turky lurkey

Are you thoroughly servicing your old bikes before riding them hard? Are the spokes properly tensioned, and hubs serviced and tightened but not overtightened? Are you smashing the wheel into curbs at high speeds or something? I wonder what it is that causes you to destroy bikes, when nobody else here is destroying bikes left and right? Are just big and strong or abusive? If that is the reason then I'd be surprised if new stuff would hold up any better.

randyjawa 

Only you can answer that question and the answer will depend on your interests, at the time you ask. For example...

For me, and for riding as a commuter, or a competitor, or a errand runner, this old Legnano does not do the job...



But as a machine from another age, featuring past technologies, coupled with the opportunity to compare functions to today, it is immensely interesting to me...



But for riding pleasure, or commuting or competing, this Cyclops is the answer..,



until I can afford a high end carbon fiber steed.

Put another way, if vintage bicycles interest you, then the question "why I should want a complete old high-end bike instead of just the frameset?" becomes academic. Again, each of us will have our own answer to the question, but not unless we are interested, to begin with.

Chrome Molly

So true, but not always because they understand it.

Last week I had to explain a few things to a younger mechanic at a "non chain" LBS. He was convinced that ordering new BB cups for a modern Chorus crank would get him new bearings. He was waiting to dismantle the crank until the cups arrived so he could replace the parts. After telling him that, he didn't believe me. Not wanting to be proven wrong, he invited me back to examine the bike. He likened it to SRAM GXP.

After some examination and discussion, I showed him the particulars of the UT hirth joint, which he loosened. We pulled out the crank. Lo and behold the bearings were attached to the crank and not the cups. After some initial disbelief, he lifted up the crank and examined the quality of what he previously mentioned was a "rival level" crank. Slowly, over the next 10 minutes of talking about modern Campy stuff while he continually examined, and then fondled the Chorus crank, I saw dawn break behind his eyes...

It's much tougher to convince people that older parts and designs are just as relevant today. Usually they need to figure it out for themselves by both examination and riding. I find that riding with "older" parts is different than riding "modern" parts. First, don't be in a hurry. Second, have an open mind. Third, be prepared to become part of the process (you're the producer and the director)

davester

I'm somewhat amazed at how off base the OP is here. I'm also amazed at his ability to destroy bicycles and parts. Most of the components on my current main bike (which I use primarily for riding centuries and for commuting) are Nuovo Record parts salvaged from my 1971 Raleigh International. Those components have been subjected to a period of criterium racing (way back when), and international fully loaded touring on surfaces ranging from french cobblestones to american gravel roads to smooth highways, in rain, sun, sleet and snow. The only part that has ever broken was the front derailleur pivot on the clamp, which was replaced for free by Campy (lifetime warranty) with an updated and stronger piece. My friends with much newer stuff experience much more frequent failures.

As to performance, what performance is the OP talking about? My hubs and crankset spin much more smoothly and freely than the sealed bearing newer stuff. The weight differences are merely grams. I must admit that in a race situation there are huge advantages to using indexed shifting and brifters. I also went with a Truvativ GPX outboard bearing crankset for a while and I think that maybe it seemed less flexy side to side, but the pedals were now annoyingly wider spaced so I feel that it was a downgrade in a number of ways. In any other situation other than racing the "performance" features are completely irrelevant and there simply is no material performance advantage to new equipment that makes any real difference to non-racers IMHO.

Given the lack of performance enhancements useful to non-racers, and the hideousness of recent componentry, I can't understand why someone would want to build up a vintage bike with new components. I suspect that if the OP does this with his dad's bike then he will live to regret it, just as many of us regret the follies we embraced during our foolish younger years.

randyjawa 

User friendly shifting with hands still on the handlebar, not reaching down for that next gear = increased safety and, perhaps, a longer life when riding in traffic.

Brakes that require less effort to use and result in dramatically improved stopping power, once again enhancing the safety factor.

Saddles that are designed with ergonomics in mind, not how thick the cow's back skin is.

Wheel rims that don't look like pooeystinko after use and, offer improved braking performance over the earlier all anodized uglymeupsoonhoops.

Improved handlebar tape, compared to the cotton cloth used back then.

And, in general, easier to find replacement parts/service for, when required.

I am sure that anyone else can come up with there own reasons. The point is, there are many reasons to fit modern components on a vintage frame. Understanding or agreeing with them all, might well be impossible. And not all of us think the newer stuff is "hideous". Even anodized, I really like this crank set and absolutely love the outboard bearing bottom bracket...

dweenk

" Are there any of you who are putting hundreds of not-easy miles on your old groups? Or do you all treat them with the respect and take them out only on (sic)occasiins and only spin them?"

I don't have any valuable vintage bikes. All of mine are upper-low to high-middle range. I just rebuild and maintain them. If I don't like the way they ride, I sell them. As far as groups - I don't really care. if it works, I use it until it doesn't - and then I replace it with something that does work. I do try to keep original components on an older bike (even if it is not considered a classic model), and I try to match components if it makes sense. But that's just me.

r0ckh0und 

Never really been much of a Campyphile......mostly because im cheap and I can rarely get my hands on it. Recently through mostly dumb luck I picked up an early Campy Record claw RD with 13-36 stamped on the back. As I said I dont know much about this stuff but I'm thinking 50s or 60s era. I rebuilt it today, basically just removed the adjuster screws, mounting bits and jockey wheels. I considered pulling the spring but didn't. Quite an impressive little piece of technology, especially the jockey wheels with the cones and bearings.......very cool.

handers

That's what I was thinking.

