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Have you ever had a truly good bicycle?

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Have you ever had a truly good bicycle?

Old 06-10-19, 10:06 AM
  #26  
Slightspeed
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I have several of them. My first race bike was (is, I still have it) a 1964 Legnano Roma Olympiade. My folks traded in my nearly new Continental against the $175 new Legnano price, so, I guess it qualifies. More recently, I was able to acquire a '61 Legnano Gran Premio for $50 from a great BF member, on the way home from Eroica, where I rode the '64 Legnano. Both are great bikes, the GP a little small for me, but with a couple of low $ upgrades, I completed the $100 Clunker Challenge on it. I also just completed a '78 Super Course that began as a $20 CL find. I was able to find a used Brooks saddle and reasonable priced Sakae crank, and have less than $150 in it. I did a 44 mile Malibu ride on it yesterday, and had a 17.2 mph personal best average. You don't have to spend a lot to have a great bike, but timing and luck really help. It can go both ways too. Starting with a "free" found scrap metal '73 Super Course frame, I went nuts on my first build, and probably have close to $1000 in it, the biggest outlay being frame repair and professional paint and decals, but I love the bike, so it was worth every $$, at least to me.

My '64 Legnano Roma Olympiade, had since new.

$50 Gran Premio on the left, and '64 Roma on the right.

$50 Legnano Gran Premio, finished with Clunker Challenge.

Latest low $ project, '78 Raleigh Super Course.

My $1000 '73 Raleigh Super Course. Not worth it? It is to me.

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Old 06-10-19, 11:19 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by JonBailey
Have you ever had a truly good bicycle that you were truly fond of for under $150 retail new?
Not really. All my bikes, not including my last one, were department store bikes.

Probably the best one I had before I was 18 years old was a new Huffy Sante Fe 10 speed in the late 1970s. Can't recall the price and I think it got stolen.

In the early 90s I had a new Columbia branded multi-speed fake mountain bike that I cracked the frame brazing while doing moderate off road play and wheelie riding. Really a cheap POS compared to the Sante Fe. That Columbia might have been $90.00, not sure.

Surprisingly, the Chinese made Schwinn Jaguar 7 speed my wife bought me for my birthday in 2007 has been the best cheap bike I've ever had. It was $80 new before I changed the handlebars and then other changes followed over the years. With basic maintenance, this Jaguar is just a dead nuts reliable short range bike. So, I guess I am kinda fond of this bike after all as it just keeps on workin'.

Photo from early 2007 (non-stock handlebar)



Photo from early 2019

Last edited by FiftySix; 06-26-19 at 12:00 AM. Reason: Wife credit
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Old 06-10-19, 11:40 AM
  #28  
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All my good bike hhave been

all my bikes have been low priced, or salvation army/ goodwill 40 dollar. All had good components (Shimano). And I have modified with 22 granny gear triple 34 tooth freewheel. All have taken me thousands of miles cross country. Steel or aluminum frames. All relatively heavy. None were $10,000 attempts at indirect self acceptance as are the bikes in the other thread in which other riders justified wasting thousands of dollars on saving a few pounds weight while trying to impress themselves and others by having the money to throw away. If I had $10,000 to piss away, I would use it to help homeless vets, sick children, suffering dogs and I would gain direct self acceptance by being a kind and giving person.
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Old 06-10-19, 11:46 AM
  #29  
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^^judgmental much?^^
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Old 06-10-19, 11:51 AM
  #30  
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In 1975 I was working in a local bike shop (Al's in Cleveland Heights Ohio) and Al gave me a good deal on a one year old NIB Raleigh Super Course. I think I gave him $120 bucks for it back then. That Super Course was the year that many of them came with a Huret Jubilee rear derailleur. I LOVED that bike and hung on to it for 20 years. Sold it for what I paid for it to help buy another bike. I wish I still had that Super Course now though!

About four years ago I bought an older mid/late 1980's Raleigh Wyoming touring bike in fantastic shape for $100 bucks. Great deal on a really fine old Raleigh.





