alanrogers505

Hi everybody,I am new here. I recently retired. In my 20s and 30s I rode a lot. Then my career and family intervened. Coupled with some orthopedic issues I put the bikes aside for what turned into several decades. I’m wondering if the bikes are sound as far as the frame set and wheels in particular, but components as well. There is some rusting, flaking and pitting here and there and I just wonder about the integrity. The bikes in question are both from 1980. One is a Colnago Super with mostly Campy super record components. The other is a Medici road bike with an extra set of forks for touring (which never really happened). Those unused forks seem to have the most rusting. I live in a desert climate, and have for nearly 40 years. Prior to that lived in some humid areas, including central Texas and Maine. Most of my wheels are for sew-ups. I know for most of the components a bike shop is going to give me the best advice, but I’m wondering what you guys will have to say about the frames and the wheels.
Alan in Santa Fe

base2 

After what I estimate to be 40-ish years, your tires are very likely at this point aged to danger. Replacement would be advisable.

As far as sew-ups go, they are out of fashion. Tubeless has by & large replaced tubulars. Finding high quality tubular tires that actually offer higher performance than a proper tubeless set up may be a bit difficult. We have a few members on the board here that have made the switch back to tubulars that can advise further to that end.

If it were me, I'd suggest a wheelset made with a rim brake, tubeless compatible clincher rim such as Velocity A23 or Hed Belgium+ (Ardennes) laced onto your existing (serviced) hubs. I suggest this because drop-out widths and gearing technology has changed dramatically over the years. But new hubs can be relatively inexpensive, too. So too can whole, complete factory built generic aluminum wheels. ~$300 for something really nice if you can find something compatible with your configuration. (5 speed? 6 speed? Freewheel or cassette? What width? You get the idea) A local Co-Op might be a worthy resource in finding inexpensive tubular replacement wheels.

I'd replace the dried out brake blocks with an appropriate version of Kool Stop Salmon. While I was at it, I'd take the opportunity to replace he brake cables with die-drawn stainless (they are a bit more expensive, but smoother ) and Compressionless brake housing. This is by no means required unless something is frayed or binding warranting replacement...Just something nice to do.

Other than that, I'd check shifter operation, the limit screws, etc...and head out for a ride around the neighborhood. Then evaluate further.

mpetry912 

+! on everything base2 suggested above

Definitely replace the tires, tubes, brake pads, and cables. make sure everything works.

If you don't feel confident in your own mechanical skills get a shop or friendly expert to evaluate your bike.

Very unlikely that frame integrity is compromised unless there is damage, but a detailed inspection by a competent individual is well worth your time and peace of mind.

/markp

3alarmer 

.
...a little bit (or even quite a bit) of surface rusting is usually only a cosmetic issue on a steel frame like the ones you list from the '80's.
The wheels, if they were in good shape when you put the bikes in storage, are still in the same shape. If they were not, in terms of truing and tension, they might need some work.

Personally, I'm not one of the people who is still riding tubular tires, but they do exist here. At a minimum, you need new tires, and brake blocks. Maybe new rubber all around (brake blocks, lever hoods, tires, bar tape.) Personally, I would either re-lace the wheels with new rims and use clincher tires. Or you can certainly explore a new wheelset that uses clinchers, bought already built up.

Your description sounds like bikes people buy as project bikes. So for me, before I'd ride them very far, a complete disassembly, cleaning, paint touch ups to the rust, and reassembly with new bearing grease, cables, housing, rubber, bar tape, chain. Then ride them like you think you used to, even though you will be slower than you think you remember being. If they were good to ride when you stopped, they are still fine for that today, once overhauled.

Mr. 66

If they were good enough when they got put away they should be fine. You may need service the bearings, the tires probably need to be replaced. Your cables are probably fine, light lubricant on the derailleur pivots. Rust probably not a safety issue, can be cleaned up in various ways.

