noglider 

In 2011, I posted my McLean which, at the time, I had owned for 28 years. It's now 34 years, and I've changed most of everything on it, except for the brakes. It used to have Campagnolo Nuovo Record components with a Super Record crankset. Now it has a Shimano 3x9 drivetrain and lighter wheels.

Before:



After:

speedy25

My grandfather bought me a Cycle Truck when I was young to transport papers for my paper route. I still have it. That was about 50 years ago.

A few years ago I made repairs and rode it some. Someday I'll pretty it up too.

-SP

dweenk

This is all original except for the saddle which we still have (comfort issue during pregnancy) and bar tape. It has been hanging for a few years, as she rides a Trek 820 now. I have been issued strict orders to not sell the bike.

DMC707

Not at the 30 year mark yet, but its the oldest active machine I have that I am the original owner

I've shared pics of this one before , but mainly because it underwent a top to bottom resto . The before pic doesn't look bad, but rest assured this 'ol boy was a roach. Season after season of following the local racing circuits, being crashed, loaded in the back of pickups with 8 other bikes, and all kinds of other abuse meant the full restoration was justified in my mind

-- Looking forward to a lot more years with it

My oldest "adult " bike I still have as well, - a Bridgestone MB-6, -- it is closer to the 30 year mark --- alas , it is covered in gray primer and the frameset is stashed in the back of my mom's barn --- I have had thoughts of having it PC'ed and doing a commuter type build , or even doing an e-bike build on it , but just haven't gotten to it yet

look171

Bought my Casati in 83 during High school because I want to go bike racing. Crashed my Puch during a training ride and had to have a Casati. EuroAsia imported it and my club at the time, Montrose, gave us a little discount. I raced, trained and crashed it too many times but was able to straighten it out. Finally bought other frames after that. All others are long gone now but the Casati stayed and it back in its original condition with the exception of the saddle now. I did swapped out my old Suntour Superbe group for Super Record when it was in service. I have not ridden it since it was retired way back, but I did clean it up and rode the retro ride out of Pasadena last month for the first time in more then 25 years. It felt funny and good riding it. It was too cool.

obrentharris 

Some great stories of bicycle devotion here!

I'm not sure this one qualifies since a couple years ago I gave it back to the friend who built it for me in 1986. It hangs in his shop but he lets me ride it anytime I get the urge.



Brent

GTBruiser

This Varsity Sport and both Cimarrons, that I bought new, are, respectively, 37, 32 and 30 (come October). I finally sold the Varsity less than a week ago!

Cyclist0108

Mine is still a few months short of 30, but if you permit me to include it:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...omponents.html

DMC707

Yours is closer to 30 than mine ! --- Looks great, --- classic steel !

1989Pre 

I'll see you in three years.

drlogik 

It's not quite at the 30 year mark but I still have and regularly ride my 1989 Nishiki Ariel mountain bike that I bought at Sunshine Cycles in Greenville, SC in 1989. I won't ever sell it because of all the bikes I've owned over the years there are two that stand out that I really wished I still had. I feel the same about this bike that I do about the other two. The other two were a 1975 Raleigh Super Course and a late 1970's Gitane.

It's my utility bike now for running errands to the grocery store, hardware store, etc. Still has all of the original components except for a new chain and freewheel, oh, and I swapped out the rigid fork for a Specialized shock many years ago; however, wished I still had the original fork. It still looks stock though.


-

styggno1

I will be back here in two years...

Repack Rider

I finally broke my 1971 Colnago. Still have my 1983 Ritchey Annapurna and of course from 1978, Breezer #2.

ascherer 

My Mercian frame was built in 1987 but I purchased it in 1988. See you next year.

Jmpierce

I've posted this before but it has become my grail bike.
81 Trek 710 frame purchased in 83 for $365.00, repainted and upgraded over time. It was stolen once and recovered. The rear wheel needs to be replaced but i purchased the wheels in 87 so they are 30 years old.
The first image is the current set up and the orange version is from the 90's.

motogeek 

This Veloce frame I had built for me in '86 or '87 by John Stinsman in Allentown, PA. I still have it pretty much as it was built, a real mish-mash of parts:

Huret titanium Duopar RD, Huret FD, Sugino AT crank, Phil Wood hubs, pedals and BB, Ambrosio Elite rims, Modolo Pro brakes, Cinelli bars and stem, Sun Tour bar ends, Campy Super Record seat post, Regina Oro drilled chain, Shimano 600 headset, Silca pump painted to match frame.

