Kabuki12

I am a vintage road bike guy mainly because it is what I have been riding since the early seventies. I don't do change well and I love what I ride. I have quite a collection of these lugged steel bikes and they are all a little different in how they ride. Some of them are more relaxed and forgiving , others are agile and quick, it depends on the type of riding I am planning on. With your budget in the classic bike world you can do well. I do all the wrenching on my bikes unless I am just too busy at my shop, so that is a consideration. I only have a couple of bikes with sealed bearings so I do have to maintain them , but not that bad if you have the tools. In the eighties and later it was more common for bikes to have sealed bearings and that takes a lot of the wrenching out of the equation.

John Valuk

I see a reference here to 32 mm tires.

When you're looking at frames, that will be an important criterion to keep in mind, because some frames will absolutely not accommodate a tire of that size. Ask me how I know...

tkamd73 

Yeah, people do that! Bought this frame off of eBay, for 300 dollars, and built it up.
Tim



1991 Waterford Paramount OS

longhitv

This bike is stunning.

Korina

Just so you know, any money you put into the bike is going to exceed its value. I bought a vintage bike for $75 and put $700+ into it (nearly half was for the mechanic); it's a stupid amount of money, but it's a much better bike than I could buy new for the price. She's not finished yet, but she rides great, and of course I have to show off.



'Hey, what's in the big pink box?'

longhitv

New Bianchi celeste green frame on ebay. $500. Almost hit Buy it Now about 10 times.
But then.....

• New groupset (can be very expensive and tough to get)
• wheels, tube and tires.
• cables, handlebars and grip tape.
• stem, pedals, chain.
• seat post and seat.
• bell. 😁

Wheels alone. Easy way to spend $2000 or more on a restomod bike.

Phil_gretz

I'm guessing that you could do that ^ frame (price) with all carbon parts, full R8000 (non disc) group, and decent carbon wheels for just at $2000.

Drew Eckhardt 

Lots of us ride older frames with newer parts.

I've been riding a Litespeed Natchez frame and Look fork since 1997. It fits great, the traditional geometry leaves room for 2 large water bottles plus a frame pump, and it looks classic.

It's mostly 2002-2006 Record Titanium 10 speed in shiny silver/clear coated carbon fiber plus 2010 Centaur Carbon levers and a FSA SLK Light carbon triple crank.

With no acceptable 12 speed gearing options and the move to black anodizing/plastic it will probably stay that way indefinitely.

tkamd73 

Thanks! Every bike in my small fleet is probably something that would probably work for you. Almost all my bikes started out as frames that I picked up from somewhere, and the most I ever paid was 300 dollars.
That red Paramount had almost all the parts sourced from eBay, all in, ready to ride, that bike cost me just under a thousand dollars. Besides riding them, I really enjoy sourcing the parts, building them up, and experimenting with different components.
Here is another one that started with a crashed frame, that the mech at one of my LBS gave me for free. Had to have the frame repaired and repainted, so all in was about 1500 dollars.
Tim



1983 Bianchi Champione del Mondo

,

tkamd73 

Building up a bike is not cheap, even buying used components that you recondition yourself, you’ll never recoup your costs, if you care about that kind of stuff. I don’t, its a hobby, its entertainment, and something that keeps me grounded, and sane in retirement. Still it’s way cheaper then buying a decent new bike, if you can even find one these days.
My least expensive bike was my Trek TX900, bought it complete, and perfectly maintained, from someone who could no longer ride it. 600 dollars all in, just had to replace the stem, bike came with a 120mm Cinelli, and re-tape the bars. If you just want something to ride, buy a complete bike from someone who cares.
Tim



1977 Trek TX900

Kabuki12

Actually $800 is not a stupid amount of money if it is something you can enjoy and afford. It is a very unique build that looks versatile and fun. It isn't my style but it is a very nice looking machine that obviously took some effort. It has style and serves you well = whatever $$ got you there. Joe

Korina

Thanks. Pretty Purple Princess Penelope is my poor woman's Rivendell; she can do anything I ask of her, and do it with style. A couple days ago I took her down a very steep hill at an imprudent 32mph, considering the chunky pavement, and with my butt off the saddle a couple of inches she was stable as a rock. (In the middle of this a truck on the lane-and-a-half road came towards me right as I was drawing level with a large blackberry cane; I collapsed my elbow and shoulder in, and escaped unscathed. I eventually unclenched.)

