New video: How to purchase a vintage road bike. Let me know what you think.
 

Hey guys,
I did another "how to" video. How to purchase a vintage road bike. What to look for while purchasing. This video was based upon being able to see the bike in person.
Be gentle with me. lol

Use your finger to feel under the top and down tubes for a front-ender. Sometimes cracked paint on top doesn't happen.
Using a term like wheel dish will be unknown for beginners.
Show forged versus stamped dropout. Again, a beginner won't get it if you show only one.

But all in all, nice.

What other "how to" videos would be interesting?

JJ

You can normally tell if a bike is in good shape or not, just by looking at it and talking with the seller about its history. Conversation is one of the most important things when buying. Next, feel for dents, dings and bulges behind the head tube. Spin the wheels. If you must, ask the seller to loosen the stem and seatpost.

Personally, I wouldn't allow a potential buyer to put a spoke wrench to my bike.

I watched this last night, and I not only liked it, I "Liked" it - you know, thumbs up on YouTube? ;) It gave me some ideas on how to approach buying bikes - though I really hope I'm done with that, for a while, anyway.

I like the idea of the straight edge. I haven't been using one, but I've been lucky so far. I do already look for the creases behind the head tube lugs. So far, the bikes I've bought have all been in the under $500 range - some WAY below that - so I'm a lot less persnickety than I would be if I were going for a Colnago covered in Nuovo Record!

SurferRosa makes a great point about talking with the seller, but something else that comes in really handy is knowing as much about the bike you're looking at as possible. I also collect vintage American watches, and in watch collecting, knowing more about the watch than the seller does is always to your advantage. With vintage bikes, knowing what components should be there, and thus what you may need to replace to make the bike more authentic can save you money. So, when I was buying a 1989 Schwinn Circuit that had a later, generic saddle, but the seller pulls out a new-looking San Marco Rolls, and says, "It had this saddle when I got it from the last guy who owned it. Do you want it?" I knew to say "YES!!"

[QUOTE=jjhabbs;22268020]Hey guys,
I did another "how to" video. How to purchase a vintage road bike. What to look for while purchasing. This video was based upon being able to see the bike in person.
Be gentle with me. lol/QUOTE]
Good video and good advice, but maybe a bit too cautious?. Would've liked to have seen at least one of your "regrets" or "mistakes" but maybe you get rid of them right away. Plus, you panned across your collection way too fast and way too zoomed out :).

All of my bikes probably qualify as vintage (my most recent purchase is a carbon fiber bike from ~20 years ago ;)) and none are in "perfect working order". My old aluminum bike (35-years-old) has been boxed up and put on countless airplane flights and has not been perfectly aligned for about 33 years, but it still rides fine (OK, it pulls slightly left when going no-handed) and I am not about to get it fixed since aluminum weakens with every bending. My steel MTB and sport/touring bikes have some exterior rust from cables and chains chipping away at the paint, so they don't look so pretty in some spots, but that damage is not structural. Wheel trueness is not as a big a deal as wheel roundness.

Re: rear triangle alignment. Don't need a straight edge. I was hit by a car and my bike frame was all messed up, and my bike shop used a piece of string around the headtube back to the rear drop outs, and measured the distance between the string and the seat tube to gauge alignment.

[QUOTE=Gonzo Bob;22269016]Great point on the string method. I used that at the store I worked at in the 80s. Does exactly the same thing. Actually. I fyou string it a couple different ways you can determine if there is a twist in the frame as well.. GREAT Point!

JJ

another thought... but it only applies to buying remotely...
back in the early internet days of 1997, I came across an ad for the Olmo that I now own. It was offered for sale by a fellow in the eastern USA. I talked to him, but wasn't sure about the deal. He offered to put me in touch with a fellow he had recently sold another bike to, and this fellow was able to give me some confidence in the seller. So, getting in touch with with someone else who has dealt with a prospective seller isn't a bad idea.

A side benefit is that the person acting as a reference might ride the same size bikes as you, which can be a useful thing! I ended up putting this fellow in touch with a local shop that was selling a nearly NOS Paramount.

As far as the Olmo, it had a bit more wear than I expected, but it's been a great bike! Lots of pantographed parts, and it's not too pretty to ride.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...29a094_c_d.jpg

Steve in Peoria

All these bikes look like they'd be perfect for me :) great vid!

Great suggestions. I omitted "how to buy remotely" from the video. Maybe I shouldn't have. I have a hard time buying online. I do it often but I dont like to. Ive been surprised at how good the bikes were that I purchased. On the other hand some were awful. I usually ask the seller to send me the five worst cosmetic wounds they could find. That eliminates a lot of potential purchases.
Good Ideas! Thanks

JJ

I've bought 3 of my bikes - $200 / $300 and $1200... going off the pictures and just looking at it for 5 seconds knowing im getting a DEAL. Research research research.

The Olmo was the only bike where I was a bit disappointed, so I might be doing pretty well. In general, it can be risky!
Now that I think about it, all of my vintage bikes were purchased remotely! It's only four bikes, so I'm not buying many, which probably helps.
One was from a fellow who was selling the bike nearly new-in-box. This was the Raleigh International, and he even threw in an extra bar and stem and a T.A. handlebar bottle cage, which I love!
The other two were from long-time members on the Classic Rendezvous list (and they sort of lurk here), so they had good reputations. The bikes were well photographed and documented, and I wasn't disappointed.
A side benefit is that they might consider selling other bikes at a later date. :)


that's a really good idea!
Why does it remind me of a job interview where the applicant is asked "what's your worst trait?"... ;)
If nothing else, it does prompt the seller to really go over the bike in detail instead of just assuming it's all in good shape.

Steve in Peoria

I was disappointed you didn't review my "buy-high, sell-low" strategy.

Lol. I just cant relate. I dont sell anything! LOL. I need to!

J.J.

Appreciate the video! Nicely done. I recently purchased a bike from Italy and it went well, but this will help me when I biy something locally here.