Rajflyboy

i have probably gone too far in promoting the Trek brand on here

dedhed

MY "TEN SPEEDS - Home Page


Really brand isn't as important as recognizing what constitutes "Quality" in both frames and components.

shelbyfv

^^Yes, good place to start.^^

ironwood

This is another post where someone asks a sort of naive question and a lot of people respond , and the OP never posts again. Other recent examples are "The best centuries in the US" or " Recommend a bicycle for less than $3500". I guess someone is having fun.

I-Like-To-Bike

Such one and done posts are useful for providing grist for the usual suspects to provide the conventional wisdom which conveniently is in line with their own.

shelbyfv

Bummer we can't all be snowflakes

BlazingPedals

Is is someone having fun, or is it someone who wants to tap our collective wisdom (such that it is...) without becoming a contributing member of the community themselves? Are all of these one-post wonders the same person? Mods could probably tell by IP...

shelbyfv

You'd think, but seems more complicated. There must be more involved because it takes awhile for them to ID the socks.

Unca_Sam

It was fun to watch some members come in swinging over syntax...

shelbyfv

Semantics

livedarklions

Well, so far, the "conventional wisdom" seems to be that op should get a frame he/she likes and fit it with other stuff he/she likes. And it's not clear whether op knows the difference between "wary" and "weary".

You seem to have a problem with people having opinions.

BillyD

Is that necessary? Really?

Vintage Schwinn

CYCCOMMUTE is correct.
You have to determine for yourself exactly what style of bicycle that you'd like to "hobby with" and restore and/or customize.
Cyccommute provides excellent guidance and expert information as he usually does.
Choose what you'd like to have fun with, and have a ball with it.
If you want to restore or customize a 1930's or 1940's balloon tire art deco bicycle, go for it...
Basically, anything that you want, you can do!
There are no limitations and there are no "laws" saying that you cannot do something and if you do, do it, you get banned and ostracized from the bicycle community.
You can also do one or more of any and every style of bicycle, if you wish.
You do not have to have just one specific style of bicycle.
It does not get any simpler than an ASHTABULA one piece forged steel Crank and a single speed bicycle.
If you like any bicycles that were made prior to 1980, then you SHOULD obtain a copy of the approx 340 page Softbound 8 1/2 x 11 book
called 'GLENN'S COMPLETE BICYCLE MANUAL , by Clarence W. Coles and Harold T. Glenn (c)1973 which probably sold more than
a half million copies in about a dozen printings between 1973 and 1978.
You can find this book from the mega-Used book sellers on the bay for about $4 with free shipping at all times-----do not pay more than $6 with free shipping because there are so many copies out there and many that those mega used book sellers will have are ex-library books. These mega-sellers can and do ship books at a far less cost than someone who does not sell thousands of books. Look for a $4 free shipping or $5 free shipping used copy on the bay. This is the best book ever written if you wish to work on any bicycle made between 1935 and 1980. This is an invaluable reference even if you only own bicycles from the fifties, sixties, and seventies....

