Originally Posted by
Wheels74
Thanks for all of the info... that tandem paint job is pretty awesome! I wanted to ask... what is considered 'older'? Anything pre 2000? I believe I read that in another thread... and the reasoning was components.
My list from (single) road bikes tends to be:
Ancient and/or cheap:
French thread bottom brackets
Mixte frames
Cottered cranks
Lack of a derailer hanger
Chromed steel rims
Any frame with a rear axle spacing less than 130 mm
Suicide shifters (levers on the stem)
Brakes with brake cable routing out the top instead of under the bar tape
Any rear non-indexable shifter
Somewhat old but maybe ok depending on my goals:
Any non-steel frame with round tubes around 1.25" OD (ie, the diameter of most steel bike tubes)
Threaded or 1" threadless forks/headsets
Original 7sp components (if a Shimano 105 or better group). I'm getting to the point where this includes 8sp as well, but they seem to have stuck around longer on tandems than on road bikes. I find 8sp or 9sp to be a sweet spot in gear count, but it's a lot harder to get nicer components in those ranges as they are no longer made*.
*This is much less of an issue if you don't plan to use brifters.