benjamin163

Hello, I've got a conundrum I could use a bit of advice from people who know more than me.
My son inherited my Condor Acciaio about three years ago and loves it even though it's about 20 years old and has a dent in the frame.
Now he's going to uni and his bike will be a big part of him getting around.
We're pretty sure the Condor isn't suited to his needs. It doesn't have pannier rack islets. It's got 23mm (or maybe 25mm) wheels.
But, the Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed groupset has always worked a treat although the limiter screws are now completely threaded so they can't be adjusted.
The Mavic wheels remain in excellent condition. The brakes too.
The question is, is it worth stripping the condor of all the components it has and putting them on a new suitable frame or is that just going to be a world of pain?
To be clear, We wouldn't be doing this ourselves, we would get it done properly.
But the alternative is to spend money on a completely new bike. His budget is £800 so it feels to me like he won't get anything of the quality of the old Condor.
However I feel like I may just be being sentimental. Are the parts worth anything? Are they even worth saving?
All thoughts gratefully received.

benjamin163

To add to this we would be looking to replace the condor with either a Boardman ADV 8.9 or a Planet X Kaffenback. Boardman he can get for about £760 with student discount and it's on offer. The Planet X is £999.

rsbob 

When you said ‘uni’ I understand that to mean a university. I bike commuted to college for years with a laptop and books in a ruck-sack/backpack and it worked great. When it rained, like it does in your part of the world, I would wear a poncho which would not only extend over the bars to keep my legs dry (along with full fenders) but would cover the ruck sack as well keeping the contents dry. It worked a treat.

Eyes Roll

If I were in your son's situation, I'd take £800 from you, and spend £600 to £700 to buy a new bike and buy £100 to £200 worth of bike tools (used or new) to fix the old bike, in my spare time. I will learn a thing or two about using the tools. I will learn the mechanics of bicycles. I will have a spare bike. I profit thrice.

mstateglfr 

That Boardman is really nice for the price. $970USD and it has a full carbon fork, thru axles, GRX10sp drivetrain, hydraulic brakes, quality 38mm tires, fender mounts, and rack mounts.
Seriously, thats a really good price for that spec new.

As for if he should buy that or ride his Condor?...no idea the setup. Is this bike stored indoors or at an outside rack? I wouldnt put a bike thats worth more than $150USD on an outdoor rack. But maybe thats just me. Is the storage location secure? There is 0 chance I would store the Boardman or Planet X bike in a spot that isnt highly secure. Its college- stuff gets taken by the minute.

If the bike is stored securely and out of the elements- that Boardman would be fantastic as it would easily transition from commuting to fun.
If the bike is stored outside and/or in a not too secure location- buy some mid-90s rigid MTB or hybrid for under $200USD and save the rest for when even that bike is stolen/lost/ruined.

Iride01 

For just riding around campus and for local commutes I wouldn't put too much money into it. Just get it running. I don't know what problem theft might be in your area, but even if it's low, why risk that with a somewhat valuable bike or bike that has any sentimentality.

I'd get a beater for just riding around campus. Or use the current bike as a beater if it can inexpensively be fixed up and holds no other value for you or your son.

I saw that the frameset weight is about 2230 grams (4.9 lbs). So while it could be a reasonably light bike for a nice road bike, it certainly won't be as light as many of the new just under mid to higher tier road bikes.

Other than money, there isn't any reason why your son couldn't have two bikes. A beater bike for the campus and put some really nice stuff on the Condor Acciaio for him to ride when out on the open road for exercise and recreation.

eduskator

New bike. Always a new bike. Every reason is a good reason to a new bike day.

Don't listen to your wife.

choddo

Don’t know which uni he’s going to but bike theft is rife around most big student towns & cities. I wouldn’t invest in anything new but if you’re sure he can keep it secure and will have a couple of decent locks and can keep it away from angle grinders, the Boardman is great. Don’t think I’d repurpose the Campag stuff. Too tricky to get replacement bits if anything breaks.

Alan K

I do not know how it is in your son’s university area but on this side of the pond, it is a good idea to own a bicycle that is functional but not begging to be nicked by a thief at the campus, which does happen. While you are at it, encourage your son to do the maintenance work himself. Basic bicycle maintenance is easy and not very time-consuming.

A road bike can do just fine with a backpack. But you could always find a used bike in decent condition in 200-300 range. Chances are good that a slightly heavier and not very fancy bike outlast his education years and if stolen, not a huge loss!

Maelochs

All the limit screws do is make sure the rider doesn't lose the chain .... or the derailleur and rear wheel, causing a crash. Hmmmm .....

