Classtime 

I'm going to ignore most of these posts. I now have bikes sitting in the wings for the day that I need to retire my favorite and I need to keep those bikes for that inevitability. Close this thread please.

ryansu

Wood rims - Respect!

gearbasher

I've retired 5 steel frames, so far. All due to accidents (two of those almost retired me). Probably, they all could have been repaired. But, they lived, they died, they were buried. I have one TSX frame with 83,000+ miles on it and still going strong. If you don't abuse 'em, they'll last for ever.

jbchybridrider 

I have lots of steel frame bikes. Just restored a mid 1970's frame and hope it out lives me. Have only broken one frame "a carbon frame" Bike was leaning on a rock, while photographing it it fell over snapping a seat stay clean through but have two other carbon frame bikes still going.

greatscott

Great question, you know, Sheldon Brown use to ride a 1918 (year?) what he called a gas pipe bike to work almost every day, he said that was his favorite riding bike, that bike is still rideable, Sheldon is not.

Loose Chain

The whole thread is based on a false premise, that one can wear a steel frame (or aluminum frame for that matter) out or that it has some life limit that can be exceeded. I am rather certain that a steel bicycle frame might easily last 1,000 years or more and ridden every day of those 1,000 years if given good care. Rust for steel, corrosion for aluminum could kill a frame, abuse, damage, accident, exceeding the design load limits might kill a frame. I guess titanium could possible last forever. Carbon fiber, there is a life limited material but by what method does one determine even that materials limit has been reached. Steel, aluminum and titanium usually provide some clue to their impending failure, carbon fiber, not so much or at least not as easily determined.

Jon T

I'm 64 yo. My one and only ride is an '84 Pug purchased new by me. Its Carbolite frame is still going strong as is the Helicomatic running gear. I don't anticipate out-lasting it.
Jon

Slightspeed

Ive been riding this 55 year old Legnano since it was new.


This is when I retired my steel Bianchi, thanks to some fool in a Honda Civic. Rider (me) survived, frame was toast.

turtledove

Haha the idea of "retiring" a bike frame is funny for some reason, like I'd put it behind a display case for eternity. Anyway yeah barring a crash where the cost of fixing the frame is too high, or you just dont feel like it anymore, it'll still be good.

Mr. 66

That should buff right out.

Kovkov

Gqas pipe frame from 1956. Years of abuse, crashes and neglect. Still riding like new.

AZORCH

Good to know. So I'll likely get at least another fifteen years of regular riding out of my 1946 Hobbs of Barbican.

jdawginsc 

Unless there are bends, holes rusted through, cracks, or gaps under the lugs, you're good to go.

And I'd still think you could ride with three of the four issues above.

greatscott

I would think someone should be able to bend that stay back out?

ramzilla

Yes. Steel frames can break. I've seen it. But, it's never happened to me. Worse thing ever happened to me was a pedal snapped off the crank arm when I was climbing a really steep hill.

My older brother wrecked his Colnago into a dog and bent the frame. Still got the bike. Hanging on the wall in the garage.

I sold a replacement frame to a 18 year old kid that broke his seat tube where it joined the bottom bracket. I happened to have a huge 64cm or something frame. This kid was about 6'-8" tall and probably weighed about 275lbs.

Stuff happens.

RobbieTunes

You should not. Your survivors can do that when you're gone. Use the extra time now to ride.

gugie 

Seat stays are one of the easiest parts of a frame to replace. Not sure if it'd be worth it on this frame, as a replacment shouldn't cost too much, but just throwing it out there.

Hudson308 

Previous owner retired this one after a crash sometime in the last 90 years.
I'm bringing it back out.