In a few post/days you can post pictures and we can give you better advice for your specific needs.

repechage

Medici built forks in house and bought some out. They did farm out plating and or bought plated forks. They did not use an expensive plater.
I would probably set the extra fork aside. (No images to comment on)

Tubeless tires present their own issues, “high performance” but you are married to goop.
you have tubulars now, I would exchange them, Maybe keep the current for limp home use as a spare.
‘better quality tires will ride nicer.

”clinchers” are much better than 30 years ago. An investment, one needs to decide on the worthiness of the outlay.

I own Colnagos and a Medici. My hunch you would find the Medici more “stable” refresh that bike first, time for a bearings service. Colnagos are entertaining in my view, require more attention.
my best explanation would be the Medici would be the easier to glance behind you while riding and keep a straight line.

icemilkcoffee 

Tubular tires are still available brand new, at all price points from very cheap to hand-made silk tires. Not only that, now there are more choices for wider tubular tires. In addition to latex and and butyl, there is now a TPU tubed tubular tire (Pirelli). There are also tubeless tubular tires from Tufo and Donnelly which can run sealant inside full time. Some people run sealant inside latex tubed tubulars when they get a flat. Installation also got easier with tubular tape. I don't think it's a dead end.

base2 

This is why I like this board. To the OP, I'm sure any of these would be the lowest cost option to get his original equipment back on the road. Certainly cheaper than a full wheel rebuild for currently prevalent tire options.

Dave Mayer

I ride tubulars a lot - my preferred wheel solution because they are lighter, stronger and when properly glued - safer. With 20cc of Stan's sealant injected (through the removable valve cores), the tires become very flat resistant.

HOWEVER: old tubular tires are not safe because the old glue has dried out, so they are no longer bonded to the rims. Further, the bonding (glue) between the rim strip and the tire casing has also dried out, so that you can no longer trust these tires no matter how well they are glued to the rim.

More: I have several older bikes and ride them regularly. However: modern dual-pivot brakes, and brifters are a major improvement in safety and usability. Wider range cogsets as well - we're not getting younger.

alanrogers505

Many thanks to everyone for their input. Took me a little time to get the bikes out and into the light for some photos.

Let me post about the Colnago first and a separate post about the Medici.

The Colnago frameset is 63 cm. I was 6' 3" in 1980 and a bit north of 6'2' now. Any loss I think is in. the lower spine after a fusion.

Completely agree that the tires are old and wouldn't ride them. And it looks as though Clement no longer makes sew-ups. But man did I really like the feel of them on the road particularly when getting up and out of the saddle and accelerating. The whoosh/whoosh was exhilarating to hear and to feel.

Interestingly, the Colnago has clincher rims by Mavic MA40's with Specialized Performance NOVA EX 700 x 25. Pretty sure the hubs are Campy Nuevo Record, but I can't tell any longer. The tires are history. But what do you all think of the rims? Or should I look to something "Newer/Better". Similar question about the hubs.

The brakesets are Campy SR I believe and the levers are NR. It seems that I might benefit from "upgrading" the brakes, but then I lose that vintage thing...

It seems that the cost effective way to go with the Colnago is to have local bike tech look it over and replace the tubes and tires. I can service the hubs, brakes, derailleurs and drivetrain.

I do wonder about the new wheels, tires and brake options.

Also wonder about how frame geometry and sizing has evolved in the last several decades. Is it time for a new fitting and updated frame? Yikes.

The frame is chipped here and there and minimal rust (see the lug at the head tube/downtube). Seems like that is OK.

All sorts of neat advice about things to replace that I'm going to need to research. Super Champ rims are history. So are Clement tires.

Most of the rims that I have have old, old cement. Not quite sure it's worth the time and energy to try to get that off.

Again, many thanks to all...

alanrogers505

See earlier post for the info on the Colnago.