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Old 06-10-19, 11:55 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
^^judgmental much?^^
What a coincidence! I just had a case in front of Judge Mentalmuch.
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Old 06-10-19, 11:56 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by drlogik
In 1975 I was working in a local bike shop (Al's in Cleveland Heights Ohio)
Our group of 13 passed through Cleveland while crossing the country in '99. Only me and one other guy were not afraid of taking the scenic tour of the area, which included the Emerald Necklace (or whatever it's called), Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. We had lunch in Little Italy. Nice riding, at least back then..
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Old 06-10-19, 11:57 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
What a coincidence! I just had a case in front of Judge Mentalmuch.
Did you gain self acceptance?
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Old 06-10-19, 12:10 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Did you gain self acceptance?
No, for that I go to Judge Notlestyebejudged.
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Old 06-10-19, 01:50 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by yukiinu
all my bikes have been low priced, or salvation army/ goodwill 40 dollar. All had good components (Shimano). And I have modified with 22 granny gear triple 34 tooth freewheel. All have taken me thousands of miles cross country. Steel or aluminum frames. All relatively heavy. None were $10,000 attempts at indirect self acceptance as are the bikes in the other thread in which other riders justified wasting thousands of dollars on saving a few pounds weight while trying to impress themselves and others by having the money to throw away. If I had $10,000 to piss away, I would use it to help homeless vets, sick children, suffering dogs and I would gain direct self acceptance by being a kind and giving person.
You could learn a skill, get some education or otherwise become qualified for a better job. You wouldn't have to ride bikes from Goodwill and you could feel good by giving money to suffering dogs. A truly kind person would not embrace inverse snobbery.
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Old 06-10-19, 01:57 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by yukiinu
If I had $10,000 to piss away, I would use it to help homeless vets, sick children, suffering dogs and I would gain direct self acceptance by being a kind and giving person.
I'd just I'd blow it on hookers and dope like all of the other self-righteous hypocrites do.

-Bandera
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Old 06-10-19, 02:33 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Nice riding, at least back then..
Still is. Check in again!
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Old 06-10-19, 05:46 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by JonBailey
that you were truly fond of for under $150 retail new?

Name the year, make and model, please.

I would have to say that virtually any Schwinn or Excelsior made before 1980 and
made in America that retailed new originally for under $150 would be a truly great bicycle.

I guess we can through in some Raleighs of old too.

I really enjoyed my Murray Monterey cruiser bike I bought at Montgomery Wards in 1989. I was in the army at the time and age 25. Single speed, coaster brake and balloon tires. 26". Maroon paint with white letters. $99 bucks plus tax. I was young, thin and strong then. Nowadays I need a lot of derailleur gears to pedal over rolling hills and less than perfectly flat roads.
You probably need a time machine to make this challenge work.
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Old 06-10-19, 05:47 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
The Verizon store by me has exactly one new clamshell phone model for sale. Year after year it tempts me to time travel.
Remember how good the batteries on our phones used to be?
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Old 06-10-19, 05:58 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by jade408
Remember how good the batteries on our phones used to be?
Cell phone batteries sure seemed to last longer when our cell phones were only phones. Lol.
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Old 06-10-19, 09:53 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by rebel1916
A boat anchor is a boat anchor, no matter the price or era.

Yes, a solid gold brick is a paper weight and so is a cement one. Pick your price. Pick your poison.

Lowe's has cement bricks for no more than 50 cents a paper weight.

I have not yet priced those solid gold paper weights. I think they are kept at the Denver Mint.
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Old 06-10-19, 10:15 PM
  #42  
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In about 1985/6 i wanted a Peugeot Racer. Well i didn't, i just wanted derailleur gears, but the pearl white Peugeot was the coolest thing at the time. I think the prices were like 170-200 quid.

My dad had too much sense, unfortunately.

He bought me a GX2000. This was a German 24in touring bike. Effectively a 5-speed racer with full mudguards, pannier rack, and dynamo lights. Pretty sure it had pinstripe whitewall tyres, too. And it was probably around the 150 quid mark. Maximum.

