Do you buy your bikes to ride or just look at?

[mk one]

I was once looking at my bike whilst riding, wondering why my gears wernt shifting or something, and hit a parked car.

I look at all mine, hard not to, they are everywhere at moment, ride all of them as thats the point of them really but like some it can get a bit obbsessive when the bike has rare parts which tends to make me a bit more aware about riding them and not damaging them.

As for narrow bars, there are some wider ones and retro riser bars tend to be wide enough to feel useful. You can fit bar ends too which help.

 

[jonthefish]

Ride. I look a lot when building. Thereafter a bike needs to look and feel 'right' and if something annoys it will get replaced.

Re. your original question - how do you intend to widen the bars? Your post suggests a non-permanent solution. I'm intrigued. Second hand bars can be fairly cheap so may be worth experimenting a bit with widths and styles.

Anyway. Nothing wrong with fitting some risers, higher stem, wider bars or whatever makes a bike fit you best. Low narrow bars and arse in the air aren't the only retro style.

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Ride.

Otherwise what's the point? It's what they were built to do.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

I used to ride my retro quiet often but have also had plenty of retro bikes that I never threw a leg over. These days I prefer my modern full suss (and hardly get out on that) so I only really look at mine now. Collection is much smaller though, limited to a handful of bikes I loved bitd and I'm not buying any more.

 

[mattr]

^^^ Same, rebuilt my retro with period kit a few months after i retired it. Rode it a few times (with modern tyres).
It really wasn't very good compared to the bike i replaced it with, even though they were both from very smiliar molds. (HT26/100mm travel/XC race bikes).
So i't been in the attic, unused for at least 5 or 6 years now.
Recently replaced the replacement. And compared to the new bike(s) that's fairly shit as well. Only thing it has going for it is that it's lighter. It's slower off road though.

 

[Tomianson]

Both. i have a newly built looker, but i will ride it later in the year. And i'm acquiring a rider next week.
in the end they have to be ridden, but I confess to being a fair weather rider so they can stay a looker.

 

[Matthews]

Re:

I too am the wrong side of middle age so mainly ride a modern steel HT regularly as if I go out on the moors on a cantied full rigid I can't work for a couple of days after (3 slipped discs and 2 arthroscapies !!) , built a retromod a few years ago but it still left me aching after a good ride , got a Dynatec Diablo I'm restoring and it will get ridden but only on the gentler rides we put on when weather is poo , For the moors I'm afraid it's modern with good brakes , soft tyres and a big plush fork .

 

[avalonian]

I look at one of mine every time I go in the kitchen, cos it lives there

 

[longun]

both

bikes are exquisite machines

 

[idlemind]

Re:

A lot of people have said it already but fit the bars you want and make it your bike and get out there and ride it, the time to look at it is at the pub while you are having a mid ride pint. Bikes are made to be ridden, if it breaks you can then polish it and hang it on the wall to look at.