John Valuk

For what it's worth, I totally get that reference.

Cool bike, too!

Camilo

Really? that's nonsense! They don't know their heads from hot rocks. It's very common among people who know more about bikes than what they learn walking into a bike shop.

On this very website, one of the best and most popular threads in the Classic and Vintage forum:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthrea...ferrerid=82590

Camilo

Gorgeous! I think the head tube is the same length as my seat tube!

longhitv

Tim this is totally what I want. Ive considered just bike a Bianchi frame and a second bike with decent gear and swapping it over.

Ironfish653

Most of the time, unless you're trying to build a very specific spec, or 'centerpiece' component, or you've got several of the major components already on hand (or for very cheap) it'll cost 30%-50% more to build a bike a piece at a time, than to just buy a complete one of similar spec. The cost factor goes up considerably more if you're buying all new components at retail, and having a shop do the build for you. The frame, wheels, and driveline are (usually) fairly easy to aquire, but it's the finishing kit like headsets, seatposts, cables and 'jewelry' that adds up surprisingly quick, and with the current supply chain, it's a roll of the dice for availability.

Metal-framed road bikes, steel in particular (since they favor the traditonal), haven't really made any major changes in frame design since the early 1990's, so fitting an older bike with modern components tends to result in a bike that's very similar to the era the chosen components came from. Other than some of the details, like 25mm tires max on 1990's bikes, you'll end up with a premium price for a bike that could have been bought 'off the rack'

Now, there are some iconic (or iconoclastic) bikes that do lend themselves to 'restomod' because they don't make 'em like that any more; Pre-Trek Lemond's, KLEINs, and early Cannondales (like the 2.8) as well as some of the 'alt' designs like the SoftRide 'beam' frames. These were exceptional bikes in their day, and people keep upgrading them because they want to keep riding them. There's not much of a following for mid-range Bianchis.

If you've got your heart set on a celeste green Bianchi with 10-sp Ultegra, I'd suggest looking for something modern, or be prepared to pay what it's going to take to make your dream bike happen.

tkamd73 

That is a nice frame, if it’s the right size, get it, and start from there.
Tim

Korina

With that name, I would hope so.

DocJames

Wow! I've heard this before but never paid much attention to it. Any idea what the length of time is? Having just bought several older aluminum rigs I'm now concerned. Both seemed to have been barely ridden and sat in storage more than anything else. Wonder if that's a factor in shelf life?

DocJames

You and me both! Decades in saddle. I remember thinking the ss crew and fixie freaks were nuts just trying to be cool and trendy. Fast forward, here we are I now own two SS, one with a fixie flip flop, and apparently I'm late. They're going out just as I'm getting in?

veganbikes

I remember one of my old mechanics who had been in the game a while and had run the gamut in the industry and as a racer and occasional team mechanic saying 5-10 years for a bike that has been ridden a lot and especially raced and ridden hard. Granted plenty of people have older aluminum bikes that are still going. So I think it is keeping an eye on the frame and cleaning it with some regularity and keeping a mind on how it starts to feel. I probably wouldn't ride a used frame without knowing the history but if it was a frame I owned throughout the life of it and have been keeping it in good shape I would probably be looking in the 20s to start replacement at least for me or moving that bike to less usage duties. Fatigue is the real killer so I guess shelf life really should be fatigue life but I like the term shelf life more.

Obviously though an unused frame that hasn't been abused in storage will not be subject to the same issues.

Danhedonia

Older bikes introduce complexity because it's often harder to find decent parts and tools.

Of course, if you're riding a $100 3-speed, YMMV.

longhitv

Just need a sturdy frame and this $7000 NOS groupset.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-NIB-Cam...MAAOSwhBNflbVP

tkamd73 

Only harder to find if you don’t have the internet, otherwise pretty simple, and just a click away.
Tim