gaucho777 

What a terrible idea! I would never take on a project if I took that approach. We are supposed to be enablers, not dissuaders.

non-fixie 

Still, "coming out ahead" isn't the reason for being for most of us on this forum. We just like the look and feel of old bikes. We hate to throw away things that are still "good". We like to prove that newer - or more expensive - isn't always better.

Case in point: I am currently building up a frame from what once was a chain store bike, which I bought as a parts donor in 2012 or so. Its brethren have ended up in landfills long before that. Yet, it is my size, its geometry is interesting and it's technically sound, so I kept it and now I'll build it.

The plan with these projects is always to keep it cheap and use what I've got. And, as always, I'll be offering up the nicest stuff from my bins, like a set of MAFAC "RAID" brakes, a Stronglight seatpost, a pair of Honjo fenders ... And, as always, I've already bought stuff especially for this build. A nice TA mini front rack is currently on its way from France, as is some leather bar tape from Poland ...

And, as always, I will have spent hundreds of dollars by the time this cheap build is finished. Coming out ahead? Not a chance.

non-fixie 

I see. Well, for me they are two different categories. I do occasionally flip a bike and make a few bucks. But those are not the bikes I want, and of course they don't get the nice brakes, tires or seatposts.

Manny66 

I was replying to ..".sunnyon"e " Spoken like a rider, not a wrencher" .

The point was that sunnyone thought I was some sort of cycling Noob . I gave a very valid reason as to why sometimes bike rebuilding/Rehabing becomes a money pit and sometimes you just got to walk away . So Yes , sometimes you got to do the Math.. I wouldnt pay $1,000 to Repaint an entry level made in Taiwan Bianchi in Celeste green .

Maybe Unless I was Elon Musk rebuilding my paper route bike .

Manny66 

Its a shame what happened to this bike . Classic 1973 Windsor with Original paint, full Campy and rode like a champ.. Except one thing , when I turned the handlebars my size 12 feet with toe XL clips always hit my front wheel, and usually at slow speed making quick turns I made a point of avoiding that , but a few times at slow speed I hit the front wheel and almost fell over .
A friend of mine bugged the sh*t out of me to sell it to him . Which I did. A month later another friend told me that he saw my old Windsor , repainted rattle can dark blue with modern Windsor ( the Chinese Brand) decals and shimano 600 parts ..I was bummed .

pepperbelly

I will take some pics this weekend of the Olmo and post them here to see what y’all think.

AdventureManCO 

Was that your Trek on the chain link fence? If so...probably fixable!

Citri-strip that bad boy, oil or gun blue finish, BAM.

jdawginsc 

Only if I wish to be skewered like shish-kabob on a hot flame... Not enough evaporust in the world able to remove the amount of rust.

Rusted through on the top tube, and bottom bracket area.

But it will be repainted with flowering vines...

Aardwolf

I'm thinking some of these bikes haven't been made for many years.
So if it's not complete trash don't junk it, if nescessary donate it to somebody who will mend it.

This is a 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone (last year):


It's now almost perfect.

randyjawa 

For me, a bike is worth restoring (actually street restoration, I don't do chrome plating EVER, but paint and art is not a problem) when it interests me, is a good fit and available cheap. Anyway, this was in rough shape and given to me for free. The interest factor was there (I am a freak for chrome plated stay socks and head tube lugs...




I test rode the bike to ensure it was a good fit and offered a decent ride quality. Once satisfied, I did this and this set me back a few hundred dollars...




Sadly, I don't even ride it. The gearing is just too much for this man's old, worn out legs...


Now, I have to decide if this is a decent fit, a bike of interest and worth the $$$ and effort to street restore...

Murray Missile 

Yup.

AdventureManCO 

A Trek in the garden is worth two in the shop

JaccoW

I think for me is when the frame has obvious structural issues or when it has some proprietary components that are impossible to replace... and I have skipped that rule in the past for really cool bikes.

But the Koga-Miyata RoadAce with the holes in the seat stays and bent chain stay is a good example of the former.




The Gazelle Friiik being an example of the latter. Still on my to-do list for later.

bboy314

I took their comment to be pointing out the difference between fixing something for profit or thriftiness, and just for enjoyment of the process when defining “value”, not calling you a noob.

iab

When I run out of money. That's when it is beyond repair,

Catnap 

There’s two kinds of repair - to the components or to the frame. In either case, if you’re doing the work, labor is free. If it’s done at a bike shop, consult them on the labor cost.

