chaseyyz

Im kinda new to the world of bikes and learning about them and building and compatibility of parts etc,

im one bike down so far a 80's peugeot which i made into a single speed, and so far i love it and it was built on a budget, but now im working on this other 80's peugeot 10 speed which is also crappy steel 103 but ive commited myself to this bike that isnt worth it lol, just because! no real good reason except for the paint is like new for an 80s bike and i got it for 50 bucks.

since tallying my parts, ive been to several LBS and seen better new aluminum bikes for less than what ive so far spent and im not even finished!

so just curious how many of you throw money at bikes that arent really worth the money

Murray Missile 

Guilty but if you enjoy the bike who cares?

chaseyyz

touche! i guess my moral issue is, i bought this bike for 50 and could have flipped it likely for 2-300 locally, it really is in that new of condition.

but instead ill spend 3-400 on it and likely only get my money back when im done (im really building this for the sake of learning not for long term, after this one i will focus on actually finding a quality frame to start with.

CliffordK

It is hard to say. I've bought a few "spare" parts. But, if I think about my Colnago that I've been riding a lot lately. It is a beautiful bike that maybe cost between $1000 and $1500 (I don't really want to know for sure). But it looks like it is worth 10x as much as the typical bike shop bike selling for $1000 to $1500. And it works well too.

cycleheimer

Been there. I learned the hard way that, in the long run, "free" bikes can become the most expensive. Same holds true for "inexpensive" used bikes.

Andy_K 

How do you define "worth the money"? Do you mean you could sell it for as much as you've spent on it? That's a tough trick with any bike.

I try not to look at it that way. I spend what I can afford to get a bike I want to ride in the condition I want to ride it in. That almost always results in bikes that aren't "worth the money" to anyone but me.

bulldog1935

another way to look at this, is what would it cost to buy a new frame of that quality and built it up the way you want to ride.
Whatever you put into it, you won't be able to sell the bike for that - but you won't be able to replace it for that, either...

I have a couple of $1200 project bikes that I couldn't sell for that - but couldn't replace them for that either, and they're cooler bikes than $1200 would buy me at the LBS

jeffreythree

Yes, and about to do it again. My cheap, ratty '90 Schwinn Traveler off came with a sorry, mismatched set of wheels, and the rear was even drilled out to fit schrader tubes. Any new set will run more than I could sell the whole bike for, not to mention I also replaced the hammered seat post, tires, tape, seat,and pedals over the last few months. There is something about this bike that speaks to me even though the money would be better spent on buying a different bike.

nlerner

You gotta take the long view: As long as most of what you buy sells for a profit, the occasional loss is not a problem.

CliffordK

Yes & No

Obviously scratch builds can be expensive. But, sleuthing out cheap parts helps.

My "Rain Bike" was built around a $100 Titanium Litespeed frame, with the full build costing less than buying a new reasonably modern frame.

I just acquired a $35 Carbon Fiber CADEX road frame that scares me. At least I don't have to worry about ruining it, so it will give me a lot of flexibility with the build. It will probably end up as some kind of CF "work horse". But, I also know the old CF isn't that valuable, so I don't want to over-spend as anything I touch will cost more than the frame.

chaseyyz

lots of wisdom in here!

i guess what scares me is i didnt want to spend more than 300! but it looks like if i want it to be worth it ill likely have to spend closer to 3-500 to walk away smiling when i look at it.

not to mention the canadian dollar sucks the big one and makes every purchase hurt that much more.

chaseyyz

If I was home in Toronto id have so many bike network stores and a plethora of used parts to buy locally from local classifieds.

but im currently spending time in hartford where anything used or close is slim pickings, making me buy mostly new and online.

abellanti

For many of us who enjoy collecting and rebuilding vintage bikes, we do because there is a connection with the era, maybe a appreciation for hand crafted bikes, the simplicity of the bikes..so on. For me, I like high end 80s racing bikes...and I have definitely spent more on building some of them than they are worth. But once you've been in the game for a while, you learn having patience on ebay and craigslist can land you some good deals. Sometimes I'll buy a damaged bike for the parts. As the years pass by, you accumulate quite a stash of parts. These days I'm pretty good at knowing values and only spend top dollar building bikes I really want. But don't ever compare vintage to new bikes...it's like comparing vintage cars to modern ones..I don't ride vintage bikes for pure performance...they will never compare to my modern bikes in that aspect...I ride them for totally different reasons. Enjoy your bikes...if it's special..spend the cash...if you have no connection to it. .don't..

m3rle

If you have to you can part it back out after you've ridden it for a bit. Parts bin some of it.

Even if you lose a little money on a complete bike a) someone will be stoked and b) you probably learned some things/gotten better at wrenching.