John was very good at painting a fade. This bike faded from Dark Rose Metallic at the top to Light Rose Metallic at the bottom ... a very gradual transition from one color to the next.

79pmooney

The '79 Peter Mooney is still going strong. It will get a new paint job one of these days. I had SunTour Command shifters on it since '95 but it is going to go back to top mounted DTs or Power Shifter DTs. Started on Power Shifters like I raced on my Fuji Pro. They are a joy to shift! Went to the top mounted DTs to avoid the knee-knock downshift to the 13t cog (now 12) on 19% grades. I"m less rigorous about keeping my knees in then I was then so it doesn't happen now. Still, those auto-correct SunTour top mounted shifters are pretty sweet.

Some parts of that bike will probably never be hi-end. The OEM Shimano cantis lifted off a mid-eighties Miyata 610 are pretty sweet, still!

Ben

FrankHudson

By the rules of the OP, I can't post my '51 Raleigh even though I've owned it since 1978 or so. However, here's my Diamondback Ridgerunner which bought new shortly after the model came out, which I think means it's a 1982, but someone questioned the date sometime back. It has fancy lugs with pin stripes and a sorta biplane fork. Despite it's age and years of winter usage, it nearly original. I've swapped out the saddle out a couple of times and the RD is not stock (though somewhere I have a NIB replacement RD for the unusual swoopy one it originally came with). I equipped it with the fenders and the rack at time of purchase.

It's now sort of my wet weather bike or the bike I ride when I ride with my slow-poke son. I used to ride it off-road, but I do less of that and now, and I have a modern fat bike for that.

obuckler

Bought new 1972 for college, refreshed in early 2000's after 20 years hanging shed--this got me riding again, changed to a singlespeed last year, very fun ride, is my change of pace rider, usually solos but not always, very mind freeing and now that it weighs 22+ lbs, surprisingly fleet, could gear it higher (45x19 now) but starting is easier this way.

styggno1

Hey - I just remembered I can participate already now! I bought this Conti frame new in 1986 at a LBS bankruptcy sale. Conti was made by the same guys that made CIÖCC (post-Pelizzoli era) and Concorde (PDM era). It had a very funky paintjob and the first thing I did was to paint it black and add the silver lug lining. I used this one a lot.

Super Record (true SR - all the ti bits), Roval tubular wheel set, Almarc leather and an early TTT 2000 stem and black Campag GS hoods to colour match the rest.

Sorry for the bad pictures - they are quite old too...









Today I would of course have liked to have it with its original paint job but then - as an architect student - I thought "less was more"...

It stands in the garage neglected and dusty. I ought to take it for a spin this spring.

MeadMan2

My 1974 Follis & 1986 Mark Zeh. I also have my wife's 1964 Armstrong 3 speed & early '70's Schwinn Super Sport that she bought new.

gaucho777 

Bummer! My sympathies.

pfaustus

I bought my Motobecane Super Touring new at the age of 15. I'm afraid that was more than 30 years ago.

Straightblock

I bought this Stumpjumper Sport new in 1983 or 1984. After a few years of off road rides, I used it for a commuter for a while. Currently it's a ghetto single speed, with a ProCompe 5 speed freewheel stripped of 4 cogs. This spring I plan to build it up as a drop bar conversion.



Our Santana hit the 30 year mark last year. We bought it as a wedding gift to each other. It's still running the original 6 speed downtube shifters.

John E

Great stories here!

I have owned numerous bicycles over the years, but only two new ones -- a 1962 Bianchi Corsa and a 1971 Nishiki Competition. Both steel frames eventually cracked and were discarded, although my current Bianchi, which came with an easily damaged aluminum bottom bracket lockring, now features the 1962 Bianchi's steel lockring. (I never discard anything mechanical without saving the small fittings and other bits. When I bought the Capo Sieger, I needed an Agrati road quill pedal dust cap, which I just happen to have saved from my very first Capo Modell Campagnolo, which I scrapped after the bent-and-restraightened frame finally failed.)

My Peugeot PKN-10 had Campag. clamp-on downtube shift, courtesy of the prior owner. I replaced those with the SunTours from my Nishiki when I converted the Peugeot to a 3x7 transmission and wanted a bit more cable pull.

When I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership, I did buy my wife a brand new Peugeot UO-8 frame. She rode it for several years before deciding she wanted a mountain bike so that she could avoid riding in traffic. I subsequently repurposed the UO-8 as my commuter-beater.