OldsCOOL

You may be onto something with that correlation. That was a brutal time in history. The bike was either forgotten or kept aside so to keep the young owner from being forgotton.

Aquiles

Beautiful bikes!

Flatforkcrown

Not sure if this counts… but I found a 1973 motobecane le champion, original except the wheels and seatpost, a while back. Got it from the original owner.


As found

New cables, guides, tubular wheels, and campy nuovo record seatpost.

3alarmer 

As found originally...virtually unchanged and unridden since 1957

As modified for regular use as a pleasant, but not especially fast, rideable bicycle. in 2018

bikemig 

Just think how much faster you'd be up the hills if you had a 30 lb "lightweight" Schwinn like this Sports Tourer I just picked up rather than your 40 lb varsity. Something tells me that even if you're riding a varsity and I'm riding a actual lightweight bike (say a steel bike around 21-23 lbs), you'd still beat me up that hill,

madpogue 

^^^^^^ Yellow paint is much lighter.

bikemig 

I like buying survivors. My best find might be this 1960 Olmo Gran Sport. I overhauled it but otherwise didn't touch much of anything. The saddle and hoods are repops. I did change out the original (short) bar and (narrow) stem for a Cinelli bar and stem. My 1969 Raleigh Robin Hood is all original (except for the saddle). I just picked up a 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer which was all original. I overhauled it and replaced the pedals with MKS Sylvans but the bike is otherwise original except for the consumables.

Mr. 66

A few of the more intact finds
I put a new saddleon the Univega, all else is original down to the tires


my clunker on original wheels, the rear has ding on the rim. I may have an original rim to rebuild the original sewups

all original minus tires, Azuki

And my best repaint

nomadmax 

Your bike is much nicer! I was always smitten by the yellow and opaque blue. Who cares who gets to the top first? We're here to enable each other

OutnBack

Except for the tires, the Bluemels Mountain fenders, & an ill-fitting rear rack, this well-used 1983 Diamond Back Ridge Runner was 100% stock when I found it, including the Centurion Selle Royal saddle that came on these bikes. 2 weeks after scoring this bike, I found another that actually fits.

Kabuki12

1977 Raleigh Competition GS
I bought this from the original owner. He was 78 years old back in 2015 or 16 . He bought it in Cupertino California for his wife who hated it(lucky for me) so it just sat in his garage for decades. The Brooks Pro saddle was not even broken in . He thought I was a bit over the top when I asked if he still had the paperwork for it! I had to wrap the handle bars and put new tires on it and the bike shop he bought it from had installed safety brake levers which I removed, I also removed the chain ring guard. I left the Bicycle Registration on it though. I have new hoods for the brake levers but haven't installed them , yea I know its been five years. Just having too much fun and they aren't important to me.

Bad Lag

Mine probably hates me but I love it.


P.S. - I am feeling like a bit of a survivor, myself. Cycling has played a part in that.

OldsCOOL

So true.

bwilli88 

My Raleigh Record Ace from the early 80s. Someone swapped out the original Vx RD for a Cyclone and I found a matching FD one from a member here. Weinman hoods are dried and cracked, the seat post is not original nor the tires. Really a well kept bike.

Chuck M 

Unless I'm looking at it wrong, I'd think she may have hated it because it was too tall for her unless she was over 6' tall.

Nice bike BTW.

Kabuki12

^^^Yea , she was definitely not that tall and not at all the cycling type. Also a Brooks Pro saddle is not the perfect saddle for a woman. It didn’t make sense that a bike shop would sell him a bike that was not suited for his wife. He rode an International and did trips from the Bay Area to San Diego, so he was obviously an avid cyclist in his day. It did not make sense. I was just happy I got the bike. Thanks for the compliment , I have enjoyed it even though a bit small for me. I normally ride a 63cm bike .

Chuck M 

My Sunday morning rider needs new tires. The rubber currently on it are Schwinn Records from probably the late 80s, early 90s, not sure. I can’t find what I want so I was going to pull some Continental Sports off of a ‘73 Schwinn Suburban I have sitting around to get me by a few weeks.

Looking the Suburban over, while rough it is pretty much a survivor. High flange hubs and a big ol’ pie plate spoke protector was looking sexy like a cocktail waitress in a tight dress and too much makeup. She ain’t no lady, but she should dress up well. So I took it down to the bones and I’ll overhaul it in the spare time I don’t have.

Original pedals, grips, seat and barely rusty but a little dusty.

gpdave

Picked up this Garlatti recently. Other than a couple of cable housings it is all original. I believe even the tires (Dutch) and tubes (Italian) are original. Only the Universal hoods need to be replaced.
It even has a 72-73 Medford metal bike licence!
Sorry about the pic quality.

BFisher

1951 Raleigh Sports. I installed new Michelin World Tour tires, new tubes, although the originals still hold air, new bearing balls, reproduction grips from Peter Kohler, and NOS brake pad inserts.
As found:


Post refresh:

beech333

My grandfather passed a guitar to my brother like that. A friend sold it for almost nothing before going to WW2, with the agreement he could get it back when he returned. It was sad to think he had no children/grandchildren/siblings to seek out. My grandfather never played it.

WGB 

This Superbe was purchased in April of 1972 as a surprise for it's owner She told me she was sure it was in April of 70 or 71, but rear hub stamped 72. She lived on a busy street and was afraid to ride it. Still has both keys for the fork lock, the tag that came with the keys regretfully being lost long ago. Needs new tires as has been sitting since purchased. Owner advised she rode it about a mile and didn't like the Brooks seat (a fake leather one) and so she bought the seat cover pictured but she still didn't like the ride so she stored it in a bedroom until I bought it. Very few nicks. It has the hub dynamo and the headlamp as well as the original pump. Pump came with a sticker which listed pressure by size (i.e. 26in wheel - 80 PSI, 27 inch wheel -100 PSI, etc) ) I tried it once for about 100 yards but couldn't get it to shift and thought, better stop or you'll break something. Turns out the shifter cable was off of the little pulley-wheel hidden behind the chain guard. I'd sold it to a fellow thru "the Cabe" but Covid happened and now that the border is opening up someday, "soon" he's not replying to my emails so I listed it locally for $400 Canadian though suspect it'll sell for less. Needs way better photos which I'll try for today.

75lechamp 

I got this from the original owner, and recently finished it in time for the annual Tour de Steamboat 66 mile course yesterday.... All original except for the Campy brakes (I have the original Weinmanns) and the crank (I have the original 3 pin TA)...

fleslider 

Heres a survivor, 1986 Fisher Montare only things replaced were the Chain/Tires/Tubes and almost all of the cables, The Brake housing is original

ollo_ollo

This Gitane Mixte became my 2018 Clunker 100 bike: She showed up on our Salem, OR CL for $45. Seller was a local cyclist whose mother bought it in early 70's (I think 73), didn't ride it much for a few years, left it in her garage a while, then cleaned it up and hung it in family room of her home in Sausalito, CA "for at least 30 years". He was cleaning out the house, no one wanted the bike, so he brought it home & put on CL rather than Goodwill it. I added the fenders and Pryma saddle during the challenge and later a set of pedals with reflectors before giving it to my Grand Daughter. Also have a Trek 520 survivor, but need some pics of it. Don

1973? Gitane Mixte

RustyJames 

I’m not an expert on these things but my Raleigh is original including the VERY worn out pedals. (Yeah, I know - Kool Stops, etc.)