For me it's an aesthetic thing. Mixing vintage and modern sometimes fits great. It's about function but it is also about design and period. I don;t think putting old Campy SR would look appealing on a modern aero carbon frame with a a wild paint job. I love a Campy SR more than I love DuraAce. Just a personal design thing, not about function. Perhaps that's silly but I love the aesthetic of different bikes and that has to do with the suitability of the components to the frame.

orangeology

modern Shimano components are bare ugly, to me.
the only acceptable looking ones from Shimano world are early DAs—and some early 600s, to me.

jimmuller 

Yes. Putting hundreds of not-easy miles on them the proper way to treat them with respect.

The Golden Boy 

There's some old components that are 'timeless.' I have a set of XC Pro cantilever brakes that are being saved for the nebulous "someday" modern, custom made bike that I'll have built for me. I also have a few other NOS parts that I'm saving for that bike- but those canti brakes are just beautiful.

MattoftheRocks

repechage

Yep, that dangerous aluminum alloy broke the steel spindle.

This brings the question, how durable should a lower middle price point component be? How many decades should it last?

Don Buska

Cuz, on a 1980 Fuji Newest - Nothin looks better than a 1980 Suntour Superbe Pro RD-3100 RD, a Superbe FD-1500, Superbe BB, Superbe Drilled Crank (CW-1000), Superbe Pedals and a Suntour Ultra 6 freewheel - and that's why Yes, it a new KMC X9.93 chain When you restore a classic it's always nice to remain as much classic that's practicable IMHO. This Fuji just completed a 45 mile group tour and had no problem keeping up with the latest stuff.



The 1980 Fuji Newest frame uses Suntour Superbe chromed dropouts BTW.

Oh yeah, I have a modern Chinese Kick-stand attached.......

davester

Reminds me of the snapped crank on my buddy's carbon bike that almost put him in the hospital. How old is the bike in that picture and is it a top of the line component that broke?

The Golden Boy 

Point?

repechage

Looking at the spindle it was solid, used a nut to hold the crank arm.
Forged, but often not rotated much during the process, one would have to remove it to tell.
Lack of rotation results in uneven hardening. The solid section is used to make up for the lack of strength.
The arms are lower tier cotterless.

The original poster has a definite point of view, old is worn out and or dangerous by design. I think the more accurate view for all the bikes out there produced over the decades, the failure rate is pretty low.

QuikRick

Serious? Just this weekend my wife was in the garden trimming the roses, I rolled out the Tommasini Tecno and leaned it on the fence and said... "Hey Babe, will you just gaze upon this beautiful mechanical work of art?"
She blushed and turned away. I poured her another glass of wine...

eschlwc

zombie troll thread. nice.

The Golden Boy 

gaucho777 

Curious if @MattoftheRocks just stumbled on that pic after a couple years and is using this rare instance of spindle failure as proof of his point, without knowledge of this particular part's history, or if there is a personal backstory with this pic?

FWIW, modern cranks/bb are not immune to failure as well:

Shimano to recall 2.5 million cranks

Ritchey WCS and Pro Crank Recall

FSA Gossamer Bottom Bracket Recall

WeThePeople BMX Crank Recall

Magna Bicycle Recall (due to crank failure)

Cannondale Carbon Crankset Recall

etc., etc.

clubman 

What is that thing? Some kind of homemade stationary trainer? Doesn't really look like a bike.

Yeah I snapped a crank in rush hour traffic 20 years ago. Should I still be scared? BTW the crank in my avatar is a century old. I'll be sure and mothball that one too.

Staypuft1652

Can't speak to top end (Dura Ace, Cyclone, Superbe, or any Campy whatsoever), nor any modern even decent equipment, but all my cheap, bottom end Suntour stuff, while probably being exceedingly heavy, is built quite well. For example, mid 70's suntour GT rear derailer, all steel, with what appear to be steel pins for parallelogram pivots. Not a shimano fan, but even "schwinn approved" gt-120, while not being overly well designed, seems solid. As far as bottom brackets, cranks etc, I'm well within clyde status, havent broke anything.

bikemig 

Great looking bike. But you need a carbon fiber kick stand to complete the look,

MattoftheRocks

Sorry all, the site doesn't like interacting with my phone... the pic is from last night. I'm told that the frameset (and the spindle which came with it) are early 80's- it's a Raleigh "Super Course 12". The arms are from a Bridgestone 300 which was two sizes too small for me, but close enough for my first summer back riding after spending 8 months in a wheelchair. The Raleigh's very pretty Raleigh-branded cranks had a swaged spider which I swapped for fear of losing the spider in traffic now that I've mostly gotten my body back together. I had intended on swapping in a new bb and crankset next month, oh well.
@clubman, we've got some artsy bike racks in the area of town where I popped the spindle- they look like bikes. It's supposed to be cute, I guess.
@quickrick on a recent visit to the lbs with my little sister, they pulled out a couple of old steel treks that they had just gotten in and were saving for me to check out. One, a DA 7400 covered, heavily used, 770 made my 20 y.o. sister go wide-eyed and say "oooh! I do need a new bike for campus, Matt [huge wink]." The girl who didn't have appreciation for the classic bike... we're still friends, but have parted ways and are both better off

The Raleigh is going to likely get a truvativ sealed bb unless/until I get a screaming deal on an old nos da unit. I'd love to have some pretty 7400 or athena cranks, but I'm likely going to settle on some IRD or soma cranks as I hate the idea of abusing things that others find a sort of sentimental value in. It came with Weinmann concave rims on Maillard hubs, Vx derailers, and nice clicky suntour barcons- stuff that I've read too much sentimental stuff about to be abusing on the battlefield/commute/rack.

Thank you to everybody for the responses!