Medici Serial Number 63 0386

The Medici says it is a Gran Turismo. The story about this bike is that I was relatively new to pro bikes and had gotten hooked with my Colnago. I was just about to be discharged from the Army and following the end of a relationship was thinking of heading from El Paso (where I was stationed) south through Mexico, Central America and on to South America by bike. But, I needed a touring bike. but I believe that the frame geometry is for a road bike along with an additional front fork with a longer rake so as to be used for touring. In the summer of 1980 I asked for advice from folks at the Denver Spoke (who had built up my Colnago) and they recommended Medici. (Reading a bit now, I realize that they were a California based builder, but I honestly thought they were based in Italy-the vagaries of memory and the passing years).

And I thought it might be nice to be able to ride and race this as well as tour with it, so I thought that I'd get an extra front fork with a different rake. I wanted it to have a triple for touring and a double for just being out and about. So, I have the extra fork that has the longer rake for touring (rusted/blistered and never used) and the the double that has also never been used. I'm not sure if it's a Gran Turismo with more of a road fork or a Pro-Strada with an extra fork with a longer rake. Not sure how I could tell. At any rate the decal says Gran Turismo and I can no longer remember what must have seemed important in 1980.

At any rate, I wanted to build this up myself, so they ordered the frameset and I traveled to Denver with a friend who worked there part time and under the direction of Doug Beeler, built this up myself. Damn proud at the time.

Here are some photos. It's way heavier than the Colnago.

The concern that I had about the paint blistering (underlying rust?)on the extra fork seems like a non-issue? Never have used it. I did take a short tour through the SW in 84 but used the shorter rake fork that also has braze-ons for a rack/panniers. Never did make that trip south of the border. Got talked out of it over safety issues and this was well before all the cartel violence.

It does have sew ups.

Any additional advice about getting this road worthy. I plan on new rims, tires, brake pads, cables, lever hoods and overall service. There is a local guy who works in a shop, rides everywhere (dirt and paved roads and arroyos) on the same bike with trailer, and I've been seeing him around for years. Seems like a good person for advice on this bike, but I'd love to hear from you all.

Thanks again,
Alan

abdon 

Nope, don't do it. Those bikes are death traps that will do you in. Fortunately I'll be happy to trade you shiny new bikes for them

As people said replace the rubber bits, tires and brake pads. Then look at spending time taking apart the things that spin so you can repack grease in them. Don't forget the pedals and headset. If any of those are dry a day of riding then like that can grind a year worth of wear in them.

Pray to God, the flying spaghetti monster, or whatever you believe in that the seat tube is not stuck.

ehcoplex 

Wow, those are two nifty bikes. If they were mine, I'd disassemble everything, clean, polish, re-grease, reassemble. New cables, brake pads, tires/tubes (I'd keep the tubular wheels for now- excel sports has had a great price on Vittoria tubulars running for a while). While apart, hit any chips/rust spots on the frame with Evaporust, lightly wet-sand and seal with clear nail polish. Then ride 'em a bunch and see what needs changing to accommodate current age/riding style/etc.

alanrogers505

Not sure what you mean about the seat tube. I am tall and even with a 63 cm frame, the seat post is/was out to where I needed it. My recollection is that there was enough still inside the seat tube, but I'll check.

Seems to me that from the TDF images, guys are riding smaller frames with more seat post height.

Many thanks and tell me what you've git for trades? VBG...

alanrogers505

I like the concept of getting them back to what they were and seeing what I might want to change from there. Appreciate how to deal with the chips and rust. I noticed that at some point I put a set of Vittoria's on some of the rims. I must have done some research... back then. They're shot now. I'll keep the tubular rims (I've got so many) and plan on using them for riding on better roads with less chance of flats, but I still remember using my fingertips to clear the tire treads after hitting glass on the road. Then again, that stuff that was recommended to inject into the tubulars sounded intriguing.

alanrogers505

SurferRosa
Overhaul them


I take it you mean the entire bikes and then I can decide if they're road worthy OR was there something in particular you wanted me to pay attention to?

abdon 

If the seatpost went in without lubrication there is a chance that it has fused itself there. It can be one of the most challenging things to fix on a bike, on the last one I encountered I had to use potassium hydroxide to dissolve the seatpost in place.