It wasn't what i wanted but i liked it well enough. In time though, it lost it's extras. But by the time it was the racer i wanted from the start, i was able to save paper-round money and buy a good second-hand BMX.

I've never gone back to drop bars. But it was a good bike, tbf.

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Old 06-10-19, 10:36 PM
  #43  
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Today's money is just Ok.
Yesterdays money is cheap.
Tomorrows money is expensive.

I buy yesterdays junk & after a boatload of cash, parts, time, and effort, turn it into todays junk. Nothing new here. What I have learned though is expense does not equal happiness. Heck, expense is only nebulously related to quality & only sometimes it equals a truly "good" bike.

For me, that bike is a Scattante DX350. The only OEM thing is the frame. Everything was eventually swapped out to Ultegra & Carbon. Lively. Responsive. Fast. $500 2014 dollars for a 2013 close-out.

I don't know what a bike of Theseus cost in the '70's but I imagine adjusted for inflation it cost under $150 sometime.
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Old 06-11-19, 12:07 AM
  #44  
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If I did it was because I didn't know enough to know what a good bike was. Is this a joke?
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Old 06-11-19, 06:53 AM
  #45  
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What year is this mythic "under $150 retail new" based on?
Oddly enough Inflation has had an eroding effect on the US$ over time, but there is handy tool to use to compare a past year's $ with today's $.

" The US Inflation Calculator measures the buying power of the dollar over time. Just enter any two dates from 1913 to 2019, an amount, and then click 'Calculate'. "

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

There is no "Bicycle Goodness Calculator" yet so that will be a manual operation.

-Bandera
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Old 06-11-19, 06:57 AM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Bandera
What year is this mythic "under $150 retail new" based on?
Oddly enough Inflation has had an eroding effect on the US$ over time, but there is handy tool to use to compare a past year's $ with today's $.

" The US Inflation Calculator measures the buying power of the dollar over time. Just enter any two dates from 1913 to 2019, an amount, and then click 'Calculate'. "

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

There is no "Bicycle Goodness Calculator" yet so that will be a manual operation.

-Bandera
I say 1913 to 2019. The older the date of purchase, the wealthier the buyer had to be.
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Old 06-11-19, 07:03 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
I say 1913 to 2019. The older the date of purchase, the wealthier the buyer had to be.
That would be in my grandfather's era when $150 would be equivalent to $3,871.94 today, quite enough to purchase a very Good bicycle indeed then/now.

-Bandera
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Old 06-11-19, 07:33 AM
  #48  
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Interestingly enough, many people had the same thought I did - inflation. If you look at bikes from the 70s & 80s, considering inflation, you will realize that today's bikes are relatively cheap. Considering inflation, the $150 price point would have been $78 in 1990, $63 in 1985, and $48 in 1980. With this information, I doubt anyone had a bike that was "good" for those prices. I would almost say that you would have a hard time finding a bike for those prices at that time.

This is an image from a local catalog store in 1985. The two 16" bikes at the bottom are $64.97 ($154 when adjusted for inflation), which is 3 times what Walmart charges for similar bikes today.
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Old 06-11-19, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by medic75
Interestingly enough, many people had the same thought I did - inflation. If you look at bikes from the 70s & 80s, considering inflation, you will realize that today's bikes are relatively cheap. Considering inflation, the $150 price point would have been $78 in 1990, $63 in 1985, and $48 in 1980. With this information, I doubt anyone had a bike that was "good" for those prices. I would almost say that you would have a hard time finding a bike for those prices at that time.

This is an image from a local catalog store in 1985. The two 16" bikes at the bottom are $64.97 ($154 when adjusted for inflation), which is 3 times what Walmart charges for similar bikes today.
I know when I was a kid, the Huffy kids bikes were also considered pretty crappy.
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Old 06-11-19, 10:33 AM
  #50  
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In 1973, when I changed to a "10-speed" bike for the first time. Good bikes were in the $120 range. Nicer bikes were in the $150 range. Really nice bikes were in the $450 range and above (talking Paramount quality, here).
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