stuart1865

I'm pretty new to these boards, but as I resurrect my 1982 Matsuri P-770, and as I replace this and upgrade that....at what point do I get kicked out of "Vintage" into....."General"......seat was bad - changed it. Headset pitted....changed it.....gearing too tight for my older physiology.....changed it....decals literally decayed....removed and replaced with non-OEM.....replaced pedals to "clipless"....etc. At a certain point, the only real "vintage" remaining is the seatpost, the Cro-Mo frame, wheels.....odds and ends.

Thanks, all.

joesch

IMO 82 cromo frame makes it vintage
A practical usage of the definition is often the eroica requirements https://www.eroicacalifornia.com/regulation

"Vintage-Looking Bikes" with steel frames from new or recent construction with vintage look and characteristics may be used only if they are assembled using vintage components or replicated parts similar to the original as described above. In particular if the bikes are inspired by the design of road racing bicycles of the 1970’s and 1980’s, they must comply with rules a), b), and c) above, regarding shift levers, toe clips and straps, and brake cables.
Exemptions regarding the type of bicycle will be granted to participants with disabilities, as long as they make a specific request to the organization at the time of registration.

thinktubes 

USAZorro

We self-identify here.

athrowawaynic

I agree with @thinktubes. Vintage frame = vintage bike. Eroica may beg to differ. But the way I see it, a bicycle is just a minimalist bunch of consumables hung on a frame. So, as consumables are consumable, they shouldn't count against the bike's age.

T-Mar

Agreed, the critical item to classify it as vintage is the frameset. It just becomes a vintage frankenbike once you go beyond replacing consumables (i.e. tyres, cables, brake pads, chain,etc.) and start replacing components with non-OEM specification parts. That's my definition, others' may vary.

ollo_ollo

Spend some time scrolling through "The new classic rigs and rides" sticky to see how some BF'rs have altered their vintage rides with new or non original vintage components. These bikes still have a home in C&V thanks to their framesets. Don

The Golden Boy 

It's "vintage" if I say it is.

If/when I get a Rivendell, I'll post it here. Because I can.

For the most part- there are very few militant "vintage-ites" here to mess up everyone's experience and excitement about the stuff we love.

There's things that have a style/function/aesthetic that are sort of tied to the time period in which they came. Stuff from before the mid 90s has a style that can be described as "classic." Once you start getting into primarily welded frames and bulbous and swoopy and black and plastic-y components... it starts to stray farther from that "classic" aesthetic.

I kind of use the end of Suntour around 1994 as a sort of cutoff, for me. I'm thankful that there were some components that held on to a polished, less bulbous style for longer... Ultegra 6500 cranksets, 6600 derailleurs and Dura Ace 7800 still looks nice- after that... not so much. IMO and all that.

stuart1865

I am preparing to unveil a new category, with all due respect to my fellow evangelicals.

The "Born Again" bike.....

Stay tuned....

mstateglfr 

'94.

thats the time when suntour faded away, lugged was still around but notnas frequent, steel was still around but not as frequent, quill stems still existed, and is almost a quarter century ago.

like so many others, my c&v bikes have a bunch of new stuff mixed with old. Its done to make each bike a quality rider for me. Ill use them more if they fit and perform how i want.

DiabloScott

If you changed it to threadless, you're out; except if you have tubulars.

bikemig 

You can't be kicked out of here unless you start posting about the stuff that will get the mods to ship you off to the Politics and Religion forum or somewhere even worse. Thankfully pics of clipless pedals, brifters, carbon forks, and threadless headsets won't get you sent to P&R.

stuart1865

No worries. Still freewheel. Still quill. Still non-aero. But, alas....I have changed clips to clipless....and I have retained my full-frame Zefal pump.....same brakes (Grande Compe), same bars, same derailleurs, same wheels....but I confess that the foam bar grips have been replaced by (horrors) modern cork tape....

DIMcyclist

Iirc, among car collectors, anything 25 years old or more is considered 'Classic;' 30 - 50 years old is considered "Vintage;" and 50 - 75 years old (or more) is considered an antique. 75 years is the mark used by most antique dealers.

-

stuart1865

Just scrolled through the photos in "The new classic rigs and rides".

Wow, What a trip down memory lane! Interesting....not a single "Matsuri" bike in sight. Rare as a Dodo bird it seems....Any other Matsuris out there????

hobbs1951

I don't use the term vintage in the bicycle context as it is somewhat overused and often simply describes something old (perhaps in the USA more than here in England). We should have a term that discriminates between the merely old from the true artisan built quality - example my Philbrook, Allin and Roberts.

Here in England, vintage when applied to cars has a very specific meaning - a car built between 1919 and 1930, my house therefore is veteran - built before the Great War.

John.

bikemig 

Give the former colonists a break; it's not like we're swimming in the old bikes you can more readily find in the UK. Heck my garage would be full of a lot more bikes if I lived there and it's pretty bad right now, : )

hobbs1951

Apologies, wasn't intending to sound snooty or churlish !

John.

bikemig 

You don't sound snooty. It's your damn list of beautiful bikes!

hobbs1951

Oh dear, and there are a couple I haven't listed !

A 1970s Ken Bird TT bike (rare lugs, shot in stays) and a 1987 fillet brazed Roberts Audax.

John.

bikingshearer 

I like old lugged steel frames. They are all I ride. I have a couple of TIG-welded steel frames and one with (gasp!) a carbon fiber fork, but they don't get ridden these days (truth be told, not because of the TIG-welding or the fork).

I love to look at old lugged steel frames with the period-correct old parts. Such things are why the term "bike porn" was coined, IMO.

I prefer to ride old lugged steel frames with Campy 10-speed triple drivetrains, dual pivot brakes (Campy or Tektro, depending on clearance and/or bolt considerations), SPD pedals and Conti 4000 clinchers.

No one has complained about my being non-C&V. I wouldn't much care if they did.

mar_ji

Got 2 vintage bikes..a Benotto 3000 from 1980..and a Koga Miyata from 1979..love having it..😊