Whatever he is going to do your son needs to address this issue. Maybe find some very slightly larger screws and force them in (the the body is aluminum and the screws are steel .... ) or actually retap the holes and get bigger screws ..... I cannot imagine that the shift cables will never need changing or that the limit screws will Never need adjusting .... but go for it if you so choose. Do keep in mind though, that if you don't have the dork disc, you could do catastrophic damage and cause a catastrophic crash.

Otherwise, I second everyone who advises getting a couple $100 '90s MTBs ... steal one today I will ride the other tomorrow and buy two more over the weekend. Colleges campuses are notorious for self-liberating bikes ... they break free and ride off without their owners. Even Walmart beach cruisers would be fine .... whatever won't hurt much if it disappears.

aliasfox

If there’s any sentimental attachment to the Condor, leave it at home. University is all about jamming bikes into racks with surprisingly thin locks, being surprised by rain, etc. Get an alloy hybrid with puncture resistant tires, and maybe a chain guard on the chainset to minimize grease marks in pant legs. I’d avoid steel (paint gets chipped, easy rust), carbon anything (people are really rough when they’re locking up and they’re late for class), and try to get sealed bearings. Optimally, the bike will normally be parked under an awning, but you never know.

If he cares about bike performance, there are longer/lower flat bar road bikes that fit the bill, as well. Also, regardless of mileage, I’d expect to put on a new chain and a couple of cables every year or so, just due to a) exposure, and b) lack of regular lubrication.

bblair

My thought as well.

When I was in school, back in the 70's, I kept a Schwinn Varsity outside in the rack to ride to class. My real bike was of course kept inside in a humidity and temperature-controlled environment.

That Condor is a cool bike. Keep it vintage.

_ForceD_

bblair alluded to this above. Is the bike going to be stored outside? Every college campus I’ve ever seen generally works that way. Does he have room to keep it in his dorm room, apartment, house? Does keeping it outside impact your decision?

Dan

choddo

My son’s college has an amazing underground tunnel network that they store the bikes in. It’s about 400 years old and like something out of a movie.

zandoval 

When I went to UTMB Galveston I used a beater bike effectively. When I say beater, I mean it looked Beat To Ship!

It was a 1970s UO8 sleeper. Salt air helped to hide its capabilities. It actually looked like rust was the only thing holding it together. But the inside of the frame was treated with Linseed oil and everything was covered with Marine Grease, its singular lube.

Note that in Galveston they steal bikes just to stay in practice...

_ForceD_

Until recently, I had a bike that I kept like that. I gave it away on a local FB swap site. — Dan

benjamin163

Thanks so much for the reply. I'm afraid I'm a confirmed pannier man after 30 years of bike commuting. I can't stand the sweaty back! and you can carry more.

benjamin163

I think this is a fantastic shout. Unfortunately he's not quite as committed to bike maintenance as I am but what I may well do is fully service it myself with the help of London Bike Kitchen which does excellent bike maintenance courses. Then he can keep that and get something more robust for his city trave.

benjamin163

Thank you for your thoughts. Yes the Boardman bike is dead tempting, I'm glad you concur!

benjamin163

Thank you for your reply and I think this is exactly what we're going to do

benjamin163

Yes you would have thought I could just unscrew the limiter screws and replace with new ones but in practice it doesn't seem that simple. Something for an expert to tackle I think. I can't believe a whole derailleur can be rendered useless just because of the limiter screws.

Sapper69

For a total budget of £800, I'd do something like this:

• £400 for a new Shimano 105 R7000 mechanical/rim brake groupset (current sale price for this groupset at Merlin Cycles).
• £200 for a recent model, used set of wheels (zillions of options here).
• £200 for a 'beater' campus bike plus some repairs or accessories.

Once you've stripped down the Campy groupset, you can decide to tidy it up to sell, or overhaul it as a hobby to eventually put back on the same bike, or whatever.
You can't go wrong with Shimano 105 (I'm saying this as someone who also likes Campy and SRAM) and if you look afte it you'll be able to sell it at a good price if you decide to eventually put the Campy group back on. R7000 is the last full mechanical/rim brake group to be made in that range (high level recreational/entry level race) and I'm certain they'll retain good resale value, if you decide not to keep it.

Maelochs

There is an S/S Bianchi with a dented top tube on EBay .... <whistle>

zandoval 

Here is something really rare... A Navy Bike not painted Grey... Ha

Wow... It doesn't even have Green Primer... That's extra rare!

Sure hope who ever ends up with the bike appreciates it's history...

_ForceD_

LOL. The guy who took it was very much into the bike’s history.

Dan