WolfRyder

I need a new hobby and like to ride so now I have a few projects already. Learning how to work on some bikes will be good for me and I like the community part of other like minded individuals who are into it also. I think it can be sort of a lifestyle thing which can be positive.

The negative part of it can be spending too much cash. Which I am not a big fan of, but aleady have done so. Piece mealing parts really adds up. Your better off just buying whole bikes with frames and components that you need/want for your projects.

bulldog1935

You can be a smart shopper and do pretty well on components in UK/Europe and Japan.
Also, if you have local resources - components sell quite cheaply at the local Frankenbike meet, which is like a monthly bike flea market.
Work with what you have, plan improvements down the road.

I had my Moser rolling for $650 using parts I already had around, some new, and a donated tubular wheelset (these are not hard to find).
I put thousands of miles on those before finding the clincher wheelset I wanted, and upgraded my parts bin parts with really nice Campy components. Get it rolling and think of it as a work in progress.

I've rebuilt my 40-year old Raleigh 3 times and completely rode through the first quality wheelset I had built for that bike. The timing was really good - I replaced it with a Phil/Synergy wheelset that someone had built for an 80s touring bike project, never finished it, and was selling all of that out to buy a different project.

Can't go wrong with good wheels and tires - they really define the nature of the bike.

DMC707

millions of people every year (well, -- maybe not millions -- but still quite a few ) - spend 7-10k on the newest Dura-Campy Red equipped S Works, MAdone, Colnago, Pinarello, - etc etc etc --- that are worth 4k 2 years later

join the club

spiker

Hey, down the road you might find a frame to better match the components, swap stuff over & put parts bin bits on the old bike. No rule says the nice bits are forever on your current ride.

chaseyyz

I like the way you think!

chaseyyz

hopefully after this bike i wont be in a rush and ill acquire deals bit by bit, i guess my need to want to have this done asap is making my dollar tally go up higher and faster, and im not even getting the best bang for my buck.

bulldog1935

here are my 3 - I ride 100 mi/week and try to split it between all three
40-y-o Raleigh bought new (on its 3rd rebuild)

this one is my fit benchmark - I took all my measurements from here to buy components for the others

'98 Moser all Campy with C-record/Moskva clinchers (and back-up tubulars)


'92 Viner CX built as upright - even this one, I first bought a $100 tubie wheelset to get it rolling on CX tubulars (later added clinchers), but otherwise, I designed it to do exactly what I wanted from the start

Andy_K 

Exactly! It's the George Washington's Axe approach to bike upgrades. Every part is replaceable, including the frame. Eventually you end up with a bike that is just right.

I like to think there's an art to this. There are certain combinations of parts and frame that make sense together, and that's what I'm ultimately looking for. But the intermediate stages aren't awful as long as you don't spend a bunch of money on parts you just don't like.

No one would think twice about your putting a cheap seatpost on a nice frame so you could start riding it while you looked for something better. Why should putting a bunch of nice components on a cheap frame be any different?

oddjob2

Doing a low end bike, like a Le Tour, Traveler, Record, or Grand Prix? Tires at $20/pair, cable and housing set for $9, bar tape for $6. Bearings can be cleaned and repacked. Brake pads for $8 if needed.

Doing a better grade bike with a db chromoly frame? Tires at $40-$60/pair, stainless cables set for $30, bar tape at $11.00. New bearings for $10-$12. Brake lever hoods for $9. Brake pads if needed, up to $25.00.

I buy in bulk, so cable sets are more like $10, bearings are $4, look for deals on tires to stay at the low end, and rarely change brake pads, as it is flat here and I don't ride fast.

I'd just like to know why rim tape is so expensive at $4.50 a wheel?
Saddles for flip bikes run under $20. For keepers, $60-$160.

repechage

Or worth less!
If you are concerned about total cost, then review the bike, price out what it needs and then commit to what makes sense.
Bear in mind, things like a saddle can skew the total cost significantly and not be worth much as part of a whole bike resale.
There is much lamenting here from time to time on the best total value to be parting a bike out.

chaseyyz

This is wear I'm at so far trying to piece this together in a hurry (i did think about in the future buying things like housing and lines in bulk to have on hand


Bike -$39

Threadedless Stem Adapter - $20 bucks (i bought this because at a tag sale i came across a nice threadless stem and cannondale bars for $13 bucks, i kinda also wanted to keep the stem that came on this bike for my single speed cause its an original peugeot with the stamping)

Stem -3 bucks
Bars - 10 bucks
New Ergo brake levers - 22 bucks
grip - 12 bucks
gear cables - 8 bucks

still need

700c wheel set (ideally would like this, and the 27s on it are heavy, not true and ugly for my liking)

tires

tubes

calipers

seat post and seat (want the modern style)

chain

cassette (assuming i do the wheels i need a cassette to match)