Insidious C. 

This topic brought back memories of some college club races that required bikes to be inspected prior to event. They checked for really obvious things like tubs not securely glued, loose stems and headsets. brakes cables that slip when you squeeze the levers hard.

I suggest cleaning the bike(s) and visually inspecting the frame for cracks. Rims can crack too, usually at spoke nipples or along brake tracks.

Andy_K 

Those bikes are definitely road worthy. You have a great advantage in having had them in your possession all this time. Most of us on this forum buy bikes older than that all the time with the hope that they will be road worthy, and they generally are. We have to go on what we can see and make guesses about what the bike has been through. You know the history of your bikes. That's a big advantage,

SkinGriz

How can I tell if my vintage road bikes are road-worthy at speed?

Ride bike up a steep hill. Go fast down the hill you rode up.

If the bike survives both ways it’s probably road worthy.

Classtime 

Two great bikes. I hope you do much searching reading asking questions here before you take it to a shop where they may replace bits and pieces that should not be. While you are doing the research and planning, let a few drops of your favorite solvent do its work on every fastener — spoke nipples included. Liquid Wrench and PB Blaster work well. I love how you kept all that “stuff”. Some will disagree but I like to use the original brake cables and housings with fresh lubricants if they are in as good shape as you have there. Then later you can put new improved cables and housings for slightly better performance but keep the original ones for “later”.

The Medici is the touring model with the brazed on fittings for attaching fenders and luggage racks.

For fit, you may want taller and shorter stems. BUT LATER! You will be amazed how your body can adapt even at retirement age.

SJX426 

Just do the basics of cleaning, lubing and consumable replacement. After a year or so of riding them, then decide what changes if any you want to make. Flat top tubes are a thing of the past, ignore what the pros are riding today. If the bikes still fit, then you are good to go! Give your body a change to adapt to change as you start riding. The most noticeable is the need to break your bottom to the saddle. Give it a 100 miles or so.
I am a big fan of the Vittoria G+ .tires, both clincher and sew ups, which i am transitioning towards.

SurferRosa

​​​​​​Yes, the entire bicycle. Overhaul everything.

gugie 

You just described at last half of us, so you're in the right place!

spclark 

Bought a Motobecane Grand Record back early in 1972, rode it a lot through the '70's & early '80's, not so much after until maybe 2008 when I endeavored to do an overhaul. Did new tires, brake pads, grease in all the bearings but for pedals, rode it often until we moved late in 2013.

It languished in our basement ever since until I decided this spring I wanted to get it back under me, if for nothing else than commuting to work 3/4 mile twice a day. Prospect of overhaul put me off ('cause I'm 74 now) so I bought a 2022 model (NOS) Kona Dew+ for commuting. That's gotten me back on the road, some trails, back in decent enough shape I went ahead with the MBGR overhaul, just completed a couple weeks ago.

I'm riding the (maybe?) 12-13 year-old Vittoria's again after I re-glued them to the Mavic rims, they seem fine though the sidewalls are yellowed from age. I have a new pair of tubies coming next week, as much for newer casings & tubes inside as for the somewhat more damage-resistant CX-type tread pattern better suited to the paved and compacted gravel I can ride on in my immediate area than the minimalist racing tread it's wearing now.

Biggest hurdle in overhaul was getting the stem expander replaced, It was rusty as all heck so I had an acquaintance with machine capability fashion a new one out of SS that worked great! I was Very Careful to get the fork's steering tube cleaned up inside, and the frame's seatpost tube too, with ample protective lube inside before everything went back together.

Gotta go ride now... power went out an hour ago, power company thinks maybe another two before it's back on. Be hotter by then, gonna take advantage of the cooler morning air to get a few miles done.