Gauging the repair cost for components is easier - you do research to determine the cost to replace the broken components, either with the same parts or new parts.

Frame repair is more costly and harder to do, as it takes more specialized knowledge and tools. Generally, unless the frame is of very high quality or especially valuable, major frame repair is not worth the effort. Dents are the easiest to fix, while structural damage is generally the hardest. Damage that compromises structural integrity, like crash damage, cracked joints, rust holes or bent tubes, will necessitate major repairs costing in the hundreds to thousands of dollars. It’s essentially like building a new frame, but with all the challenges of dealing with an old frame.

Generally, bikes that have suffered crash damage to the point that it deforms the fork or the frame (or both) are not worth repairing and not safe to ride as-is.

An “in-between” subject are issues like a stuck bottom bracket, stuck stem or seatpost, or ruined threads in the steerer tube or bottom bracket shell. There’s zillions of tutorials on how to remove stuck components - either you do it yourself and put a price on your own time, or you pay a bike store. Ruined threads might be repairable by a store, but in some cases fall into the heading of frame repair.

there’s many twists and turns beyond this basic approach, which other folks exploring those in this thread. But this was my attempt to answer your question as literally as possible.

sunnyone

I know you’re not a Noob. When it comes to biking, you’re way, way more knowledgable and experienced than I am. What i meant by my probably too terse comment was that you seem to value and enjoy riding more than wrenching. Some cyclists (me included) really enjoy wrenching, especially when restoring cool, older bikes.

randyjawa 

I can repair just about anything but some things are just not worth the effort...

Manny66 

Its all good , no harm no foul. Thats why I wrote,, "Hilarious" .

pepperbelly

Wow, mine aren’t that bad.

pepperbelly

If I decide to restore the Olmo rather than simply making it rideable are parts for old bikes difficult to find? I mean are there online stores that sell parts or will I need to scrounge each one individually?

Also-how can I find what components were on it originally?
The story on the Olmo is confusing. At one point dad was trying to find crank bearings for it. His Honda motorcycle shop started selling bicycles and parts in addition to motorcycles. None of the bearings in his shop fit. He took it to an old bike shop that used to be in Fort Worth called Mr. Bicycle. He looked it over then said it was a hand built Schwinn Paramount. The bottom bearing set for that fit so that was what we thought it was. Later on we had doubts mainly due to the gussets.
Several years later while looking it over I saw Olmo stamped into the steering head nut.
When I picked the bike up in ‘74 for dad it was old then, maybe from the ‘50s. It looked like had been used for racing since it had sewn tires and some other things I can’t remember.

Murray Missile 

If you just want to make them functional mechanical parts for most mass produced bikes are pretty easy to find for the most part. It's when you get into reproduction decals for less popular brands or models or mechanical items for the very low production models and one off hand built bikes that it can get tough. It's "usually" not impossible, but it can be expensive.

Catnap 

to simplify, I'd split it between modern parts that will get the bike rolling again vs. matching the original vintage parts that are on it. Vintage Shimano 600 and 105 series parts are common and easy to source on eBay, or via this forum's Classic & Vintage Sales subforum. The modern equivalents can be had from SunRace on Amazon or via your local bike store, generally very affordable (like under $100).

Without seeing a photo of your bikes, I can't say what needs to be replaced and what doesn't. Parts that aren't physically damaged in some way don't need to be replaced. They can usually be cleaned up, lubricated and re-installed. If the chains are rusted solid, replace those. If the tires are worn out and cracked, replace them (and the tubes) also. If you don't have the tools or know-how to dismantle, overhaul, and re-assemble your bikes, either take them to a shop or get ready to spend time teaching yourself how to do the repairs yourself + buying a few necessary tools.

pepperbelly

The components that are on it now are what dad installed back in the ‘80s. He removed the brakes etc.
I was thinking about trying to restore it to its original groupset but that would be really expensive.
I think the best thing to do is restore it to riding condition. Tires, tubes, chain definitely need changing but that is expected. I will try to find a vintage Olmo seat post clamp and other small parts but I will keep the Shimano brakes etc.

RustyJames 

Reynolds tubing (assuming the decal is correct) and nice lugs - I would be thrilled to own that but I’m peculiar.
Also, I would keep the Halfords decals on it because of being peculiar.