand, etc) but if you google reviews and specs before buying, you should know what to expect.
I am not saying that an OLD VINTAGE steel ROADBIKE converted to TOURIST Configuration and upright seating is for everyone to do.
This just offers someone an alternative. Yes, old is old and depending on condition and care that was given to said ancient bicycle under it's prior ownership can and will likely have significant impact on your satisfaction of said ancient bicycle. Those that desire a perfectly tuned, everything perfect at first sight, bicycle, should look no further than a brand new bicycle from a bike shop that really places the customer first and provides service after the sale. That is always why bike shop new is far superior to USED and/or VINTAGE OLD, and INTERNET/Dept Store NEW for those people that do not have the skills/knowledge/ time/patience to research and learn.
Someone may already have a decent steel roadbike candidate in their garage or basement or that of a family member or next door neighbor. Sure, the bike shops want to sell you new bikes just like the GM and FORD dealers want to sell you new SUV's and pickup trucks. $65,000 for a loaded FORD F150 pickup truck but you can find an old F150 for $16,500 that will haul grass sod, dirt, rocks, and also your garbage to the dump. That $16,500 old F150 will likely look decent enough in your driveway. Expect it to break-down as often as all FORD/GM/Fiat Chrysler products do, but you'll be able to manage that problem as there are O'Reilleys, NAPA, Advance, Auto Zone, Car quest, on every major road street corner. Bicycles are better built than cars and trucks made in Detroit. As with cars, you probably can spend a fortune and get certain fragile machinery that does not last, but as with cars and other products, you do have "reports" out there that detail what is a good buy and what simply is a goodbye. Maybe no Consumer reports for bicycles but web forums such as these and google and youtube, etc and you can perhaps know enough to determine the better choices. Remember that choices will differ based on each person's intended use for said bicycle. Much depends on the person's physical capabilities/limitations/overall health and size and weight. Benjamin at 36 years old and 415 pounds may need something vastly different than Thomas at 36 years old and 174 pounds, or Jerome at 66 years old and 174 pounds.
You also would want to look at whether it is even adviseable to consider something old/used as a bicycle based on who the person using it will be.
You are better off, no matter the total cost of the new bicycle IF IT ULTIMATELY IS SAFER AND BETTER SUITED to the person riding it, and that person has no prior knowledge of anything related to maintenance/repair/tuning/adjustment of bicycles.
Such a person will likely enjoy bicycling. It matters that they have safe/totally reliable/& properly adjusted and a properly fitted bicycle so that they will be safe and secure while riding.
What matters is that you have fun and enjoy your ride, and return safely to have fun doing it again!
GET WHAT YOU WANT, BECAUSE HECK, A NEW BIKE ISN'T THAT COSTLY, WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE GOOD TIMES AND ENJOYMENT THAT IT WILL BRING YOU, assuming you do get out and ride. Don't forget your HELMET. "Don't Leave Home Without It."
Look at your bike as something that will be fun. You don't need to ride five miles or any set distance. Enjoy it and have fun.
Go as slow as you want. You're the pilot. Do obey traffic rules and perhaps learn from others what roads to avoid and/or avoid at certain times. Consider riding with a more experienced buddy/buddies on any ride on streets/roads that you are not familiar with. Always carry a fully charged phone with you and a water bottle.
Find a helmet that you find comfortable and find a seat that you like too. Have fun!