Now Cyccomute is correct about "better frames and better construction" because even that pertains to ancient bicycles. Now, it may not be critical that some ancient cruisers had better mating of the frame tubing nearest the rear dropout, but it possibly could be if there is rust. Schwinn from 1966 onward had thicker and stronger headtubes which necessitated a less common smaller stem diameter than most others in the industry. No worries because, many millions were sold so there are no shortages of stems, parts in that size. Hey, now if a lightweight road bike is your desire, then you aren't going to want the WEIGHT that comes with a cantilevered cruiser steel frame or an electro-forged steel frame and an ashtabula crank.....
It all depends on what you want to RESTORE/Modify.
An ancient SCHWINN is perhaps the EASIEST to restore BECAUSE THEY WERE BUILT FOR DURABILITY. They had the best factory paint. They had the best Chrome plating of any manufacturer. There are hundreds of thousands of them that are still in garages and sheds, and probably a huge number of them are still on the road and ridden daily. Schwinns are not perfect. The VARSITY-Continental 10 speeds have the awful Huret Alvit rear derailleur even on the Seventies models. The Collegiate 5 speed of 1970 and later, and the Suburban 5 speed of 1970 onward HAVE A MUCH BETTER Shimano built rear derailleur (GT-100 from 1970 - very early 1974 and GT-120 from early 1974 up).
Get rid of that Huret Alvit, if it is on a Schwinn, or Raleigh or whatever because SHIMANO and Maeda SUN TOUR rear derailleurs were far superior to the Huret Alvit and other European rear derailleurs of that era, including Campagnolo. Everybody went Japanese by about 1977 or so because they were twice as good and 1/3 the price of the heraded Campy junk........not exactly junk, but junk in comparison to the durability and set it and forget it precision of Maeda SUNTOUR and SHIMANO !
There are so many things to consider, depending on how you wish to proceed.
There are so many great bikes from all countries and all brands.
Pick whatever you like.
Research and learn as much as you can, or at least as much as you want to.
3 speeds, single speeds, 10 speeds, 5 speeds,....................a bicycle is not just a 17 pound high-tech machine as some here would have you believe.
Some consider anything less a POS, BSO ...........BSO is what these narrow-minded bicycle afficianados call "Bicycle Shaped Objects", a derogatory term that suggests that these are not bicycles or anything that they would be caught dead on. Gas pipe and Boat Anchor are other favorite terms that the annointed use to describe bicycles that don't fit in their narrow category of an acceptable bicycle.
There are many more bicycles than just 17 pound modern high-tech machines with drop bars.
Certainly, nothing is wrong with those, and there is also nothing necessarily wrong with something from 1955 with a tank and rear carrier rack, headlight, bell and two-tone paint and lots of chrome with whitewall tires and a total weight of approximately 56 pounds. Both are nice bicycles. Even if you don't agree, I'm sure you'd agree that both are by definition, bicycles. Have fun!
Whatever direction that you go in, do not worry too much about picking the perfect bike or whether you'll make mistake(s) or worry too much about spending more than the market value of said bicycle, if you have fun, and enjoy it. Have fun with it! It is a hobby, you're not in business, unless perhaps you're gonna try and have a shadetree quasi-business of flipping bicycles, which in that case you're just gonna focus on bare minimum cost outlay for barely acceptable rideability to just find a home with a new owner.

shelbyfv

The Zinn books are also very good if you don't go the vintage route.

Cyclist753

Experience is a great teacher! Get what appeals to your sensibilities, get busy and have fun!

veganbikes

There are plenty of brands worth seeking out mainly because they are rarer/botique brands or handbuilt stuff however you also have to know enough about bikes to really know what you are looking at. Knowing different parts and being able to judge condition is quite important. However importantly you must decide what you are doing with the bike because maybe that vintage Serotta isn't going to work well. Give us more info on what you are looking to do and we can help better.

wle

i would not try 'restoring bikes' as a way to make money

decide what you want and 'restore' that

i personally don;t care about restoring, just having a decent bike

so i tend to like 2000 era kleins
they were $4000 new, some of them, and usually do not need 'restoring' at all

now they are $500 or less, dura ace and all
wle

Clarinetrox

I restored a 1970's Colnago Century a few years back and loved it. It was a top of the line steel road bike in its day. Unfortunately, it eventually developed a crack in the bottom tube that started where the hole was cut for cables to be run and I didn't have the means to get it welded safely at the time. Very sad day but I recommend Colnagos if you come across one.

Darth Lefty 

It's being a long winter

veganbikes

Agreed, you generally don't get as much out of it as you might put in but it can be a fun diversion.

I like Kleins but as they got bought by Trek and slowly killed off, they lost the fun. I have an early 90s era Klein MTB (which I haven't yet been able to place on model) and that paint is still awesome even if a bit sun damaged and bruised over the years. I had a chance to buy some old Mountain Kleins a year or two ago but having more than enough bikes and one of the bikes being way to small I had to say no. We had a customer bring a lovely pink to purple fade Pinnacle with a full XT M-732 and color matched Mission Control bars that I was fawning over.

I would love one of Tinker's old bikes from his Klein days. He is such a freakin' legend. Luckily though my love of titanium and steel keeps me away from buying aluminum stuff.

livedarklions

I almost bought a 2000 Klein Quantum Road bike for $550 just for the look of it and the exceptional specs for the price. It was being sold used at a LBS, and in near-mint state. And then I test rode it...... Buzzzzzzzzzz. Definitely a bad fit for the distance riding I do, but I definitely see the esthetic appeal.

It's still for sale at the LBS. PM me, and I'll send you a link if you're interested.

ramzilla

IMHO old steel Fuji's from the mid 80's are the cheapest & easiest bikes to restore.