rkk01

Not necessarily the financial value...

I'm trying to balance out two very different views that I have had expressed to me:

- Old steel road bikes - utterly obsolete, why would anyone ride such a thing
- Old steel road bikes - something quite special, a blend of science, art and engineering. Intangible qualities unlikely to be matched by modern frames

I suspect I am mainly in the second group, and would guess most on here would also be.

So, why do I ask...? I have been enjoying riding on my steel road bike, to the point where it has become my favoured choice for the commute to work, and here's the rub, if it is "something quite special", am I just hammering it when I should be looking after?

ETA - Through "valueing" the bike's riding qualities, and using it, am I actually reducing it's value through wear and damage (again not financial value - but longevity, appearance, condition etc)

CV-6 

Who says you can't hammer it and look after it? And are you really hammering it or riding it as it should be ridden?

rkk01

Well, not "hammering" as in competitively riding, although I do like to chase down riders in front...

More in terms of "wracking it out" - adding to the dings and scratches, risk of crash damage, pitting of chroming etc

calamarichris

The true value of steel bikes is not immediately apparent, but will become obvious 30 years from now, when 30-year-old steel bikes like my '86 Schwinn Peloton will still be on the road, and all these awesome new carbon bikes will not.

RaleighSport

Did you buy it to ride it?

Pars 

I think the majority of folks here have riders, not wall hangers. Riding them is what they are for

noglider 

You get the most value out of the bike by riding it. The more you ride it, the more you get out of it. Ride it a lot. Take good care of it, and replace worn parts.

dbakl

I was out on a big bike ride last Saturday. After the ride, they had lunch and a number of booths setup showing bike stuff. I'm looking in this booth at some carbon fibre wonderment and a young guy comes up to me and asks me if I'm looking for a new bike. I said no, I'm still riding my last new bike that I bought nearly 30 years ago. He looks at me like I'm a ****** and asks, oh, sure, what is that. I say a Cinelli. He goes wild. I say I'll bring it by when I leave.

Once he sees it he oohs and ahhs and says, yeah, if I had that I'd keep riding it too. (pic about the time I got it)

The value is what you give to it. I love my old bike. We've been together a long time, and through a lot.

rkk01

I quite agree.

The more I ride it, the more I appreciate it.
The more I appreciate it, the more concerned I get about wrecking it...

mikemowbz

+1

The only exception to this rule, a very rare exception, might be a bike that should literally be a 'museum piece'. Very few of us have such a bike, and I for one would not consider purchasing one - even if I could actually afford a near-mint example of some rare and exclusive exemplar of a major step in the history of cycling development. But I'm willing to entertain the argument that a few particular gems merit preservation above all.

I do make some distinctions between bikes in terms of what conditions they get ridden under, and do have one that is definitely only out in nice weather (and on good road surfaces). But I'm probably most fond of the one that comes out as regularly as need be, in sleet or snow or whatever comes, to be carefully cleaned and dried off upon return...

I suspect the bike you're commuting on is not a 'museum piece', and I suspect it will last a very long time being ridden - even with some vigor.

Any "wear and damage" from riding is, well, the price you pay. And it's likely (save for some possible catastrophe) to be relatively minor in the scheme of things.

A bike that shows it's been ridden is like a book that's visibly been thumbed-through dozens or even hundreds of times - obviously well-loved and appreciated.

So ride on!

mikemowbz

Sure, but is it so irreplaceable that it's worth sacrificing the appreciation and enjoyment you get from (more) riding for the sake of preservation?

I'm not sure that applying that logic more broadly would have a very positive impact on how one lived one's life...

IthaDan 

What's the bike? There are a gazillion permutations of steel bikes of all levels of quality.

caloso

We have several evening group rides here with a definite Roubaix flavor: flat, almost always a crosswind, and sections of horrible pavement. My steel bike, although a few pounds heavier than my Al/Carbon race bike, is actually the superior bike for these rides. It seems to float over the broken pavement and is steadier in the croswinds.

https://app.strava.com/rides/14305384

jon c. 

I'm surprised at how relatively inexpensive most vintage bikes are. Bicycles I would have thought would have much more 'collectible' value are available for a fraction of the cost of newer, lower quality machines.

fender1

Just ride it a lot and if you wreck it (highly unlikely) buy another. Problem solved.

3alarmer 

Stradivarius needs to be played, Woodrup (or fill in your own blank) needs to be ridden.

I have some bikes I've been riding for a long time. I don't think they are hammered.
But if you want to stick it in a corner somewhere so some younger guy can enjoy it
when your time is up...............well, a lot of my bikes came from sources like that.

non-fixie 

That is why I have driven classic cars for most of my life. Example: I bought a 1971 Alfa 1750 GTV in 1998 for $ 10k and thrashed it daily for 100.000 kms like it was a used Golf (yes, I did take care to warm the oil first). Same with a Maserati 4.24v. As long as you are able to keep it on the road it is just a matter of how much fun you want for your buck.

calamarichris

Fortunately for us, many bicycle consumers have been seduced by carbon's marketing and therefore know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

rootboy 

Some bikes and parts are irreplaceable, but not many.

ColonelJLloyd 

Heresy!

noglider 

Aha. I'm all too familiar with that neurosis. Try not to feed it. I worry about my bikes being stolen, because I've had too many stolen already. The first few were stolen and it was not my fault. I have been a bit too careless lately. But still, I think I hold back on making my bikes too blingy because of this fear. It's silly.

repechage

I have a few bikes that I probably would not ride with an unknown group. After I know they can handle a bike and ride without being dangerous, no problem.
As to value, yes using the bike will and can hurt its value.
Admiring it on the mantle is just not my thing.

mazdaspeed

I dunno if you've been to Portland but practically everyone there rides a vintage steel road bike it seems. They are durable and affordable. IMHO the standards on this forum for too nice to ride can be a little low. Even expensive vintage road bikes rarely exceed $1500 which is still a good 10x less than a top of the line new racing bike... Unless you're absolutely unwilling to spend a couple hundred bucks pretty much any frame short of super rare ones can be replaced with an equivalent, and if you're actually riding your bike a lot you can consider components disposable or at least subject to change. How's that for heresy?

ColonelJLloyd 

delcrossv

Seeing how (almost) no-one makes little road bikes these days, riding "vintage" has been a real boon for my kids. It's real fun is watching my daughter kick tail at the track on her 1975 Gitane. With a little maintenece and care, my future granddaughter, one of these days, will ride it too. How's that for value?