Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 854
Bikes: 1903 24 spd Sunbeam, 1927 Humber, 3 1930 Raleighs, 2 1940s Sunbeams, 2 1940s Raleighs, Rudge, 1950s Robin Hood, 1958 Claud Butler, 2 1973 Colnago Supers, Eddie Merckx, 2 1980 Holdsworth, EG Bates funny TT bike, another 6 or so 1990s bikes
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For mass produced bikes the quality of the metal is paramount. Many older folks firmly believe any bike produced after WW1 (1914-18) is junk. Certainly if you work on restoring bikes it gets easier as they get older as the quality of steel and workmanship is superior for the older bikes. After a 1980 DoM restoring a bike get's considerably more difficult. However most of the folks who understand this are dead or as good as dead so who cares. As long as it is made of steel you can restore it to near new - albeit the more modern the longer it takes but hey...this is for fun..
Avoid powder-coated older bikes. they hide many sins. If restoring PC coated steel burn the PC off it works a treat and saves bags of time and frustration and any horrors will be sooner apparent.
Last edited by Johno59; 09-07-23 at 09:43 AM.